scholarly journals An A643V Amino Acid Substitution in Upc2p Contributes to Azole Resistance in Well-Characterized Clinical Isolates ofCandida albicans

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 940-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha J. Hoot ◽  
Adam R. Smith ◽  
Ryan P. Brown ◽  
Theodore C. White

ABSTRACTTheCandida albicansUpc2p transcription factor regulatesERG11, encoding the target of azole drugs. Gain-of-function mutations that contribute to resistance were recently identified in a series of sequential clinical isolates (N. Dunkel, T. T. Liu, K. S. Barker, R. Homayouni, J. Morschhauser, and P. D. Rogers, Eukaryot. Cell 7:1180-1190, 2008). In the present study,UPC2was sequenced from a matched set of 17 isolates. An A643V substitution was present in all of the isolates in the series that overexpressedERG11. Azole susceptibility, ergosterol levels, and expression ofERGgenes were elevated in the A643V clinical isolates and in reconstructed strains.

2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 450-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Flowers ◽  
Brendan Colón ◽  
Sarah G. Whaley ◽  
Mary A. Schuler ◽  
P. David Rogers

ABSTRACTInCandida albicans, theERG11gene encodes lanosterol demethylase, the target of the azole antifungals. Mutations inERG11that result in an amino acid substitution alter the abilities of the azoles to bind to and inhibit Erg11, resulting in resistance. AlthoughERG11mutations have been observed in clinical isolates, the specific contributions of individualERG11mutations to azole resistance inC. albicanshave not been widely explored. We sequencedERG11in 63 fluconazole (FLC)-resistant clinical isolates. Fifty-five isolates carried at least one mutation inERG11, and we observed 26 distinct positions in which amino acid substitutions occurred. We mapped the 26 distinct variant positions in these alleles to four regions in the predicted structure for Erg11, including its predicted catalytic site, extended fungus-specific external loop, proximal surface, and proximal surface-to-heme region. In total, 31 distinctERG11alleles were recovered, with 10ERG11alleles containing a single amino acid substitution. We then characterized 19 distinctERG11alleles by introducing them into the wild-type azole-susceptibleC. albicansSC5314 strain and testing them for susceptibilities to FLC, itraconazole (ITC), and voriconazole (VRC). The strains that were homozygous for the single amino acid substitutions Y132F, K143R, F145L, S405F, D446E, G448E, F449V, G450E, and G464S had a ≥4-fold increase in FLC MIC. The strains that were homozygous for several double amino acid substitutions had decreased azole susceptibilities beyond those conferred by any single amino acid substitution. These findings indicate that mutations inERG11are prevalent among azole-resistant clinical isolates and that most mutations result in appreciable changes in FLC and VRC susceptibilities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1289-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Flowers ◽  
Katherine S. Barker ◽  
Elizabeth L. Berkow ◽  
Geoffrey Toner ◽  
Sean G. Chadwick ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTInCandida albicans, Upc2 is a zinc-cluster transcription factor that targets genes, including those of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. To date, three documentedUPC2gain-of-function (GOF) mutations have been recovered from fluconazole-resistant clinical isolates that contribute to an increase inERG11expression and decreased fluconazole susceptibility. In a group of 63 isolates with reduced susceptibility to fluconazole, we found that 47 overexpressedERG11by at least 2-fold over the average expression levels in 3 unrelated fluconazole-susceptible strains. Of those 47 isolates, 29 contained a mutation inUPC2, whereas the remaining 18 isolates did not. Among the isolates containing mutations inUPC2, we recovered eight distinct mutations resulting in putative single amino acid substitutions: G648D, G648S, A643T, A643V, Y642F, G304R, A646V, and W478C. Seven of these resulted in increasedERG11expression, increased cellular ergosterol, and decreased susceptibility to fluconazole compared to the results for the wild-type strain. Genome-wide transcriptional analysis was performed for the four strongest Upc2 amino acid substitutions (A643V, G648D, G648S, and Y642F). Genes commonly upregulated by all four mutations included those involved in ergosterol biosynthesis, in oxidoreductase activity, the major facilitator efflux pump encoded by theMDR1gene, and the uncharacterized ATP binding cassette transporterCDR11. These findings demonstrate that gain-of-function mutations inUPC2are more prevalent among clinical isolates than previously thought and make a significant contribution to azole antifungal resistance, but the findings do not account forERG11overexpression in all such isolates ofC. albicans.


2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 1180-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico Dunkel ◽  
Teresa T. Liu ◽  
Katherine S. Barker ◽  
Ramin Homayouni ◽  
Joachim Morschhäuser ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans, the zinc cluster transcription factor Upc2p has been shown to regulate the expression of ERG11 and other genes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis upon exposure to azole antifungals. ERG11 encodes lanosterol demethylase, the target enzyme of this antifungal class. Overexpression of UPC2 reduces azole susceptibility, whereas its disruption results in hypersusceptibility to azoles and reduced accumulation of exogenous sterols. Overexpression of ERG11 leads to the increased production of lanosterol demethylase, which contributes to azole resistance in clinical isolates of C. albicans, but the mechanism for this has yet to be determined. Using genome-wide gene expression profiling, we found UPC2 and other genes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis to be coordinately upregulated with ERG11 in a fluconazole-resistant clinical isolate compared with a matched susceptible isolate from the same patient. Sequence analysis of the UPC2 alleles of these isolates revealed that the resistant isolate contained a single-nucleotide substitution in one UPC2 allele that resulted in a G648D exchange in the encoded protein. Introduction of the mutated allele into a drug-susceptible strain resulted in constitutive upregulation of ERG11 and increased resistance to fluconazole. By comparing the gene expression profiles of the fluconazole-resistant isolate and of strains carrying wild-type and mutated UPC2 alleles, we identified target genes that are controlled by Upc2p. Here we show for the first time that a gain-of-function mutation in UPC2 leads to the increased expression of ERG11 and imparts resistance to fluconazole in clinical isolates of C. albicans.


1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 2671-2677 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bonnet ◽  
C. De Champs ◽  
D. Sirot ◽  
C. Chanal ◽  
R. Labia ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In a survey of resistance to amoxicillin among clinical isolates ofProteus mirabilis, 10 TEM-type β-lactamases were characterized: (i) the well-known penicillinases TEM-1 and TEM-2, the extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) TEM-3 and TEM-24, and the inhibitor-resistant TEM (IRT) TEM-44 and (ii) five novel enzymes, a penicillinase TEM-57 similar to TEM-1, an ESBL TEM-66 similar to TEM-3, and three IRTs, TEM-65, TEM-73, and TEM-74. The penicillinase TEM-57 and the ESBL TEM-66 differed from TEM-1 and TEM-3, respectively, by the amino acid substitution Gly-92→Asp (nucleotide mutation G-477→A). This substitution could have accounted for the decrease in pIs (5.2 for TEM-57 and 6.0 for TEM-66) but did not necessarily affect the intrinsic activities of these enzymes. The IRT TEM-65 was an IRT-1-like IRT (Cys-244) related to TEM-2 (Lys-39). The two other IRTs, TEM-73 and TEM-74, were related to IRT-1 (Cys-244) and IRT-2 (Ser-244), respectively, and harbored the amino acid substitutions Leu-21→Phe and Thr-265→Met. In this study, the ESBLs TEM-66, TEM-24, and TEM-3 were encoded by large (170- to 180-kb) conjugative plasmids that exhibited similar patterns after digestion and hybridization with the TEM and AAC(6′)I probes. The three IRTs TEM-65, TEM-73, and TEM-74 were encoded by plasmids that ranged in size from 42 to 70 kb but for which no transfer was obtained. The characterization of five new plasmid-mediated TEM-type β-lactamases and the first report of TEM-24 in P. mirabilis are evidence of the wide diversity of β-lactamases produced in this species and of its possible role as a β-lactamase-encoding plasmid reservoir.


2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 2985-2990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Kakeya ◽  
Yoshitsugu Miyazaki ◽  
Haruko Miyazaki ◽  
Katherine Nyswaner ◽  
Brian Grimberg ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT High-level azole resistance in the Darlington strain ofCandida albicans was investigated by gene replacement inC. albicans and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We sequenced the ERG11 gene, which encodes the sterol C14α-demethylase, from our copy of the Darlington strain. Both alleles contained the histidine for tyrosine substitution at position 132 (Y132H) reported in Darlington by others, but we also found a threonine-for-isoleucine substitution (I471T) not previously reported in the C. albicans ERG11. The encoded I471T change in amino acids conferred azole resistance when overexpressed alone and increased azole resistance when added to the Y132H amino acid sequence in an S. cerevisiae expression system. Replacement of one copy of ERG11 in an azole-susceptible strain of C. albicans with a single copy of the Darlington ERG11 resulted in expression of the integrated copy and a modest increase in azole resistance. The profound azole resistance of the Darlington strain is the result of multiple mutations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 6615-6619 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Paul ◽  
S. M. Rudramurthy ◽  
J. F. Meis ◽  
J. W. Mouton ◽  
A. Chakrabarti

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to explore any mutation in theCYP51gene conferring azole resistance inAspergillus flavus. Two voriconazole-resistant and 45 voriconazole-susceptible isolates were included in the study. Sequence analysis demonstrated a T1025C nucleotide change inCYP51C, resulting in the Y319H amino acid substitution in one resistant isolate. However, the earlier described T788G mutation inCYP51Cconferring voriconazole resistance inA. flavusisolates was present in all isolates, irrespective of their susceptibility status.


2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 1220-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. David Rogers ◽  
Katherine S. Barker

ABSTRACT Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen and a causative agent of oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC), the most frequent opportunistic infection among patients with AIDS. Fluconazole and other azole antifungal agents have proven effective in the management of OPC; however, with increased use of these agents treatment failures have occurred. Such failures have been associated with the emergence of azole-resistant strains of C. albicans. In the present study we examined changes in the genome-wide gene expression profile of a series of C. albicans clinical isolates representing the stepwise acquisition of azole resistance. In addition to genes previously associated with azole resistance, we identified many genes whose differential expression was for the first time associated with this phenotype. Furthermore, the expression of these genes was correlated with that of the known resistance genes CDR1, CDR2, and CaMDR1. Genes coordinately regulated with the up-regulation of CDR1 and CDR2 included the up-regulation of GPX1 and RTA3 and the down-regulation of EBP1. Genes coordinately regulated with the up-regulation of CaMDR1 included the up-regulation of IFD1, IFD4, IFD5, IFD7, GRP2, DPP1, CRD2, and INO1 and the down-regulation of FET34, OPI3, and IPF1222. Several of these appeared to be coordinately regulated with both the CDR genes and CaMDR1. Many of these genes are involved in the oxidative stress response, suggesting that reduced susceptibility to oxidative damage may contribute to azole resistance. Further evaluation of the role these genes and their respective gene products play in azole antifungal resistance is warranted.


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