白念珠菌抗氧化基因体外表达研究

目的检测白念珠菌体外抗氧化及调节转录的基因表达情况,进一步了解白念珠菌抗氧化机制在体外生长状态下的作用。方法选取白念珠菌标准株sc5314、3株临床分离保存株及7例临床念珠菌性阴道炎分泌物分离株（白念珠菌）,接种培养鉴定为白念珠菌后,分别将体外SDB振荡培养2 h、6 h、24 h、72 h、120 d的菌液（含未培养0h）,用Trizol法提取总RNA,反转录为cDNA后进行实时荧光定量PCR,检测体外各时间点抗氧化基因及抗氧化转录因子的基因表达情况,运用Ct值比较法进行表达量的相对定量分析。结果与0 h相比,体外6 hSOD2表达增加7.47倍,经Wilcoxon配对符号秩和检验显示P值小于0.01,差异具有统计学意义。其他各基因2 h及6 h分别与0 h相比P值均〉0.01,其表达差异不具有统计学意义。体外培养1 d后各基因表达明显增加,CaHog1、CAP1、CAT及SOD5在第3天达最高,分别为24.23、3.34、33.64及14.72倍;SOD2在第1天达最高为68.95倍;CaSkn7在第5天达最高为7.21倍。经Wilcoxon配对符号秩和检验显示SOD5第1天P值为0.013,其余基因表达P均〈0.01,表达差异具有统计学意义。结论当外界营养逐渐耗竭时,白念珠菌会动态加强抗氧化基因的表达,以抵抗机体内、外产生的氧化压力,其中SOD2可能是最早增加表达的抗氧化基因,3条抗氧化感受通路的转录调节基因均有增加表达,提示3条抗氧化感受通路在适应体外营养限制过程中起了重要作用。     

The genetic basis of fluconazole resistance development in Candida albicans

Infections by the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans are widely treated with the antifungal agent fluconazole that inhibits the biosynthesis of ergosterol, the major sterol in the fungal plasma membrane. The emergence of fluconazole-resistant C. albicans strains is a significant problem after long-term treatment of recurrent oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. Resistance can be caused by alterations in sterol biosynthesis, by mutations in the drug target enzyme, sterol 14alpha-demethylase (14DM), which lower its affinity for fluconazole, by increased expression of the ERG11 gene encoding 14DM, or by overexpression of genes coding for membrane transport proteins of the ABC transporter (CDR1/CDR2) or the major facilitator (MDR1) superfamilies. Different mechanisms are frequently combined to result in a stepwise development of fluconazole resistance over time. The MDR1 gene is not or barely transcribed during growth in vitro in fluconazole-susceptible C. albicans strains, but overexpressed in many fluconazole-resistant clinical isolates, resulting in reduced intracellular fluconazole accumulation. The activation of the gene in resistant isolates is caused by mutations in as yet unknown trans-regulatory factors, and the resulting constitutive high level of MDR1 expression causes resistance to other toxic compounds in addition to fluconazole. Disruption of both alleles of the MDR1 gene in resistant C. albicans isolates abolishes their resistance to these drugs, providing genetic evidence that MDR1 mediates multidrug resistance in C. albicans.     

Ras links cellular morphogenesis to virulence by regulation of the MAP kinase and cAMP signalling pathways in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans

The pathogenic fungus Candida albicans is capable of responding to a wide variety of environmental cues with a morphological transition from a budding yeast to a polarized filamentous form. We demonstrate that the Ras homologue of C. albicans, CaRas1p, is required for this morphological transition and thereby contributes to the development of pathogenicity. However, CaRas1p is not required for cellular viability. Deletion of both alleles of the CaRAS1 gene caused in vitro defects in morphological transition that were reversed by either supplementing the growth media with cAMP or overexpressing components of the filament-inducing mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade. The induction of filament-specific secreted aspartyl proteinases encoded by the SAP4-6 genes was blocked in the mutant cells. The defects in filament formation were also observed in situ after phagocytosis of C. albicans cells in a macrophage cell culture assay and, in vivo, after infection of kidneys in a mouse model for systemic candidiasis. In the macrophage assay, the mutant cells were less resistant to phagocytosis. Moreover, the defects in filament formation were associated with reduced virulence in the mouse model. These results indicate that, in response to environmental cues, CaRas1p is required for the regulation of both a MAP kinase signalling pathway and a cAMP signalling pathway. CaRas1p-dependent activation of these pathways contributes to the pathogenicity of C. albicans cells through the induction of polarized morphogenesis. These findings elucidate a new medically relevant role for Ras in cellular morphogenesis and virulence in an important human infectious disease.