Upc2-mediated mechanisms of azole resistance in Candida auris.

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State: Public
Version: Final published version
License: CC BY 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_D81064ADA623
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Upc2-mediated mechanisms of azole resistance in Candida auris.
Journal
Microbiology spectrum
Author(s)
Li J., Aubry L., Brandalise D., Coste A.T., Sanglard D., Lamoth F.
ISSN
2165-0497 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
2165-0497
Publication state
Published
Issued date
06/02/2024
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
12
Number
2
Pages
e0352623
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Candida auris is an emerging yeast pathogen of major concern because of its ability to cause hospital outbreaks of invasive candidiasis and to develop resistance to antifungal drugs. A majority of C. auris isolates are resistant to fluconazole, an azole drug used for the treatment of invasive candidiasis. Mechanisms of azole resistance are multiple, including mutations in the target gene ERG11 and activation of the transcription factors Tac1b and Mrr1, which control the drug transporters Cdr1 and Mdr1, respectively. We investigated the role of the transcription factor Upc2, which is known to regulate the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway and azole resistance in other Candida spp. Genetic deletion and hyperactivation of Upc2 by epitope tagging in C. auris resulted in drastic increases and decreases in susceptibility to azoles, respectively. This effect was conserved in strains with genetic hyperactivation of Tac1b or Mrr1. Reverse transcription PCR analyses showed that Upc2 regulates ERG11 expression and also activates the Mrr1/Mdr1 pathway. We showed that upregulation of MDR1 by Upc2 could occur independently from Mrr1. The impact of UPC2 deletion on MDR1 expression and azole susceptibility in a hyperactive Mrr1 background was stronger than that of MRR1 deletion in a hyperactive Upc2 background. While Upc2 hyperactivation resulted in a significant increase in the expression of TAC1b, CDR1 expression remained unchanged. Taken together, our results showed that Upc2 is crucial for azole resistance in C. auris, via regulation of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway and activation of the Mrr1/Mdr1 pathway. Notably, Upc2 is a very potent and direct activator of Mdr1.IMPORTANCECandida auris is a yeast of major medical importance causing nosocomial outbreaks of invasive candidiasis. Its ability to develop resistance to antifungal drugs, in particular to azoles (e.g., fluconazole), is concerning. Understanding the mechanisms of azole resistance in C. auris is important and may help in identifying novel antifungal targets. This study shows the key role of the transcription factor Upc2 in azole resistance of C. auris and shows that this effect is mediated via different pathways, including the regulation of ergosterol biosynthesis and also the direct upregulation of the drug transporter Mdr1.
Keywords
Humans, Fluconazole/pharmacology, Antifungal Agents/pharmacology, Azoles/pharmacology, Candida auris, Candida albicans, Fungal Proteins/genetics, Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism, Transcription Factors/metabolism, Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism, Candidiasis, Invasive, Ergosterol, Drug Resistance, Fungal/genetics, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Candidiasis, Candida glabrata, antifungal resistance, efflux pumps, ergosterol, zinc cluster transcription factor
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
16/01/2024 16:45
Last modification date
09/08/2024 14:52
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