Dataset Information

Down-regulation of the ALS3 gene as a consequent effect of RNA-mediated silencing of the EFG1 gene in Candida albicans.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The most important virulence factor which plays a central role in Candida albicans pathogenesis is the ability of this yeast to alternate between unicellular yeast and filamentous hyphal forms. Efg1 protein is thought to be the main positive regulating transcription factor, which is responsible for regulating hyphal-specific gene expression under most conditions. ALS3 is one of the Efg1-associated genes encoding a multi-functional adhesive polypeptide, which mediates adherence to diverse host substrates. In this study, the EFG1 gene was knocked down by using synthetic siRNA in C. albicans and the regulation in ALS3 as one of the Efg1-dependent genes was investigated. METHOD:The 19-nucleotide siRNA was designed based on cDNA sequence of EFG1 gene in C. albicans. Transfection was performed using modified- plyethylen glycol/LiAc method. To quantify the level of EFG1 and the hyphal-specific ALS3 gene expression, the cognate EFG1 and ALS3 mRNA were measured in C. albicans by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS:Fluorescent microscopy pictures indicated that transfection was performed successfully. Also, according to relative expression software tool, expression of EFG1 gene was decreased significantly with 500 nM siRNA as well as 1 µM siRNA (P<0.05). However, more significant down-regulations were observed in the expression of ALS3 in both concentrations of 500 nM and 1 µM siRNA (P<0.05). CONCLUSION:In conclusion, we demonstrated the down-regulation of ALS3 gene as a consequent of applying EFG1-specific siRNA in C. albicans. This may lead us to design anti-fungal-specific agents in order to face with C. albicans-associated infections.

SUBMITTER: Moazeni M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3600964 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Down-regulation of the ALS3 gene as a consequent effect of RNA-mediated silencing of the EFG1 gene in Candida albicans.

Moazeni Maryam M Khorramizadeh Mohammad Reza MR Teimoori-Toolabi Ladan L Noorbakhsh Fatemeh F Fallahi Ali Akbar AA Rezaie Sassan S

Iranian biomedical journal 20120101 4

<h4>Background</h4>The most important virulence factor which plays a central role in Candida albicans pathogenesis is the ability of this yeast to alternate between unicellular yeast and filamentous hyphal forms. Efg1 protein is thought to be the main positive regulating transcription factor, which is responsible for regulating hyphal-specific gene expression under most conditions. ALS3 is one of the Efg1-associated genes encoding a multi-functional adhesive polypeptide, which mediates adherence ...[more]

PMID: 23183615

Similar Datasets

Project description:UnlabelledTo understand differences in host-Candida albicans interactions that occur during colonization of healthy or compromised hosts, production of phenotypic variants and colonization of healthy or immunodeficient mice by C. albicans were studied. We showed that activity of the transcription factor Efg1p exhibited cell-to-cell variability and identified Efg1p as a major regulator of colonization. In C. albicans populations colonizing the murine gastrointestinal tract, average expression of EFG1 differed depending on the immune status of the host. We propose that cellular heterogeneity in Efg1p activity allows the C. albicans colonizing population to differ depending on the immune status of the host, because selective pressure from a healthy host alters the composition of the population. These data are the first demonstration that differences in host immune status are associated with differences in gene expression in colonizing C. albicans cells. Altered gene expression in organisms colonizing immunocompromised hosts may begin the transition of C. albicans from a commensal to a pathogen.ImportanceIn healthy people, the fungus Candida albicans colonizes the gastrointestinal tract and other sites without producing obvious pathology. In an immunocompromised patient, the organism can cause serious disease. The demonstration that the expression and activity of the C. albicans transcription factor Efg1p differs during colonization of healthy or immunocompromised mice shows that the organism adjusts its physiology when colonizing different hosts. Further, the effects of a healthy host on a heterogeneous C. albicans population containing cells with different levels of Efg1p activity show that selective pressure in the host can change the makeup of the population, allowing the population to respond to host immune status. The ability to sense host status may be key to the ability of C. albicans to colonize as a harmless commensal in some hosts but become a deadly pathogen in others.

Dataset Information

Down-regulation of the ALS3 gene as a consequent effect of RNA-mediated silencing of the EFG1 gene in Candida albicans.

Publications

Down-regulation of the ALS3 gene as a consequent effect of RNA-mediated silencing of the EFG1 gene in Candida albicans.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets