• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.482-490
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• 2018

Candida albicans infections are often problematic to treat owing to antifungal resistance, as such infections are mostly associated with biofilms. The ability of C. albicans to switch from a budding yeast to filamentous hyphae and to adhere to host cells or various surfaces supports biofilm formation. Previously, the ethanol extract from Paeonia lactiflora was reported to inhibit cell wall synthesis and cause depolarization and permeabilization of the cell membrane in C. albicans. In this study, the P. lactiflora extract was found to significantly reduce the initial stage of C. albicans biofilms from 12 clinical isolates by 38.4%. Thus, to assess the action mechanism, the effect of the P. lactiflora extract on the adhesion of C. albicans cells to polystyrene and germ tube formation was investigated using a microscopic analysis. The density of the adherent cells was diminished following incubation with the P. lactiflora extract in an acidic medium. Additionally, the P. lactiflora-treated C. albicans cells were mostly composed of less virulent pseudohyphae, and ruptured debris was found in the serum-containing medium. A quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that P. lactiflora downregulated the expression of C. albicans hypha-specific genes: ALS3 by 65% (p = 0.004), ECE1 by 34.9% (p = 0.001), HWP1 by 29.2% (p = 0.002), and SAP1 by 37.5% (p = 0.001), matching the microscopic analysis of the P. lactiflora action on biofilm formation. Therefore, the current findings demonstrate that the P. lactiflora ethanol extract is effective in inhibiting C. albicans biofilms in vitro, suggesting its therapeutic potential for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections.

• 한국생물물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물물리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.50-50
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• 2003

We have identified and analysed a putative response regulator two-component gene (CaSKN7) from Candida albicans and its encoding protein (CaSkn7). CaSKN7 has an open reading frame of 1677bp. CaSKN7 encodes a 559 amino acid protein (CaSkn7) with an estimated molecular mass of 61.1 kDa. CaSKN7 is a homologue of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae SKN7 that is the regulator involved in the oxidative stress response. To study the role of CaSKN7, we constructed a CAI4-derived mutant strain carrying a homozygous deletion of the CaSKN7 gene. In the caskn7 disruptant cells, the formation of germ tube require shorter time than that in the congenic wild-type strain but the growth of mycelium delayed in liquid media. In contrast, the caskn7 disruptant cells attenuate the differentiation in solid media and the virulence in mouse model system. Expression level of hypha-specific and virulence genes - HYR1, ECE1, HWP1, and ALS1 - in the caskn7 disruptant cells increased as compared with that in the congenic wild-type strain in 10％ serum YPD. Skn7 in 5. cerevisiae was found to bind the HSE element from the SSA promoter, Also, CaSkn7 contains heat shock factor DNA-binding domain and the promoters of these genes have HSE-like sties. Therefore these results show that CaSKN7 regulate the differentiation and virulence of C. albicans.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.465-472
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• 2019

Candida albicans는 기회감염을 유발하는 주요한 병원성 진균 중의 하나이다. 캔디다증 치료과정에서 항진균제에 대한 내성이 흔히 발견되는데, 그 이유는 Candida가 바이오필름을 형성할 수 있기 때문이다. 이전의 연구에서 우리는 단삼(Salvia miltiorriza)의 에탄올추출물이 세포막의 투과성을 변화시키고 세포벽 합성을 저해하여 항캔디다 활성을 나타냄을 밝혔다. 본 연구에서는 10개 C. albicans 임상균주가 형성한 초기단계의 바이오필름을 대상으로 XTT 환원분석법으로 대사활성을 측정하니, $78{\mu}g/ml$ 단삼 에탄올추출물에 의해 바이오필름의 대사활성이 평균 51.3% 감소되었다. C. albicans 세포들이 폴리스티렌 표면에 부착하거나 germ tube를 형성하는 과정에서의 단삼 에탄올추출물의 영향을 현미경으로 분석하니, $39{\mu}g/ml$ 단삼 에탄올추출물에 의해 부착된 세포의 밀도는 현저하게 감소하였으나 germ tube 형성은 거의 억제하지 못했다. 단삼 에탄올추출물이 C. albicans SC5314 세포의 균사에 특이적인 유전자 발현에 미치는 영향을 qPCR로 분석한 결과, EAP1은 34.7% (p < 0.001), ALS1은 45.0% (p < 0.001), ALS3는 48.1% (p < 0.001), ECE1은 21.3% (p = 0.006) 억제하였다. 결론적으로 단삼의 에탄올추출물은 초기단계의 C. albicans 바이오필름 발달을 효율적으로 저해하며, 이는 EAP1, ALS1, ALS3 유전자의 발현억제에 따른 세포부착 억제와 관련이 있다. 더불어 단삼 에탄올추출물의 C. albicans 세포막 기능저해와 세포벽 합성억제에 의한 구조변화 또한 세포부착단계에서의 바이오필름 발달억제에 기여할 것으로 추정된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.242-247
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• 2008

In the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, the yeast-to-hyphal transition occurs in response to a broad range of environmental stimuli and is considered to be a major virulence factor. To address whether the zinc homeostasis affects the growth or pathogenicity of C. albicans, we functionally characterized the zinc-finger protein Csr1 during filamentation. The deduced amino acid sequence of Csr1 showed a 49% similarity to the zinc-specific transcription factor, Zap1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequential disruptions of CSR1 were carried out in diploid C. albicans. The csr1/csr1 mutant strain showed severe growth defects under zinc-limited growth conditions and the filamentation defect under hypha-inducing media. The colony morphology and the germ-tube formation were significantly affected by the csr1 mutation. The expression of the hyphae-specific gene HWP1 was also impaired in csr1/csr1 cells. The C. albicans homologs of ZRTl and ZRT2, which are zinc-transporter genes in S. cerevisiae, were isolated. High-copy number plasmids of these genes suppressed the filamentation defect of the csr1/csr1 mutant strain. We propose that the filamentation phenotype of C. albicans is closely associated with the zinc homeostasis in the cells and that Csr1 plays a critical role in this regulation.