Investigations of ALS1 and HWP1 genes in clinical isolates of Candida albicans

İnci, Melek; Atalay, Mustafa; Özer, Burçin; Evirgen, Ömer; Duran, Nizami; Motor, Vicdan Köksaldı; Koç, Ayşe; Önlen, Yüsüf; Kilinc, Cetin; Durmaz, Süleyman

doi:10.3906/sag-1205-90

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Transcript analysis showed that expression was downregulated, and therefore, cinnamon oil and SDS followed by CTAB and E. faecalis-CFS might exert their anti-biofilm effect via perturbation of cell wall integrity and inhibition of adherence. The obtained results confirm the findings of previous studies (Tsang et al, 2012;Inci et al, 2013) that downregulation of adhesion-related genes, ALS3 and HWP1, reduces biofilm formation by inhibiting adhesion of C. albicans cells. The downregulation of the RAS1 gene in C. albicans biofilm in the presence of the tested antifungal agents, particularly cinnamon oil and SDS, implies that they might inhibit the expression of filament-inducing genes via an RAS1-mediated way (Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 and Cek1-Cph1p pathways).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Promising Anti-Biofilm Agents and Phagocytes Enhancers for the Treatment of Candida albicans Biofilm–Associated Infections

Tartor

Elmowalid

Hassan

et al. 2022

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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Little is known about the interactions among phagocytes and antifungal agents and the antifungal immunomodulatory activities on Candida species biofilms. Here, inhibition of C. albicans biofilms and the interactions among biofilms and phagocytes alone or in combination with essential oils, biological, and chemical agents, or fluconazole were investigated. Biofilm formation by a panel of 28 C. albicans clinical isolates from hospitalized patients, birds, and cattle was tested. The anti-biofilm activities of cinnamon and clove oils, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and Enterococcus faecalis cell-free supernatant (CFS) in comparison with fluconazole were investigated using crystal violet and XTT reduction assays, expression of hypha-specific and hyphal regulator genes, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Of the tested C. albicans isolates, 15 of 28 (53.6%) were biofilm producers. Cinnamon followed by E. faecalis–CFS, SDS, and CTAB was the most effective inhibitors of planktonic C. albicans and biofilms. Fluconazole was an ineffective inhibitor of C. albicans biofilms. Sessile minimal inhibitory concentration (SMIC50) of cinnamon, SDS, CTAB, and E. faecalis–CFS downregulated the hypha-specific and regulator genes, albeit to various extents, when compared with untreated biofilms (P < 0.001). SEM analysis revealed disruption and deformity of three-dimensional structures in cinnamon oil–treated biofilms. C. albicans sessile cells within biofilm were less susceptible to phagocytosis than planktonic cells. The additive effects of phagocytes and the tested antifungals enabled phagocytes to engulf C. albicans cells rapidly in cinnamon, E. faecalis–CFS, or SDS-treated biofilms. No differences in anti-Candida or anti-biofilm eradication activities were detected among the tested isolates. Our findings reinforce the substantial anti-biofilm activity of cinnamon oil, SDS, and E. faecalis–CFS and provide new avenues for the development of novel anti-biofilm immunotherapies or antifungals that could be used prior to or during the management of cases with biofilm-associated infections.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Promising Anti-Biofilm Agents and Phagocytes Enhancers for the Treatment of Candida albicans Biofilm–Associated Infections

Tartor

Elmowalid

Hassan

et al. 2022

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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“…Also, biofilm formation increases the expression rates of resistance genes through induction by surface contact and persistence of a small number of cells. 13,27 In the current study, 79.6%, 71.4% and 81.6% of biofilm producers and 13.8%, 22 28 . Variations in the type of clinical samples, the quantity of isolates, and the diagnosis methods may all affect the prevalence of virulence genes.…”

Section: Various Species Of Candida Ie C Albicans and Non-albicansmentioning

confidence: 44%

Study of Azole Susceptibility and Virulence Patterns of Vulvovaginal Candida Species in Menoufia, Egypt

Ajlan

Elmahdy

Sleem

et al. 2022

Egyptian Journal of Medical Microbiology

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Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is one of the most common forms of superficial fungal infections. Azoles are the first line antifungals used in the treatment and prevention of VVC. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of VVC with evaluation of the potential risk factors. Also, to assess azoles susceptibility patterns with association to biofilm formation and to detect candidal virulence genes (HWP1, ALS1 and INT1) and ERG11 gene expression. Methodology: Evaluation of vaginal infection risk factors was achieved by a designed questionnaire. Candida strains isolated from high vaginal swab samples were identified up to species level by conventional methods. Assessment of antifungal susceptibility patterns (by disk diffusion method) and phenotypic detection of biofilm formation were also performed followed by molecular detection of virulence genes (HWP1, ALS1 and INT1) by multiplex PCR and ERG11 gene expression by real time PCR. Results: VVC represented 33.9% of vaginal infections. C. albicans was the predominant isolated species (62.4%). The highest resistance rate (40%) was observed to itraconazole and the lowest (12.9%) was to voriconazole. Biofilm formation rate was 51.8% by cultivation on Congo red agar and 57.6% by microtiter plate method. About, 79.6%, 71.4% and 81.6% of biofilm producers carried HWP1, ALS1 and INT1 virulence genes respectively. ERG11 gene Overexpression was detected in 31% of fluconazole resistant Candida isolates. Conclusion: Evaluation of VVC risk factors can help in the implementation of appropriate preventative measures. The elevated azoles resistance rates among Candida spp necessitates the critical need for new alternative therapeutic approaches

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“…The role of these two genes in the colonization and virulence of C. albicans strains could be evaluated via the detection of their expression in C. albicans strains isolated from clinical specimens. Several studies (16,34) indicated that, in comparison to fluconazole-sensitive isolates, their expression had a significant increase in fluconazoleresistant C. albicans isolates. The results of the present study showed that the treatment of C. albicans strains with the combination of ZnO-NPs and fluconazole in the tested isolates reduced the expression of the ALS1 and HWP1 genes significantly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, it has been shown that the formation of biofilms of C. albicans infections is necessary for binding to vaginal cells, which is known as the first step in the development of infection (13). The important genes are involved in adhering C. albicans to mucosal surfaces and belong to the agglutinin-like sequence (ALS) and hyphal wall protein (HWP) family (16).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes of Gene Expression in Candida albicans Isolates from Vaginal Infections by Effects of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Fluconazole

Hajar

Dakhili

Saghazadeh

et al. 2022

Jundishapur J Microbiol

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Background: There are serious challenges of drug resistance in Candida albicans infection. Therefore, it is essential to identify new antifungal agents against resistant species to effectively treat patients affected by these species. Objectives: The present study aimed to study how zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and fluconazole affected the genes encoding resistance to fluconazole (i.e., CDR2 and ERG11) and those encoding adhesins (i.e., ALS1 and HWP1) in C. albicans isolates. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, samples of 120 patients with vaginitis were obtained using sterile swabs. After the identification of C. albicans strains, the fluconazole-resistant candida isolates were treated with various sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations of ZnO-NPs, fluconazole, and a combination of ZnO-NPs and fluconazole. Then, the effects of ZnO-NPs and fluconazole on the expression levels of ALS1, HWP1, CDR2, and ERG11 genes were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: In this study, 50 out (41.6%) of 120 species with C. albicans were isolated, and 13 (26%) of 50 species were resistant to fluconazole. The expression analysis of fluconazole-resistant C. albicans strains showed that the expression of HWP1 and ALS1 genes was decreased by 2.84 and 1.62 times (P < 0.05), respectively. Nevertheless, the expression of CDR2 increased 1.42 - fold after the treatment with fluconazole. The expression of ERG11, CDR2, HWP1, and ALS1 in isolates treated with the combination of ZnO-NPs and fluconazole was downregulated by 2.1, 5.9, 3, and 5.5 times, respectively, compared to that of the control group. Conclusions: Based on the results, ZnO-NPs are helpful for the treatment of vaginitis-related C. albicans isolates in combination with fluconazole.

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Investigations of ALS1 and HWP1 genes in clinical isolates of Candida albicans

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

Promising Anti-Biofilm Agents and Phagocytes Enhancers for the Treatment of Candida albicans Biofilm–Associated Infections

Promising Anti-Biofilm Agents and Phagocytes Enhancers for the Treatment of Candida albicans Biofilm–Associated Infections

Study of Azole Susceptibility and Virulence Patterns of Vulvovaginal Candida Species in Menoufia, Egypt

Changes of Gene Expression in Candida albicans Isolates from Vaginal Infections by Effects of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Fluconazole

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