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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 1999, p. 2731-2735, Vol. 43, No. 11
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of
Internal Medicine Specialties, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Received 10 February 1999/Returned for modification 19 March
1999/Accepted 13 August 1999
The increasing resistance of Candida species to
fluconazole is cause for concern. To determine the molecular mechanisms
involved in resistance to fluconazole, I used a scheme of transposon
mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a genetically
tractable yeast that is closely related to Candida
albicans. This technique, which permits the generation and
analysis of multiple random
Tn3::LEU2::lacZ fusions, can be used as a disruption mutagen (N. B. Burns et al., Genes Dev. 8:1087-1105, 1994). By using the
Tn3::LEU2::lacZ
library as a disruption mutagen, I found recessive mutations in genes that were previously found to be involved in azole resistance, e.g.,
PDR5 and CPR1, and in genes previously found to
be involved in azole sensitivity, e.g., ERG3. This approach
also enabled me to identify recessive mutations in three genes not
previously known to be involved in azole sensitivity. Two of the genes,
ADA3 and SPT7, are general transcriptional
regulators; the third, YMR034c, is a putative sterol
transporter. Finally, by screening the
Tn3::LEU2::lacZ library for lacZ fusions induced by a low concentration of
fluconazole, I identified genes known to be induced by azoles as well
as a variety of other genes not previously known to be induced by the drug. In conclusion, transposon mutagenesis is a promising screening tool for use in identifying novel drug targets and in uncovering the
mechanisms involved in the response of S. cerevisiae to
antifungal drugs.
0066-4804/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Genetic Analysis of Azole Resistance by Transposon
Mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
*
Mailing address: Department of Internal Medicine
Specialties, Section of Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Box 47, Houston, TX 77030. Phone: (713) 792-6237. Fax: (713) 794-4351. E-mail: dkontoyi{at}mdacc.tmc.edu.
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