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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, January 2000, p. 63-67, Vol. 44, No. 1
0066-4804/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
The R467K Amino Acid Substitution in Candida
albicans Sterol 14
-Demethylase Causes Drug Resistance through
Reduced Affinity
David C.
Lamb,1
Diane E.
Kelly,1
Theodore C.
White,2 and
Steven L.
Kelly1,*
Institute of Biological Sciences, University
of Wales Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth SY23 3DA, United
Kingdom,1 and Department of
Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine,
University of Washington and Seattle Biomedical Research Institute,
Seattle, Washington 981092
Received 19 March 1999/Returned for modification 5 August
1999/Accepted 14 October 1999
The cytochrome P450 sterol 14
-demethylase (CYP51) of
Candida albicans is involved in an essential step of
ergosterol biosynthesis and is the target for azole antifungal
compounds. We have undertaken site-directed mutation of C. albicans CYP51 to produce a recombinant mutant protein with the
amino acid substitution R467K corresponding to a mutation observed
clinically. This alteration perturbed the heme environment causing an
altered reduced-carbon monoxide difference spectrum with a maximum at
452 nm and reduced the affinity of the enzyme for fluconazole, as shown
by ligand binding studies. The specific activity of CYP51(R467K) for
the release of formic acid from
3
-[32-3H]hydroxylanost-7-en-32-ol was 70 pmol/nmol of
P450/min for microsomal protein compared to 240 pmol/nmol of P450/min
for microsomal fractions expressing wild-type CYP51. Furthermore,
inhibition of activity by fluconazole revealed a 7.5-fold-greater azole
resistance of the recombinant protein than that of the wild type. This
study demonstrates that resistance observed clinically can result from the altered azole affinity of the fungal CYP51 enzyme.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute of
Biological Sciences, Edward Llwyd Bldg., University of Wales
Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth SY23 3DA, United Kingdom. Phone: 01970 621515. Fax: 01970 622350. E-mail: Steven.Kelly{at}aber.ac.uk.
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, January 2000, p. 63-67, Vol. 44, No. 1
0066-4804/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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