Open AccessCharacterization of the CaNAG3 , CaNAG4 , and CaNAG6 genes of the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans : possible involvement of these genes in the susceptibilities of cytotoxic agents
Author(s) -
YamadaOkabe Toshiko,
YamadaOkabe Hisafumi
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2002.tb11238.x
Subject(s) - candida albicans , virulence , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , gene , corpus albicans , pathogenic fungus , cycloheximide , cytotoxic t cell , genetics , in vitro , cell culture
CaNAG3 , CaNAG4 , and CaNAG6 form a gene cluster with CaNAG1 CaNAG2 and CaNAG5 that are responsible for glucosamine‐6‐phosphate deaminase, N ‐acetylglucosamine‐phosphate deacetylase and N ‐acetylglucosamine kinase, but their functions largely remain unclear. In this study, Candida albicans cells carrying null mutations in either CaNAG3 , CaNAG4 , or CaNAG6 were generated and characterized. They showed increased susceptibility to cycloheximide and attenuated virulence in mice. More profound effects were observed when both CaNAG3 and CaNAG4 , which are highly related to each other, were disrupted. Thus, it seems that CaNAG3 , CaNAG4 , and CaNAG6 are involved in drug sensitivity and virulence in C. albicans .