Open AccessDevelopment of a Gene Knockout System in Candida parapsilosis Reveals a Conserved Role for BCR1 in Biofilm Formation
Author(s) -
Chen Ding,
Géraldine Butler
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
eukaryotic cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1535-9778
pISSN - 1535-9786
DOI - 10.1128/ec.00136-07
Subject(s) - biology , gene knockout , gene , candida parapsilosis , candida albicans , corpus albicans , genetics , ura3 , hypha , biofilm , microbiology and biotechnology , plasmid , bacteria
Candida parapsilosis is an important cause of candidiasis, yet few molecular tools are available. We adapted a recyclable nourseothricin resistance marker gene (SAT1 ) originally developed for use withC. albicans in order to generate gene knockouts fromC. parapsilosis . We first replaced the promoters driving expression of the FLP recombinase and theSAT1 genes with the equivalent sequences fromC. parapsilosis . We then used the cassette to generate a homozygous knockout ofC. parapsilosis URA3 . Theura3 knockouts have altered colony morphologies. We also knocked out both alleles of an ortholog ofBCR1 , a gene encoding a transcription factor known to be required for biofilm development inC. albicans . We show thatC. parapsilosis BCR1 is necessary for biofilm development inC. parapsilosis and for expression of the cell wall protein encoded byRBT1 . Our results suggest that there are significant similarities in the regulation of biofilms between the two species, despite the fact thatC. parapsilosis does not generate true hyphae and thatBCR1 regulates the expression of many hypha-specific adhesins inC. albicans .