Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Small-Scale Plasma Membrane Preparation for the Analysis of Candida albicans Cdr1-mGFPHis
09:44

Small-Scale Plasma Membrane Preparation for the Analysis of Candida albicans Cdr1-mGFPHis

Published on: June 13, 2021

RTA2, a novel gene involved in azole resistance in Candida albicans

Xin-Ming Jia1, Zhi-Ping Ma, Yu Jia

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|July 8, 2008
PubMed

Insights

The gene RTA2 is implicated in azole resistance in Candida albicans. Disrupting RTA2 increases susceptibility to azoles, while its overexpression confers resistance, suggesting RTA2

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Antimicrobial Resistance

Background:

  • Widespread azole use, especially fluconazole, drives resistance in Candida albicans.
  • Overexpression of CDR1, CDR2, and CaMDR1 genes contributes to azole resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate novel genes involved in azole resistance in Candida albicans.
  • To identify and characterize genes contributing to hyper-resistance in Candida albicans mutants.

Main Methods:

  • Generated a hyper-resistant Candida albicans mutant by serial passage with fluconazole and fluphenezine.
  • Utilized microarray analysis to identify differentially expressed genes in the resistant mutant.
  • Constructed and analyzed null mutants for RTA2 and IPF14030, and overexpressed RTA2.

Main Results:

  • Disruption of RTA2 increased Candida albicans susceptibility to azoles.
  • Disruption of IPF14030 did not affect azole sensitivity.
  • Ectopic overexpression of RTA2 conferred azole resistance.
  • RTA2 expression was elevated in clinical azole-resistant isolates.

Conclusions:

  • RTA2 plays a significant role in the development of azole resistance in Candida albicans.
  • RTA2 is a potential therapeutic target for overcoming azole resistance.

More Related Videos

Whole Genome Sequencing of Candida glabrata for Detection of Markers of Antifungal Drug Resistance08:45

Whole Genome Sequencing of Candida glabrata for Detection of Markers of Antifungal Drug Resistance

Published on: December 28, 2017

CRISPR-mediated Genome Editing of the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans09:56

CRISPR-mediated Genome Editing of the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

Published on: November 14, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Candidiasis01:20

Candidiasis

Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by opportunistic species of Candida. It can affect various anatomical sites, including the skin, oral cavity, nails, and genitourinary tract. Among its forms, vaginal candidiasis is the most common type of mucosal infection. It typically results from the overgrowth of Candida albicans in the vaginal mucosa. Under normal conditions, C. albicans exists as a commensal organism within the vaginal microbiota, regulated by the dominance of lactobacilli, which...
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...