Expression of the ERG11 gene in fluconazole-resistant Trichosporon asahii / 中华皮肤科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the role of the ERG11 gene in the drug resistance of Trichosporon asahii (T.asahii), and to explore the relationship between the gene expression and drug concentrations. Methods Stable fluconazole-resistant strains of T.asahii were induced in vitro following exposure to a series of concentrations of fluconazole. Fluconazole-sensitive and-resistant strains of T.asahii were separately cultured in the medium containing fluconazole at concentrations of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 μg/ml. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to determine the mRNA expression of ERG11 gene. Results In fluconazole-free medium, the fluconazole-resistant strain of T.asahii showed significantly increased mRNA expression of the ERG11 gene compared with the fluconazole-sensitive strain (7.542 ± 5.311 vs. 1.014 ± 0.012, t=3.002, P=0.03). Additionally, the mRNA expression of ERG11 gene was also significantly higher in the fluconazole-resistant strains than the fluconazole-sensitive strains in the culture medium containing fluconazole at different concentrations of 0.25 (9.183 ± 3.226 vs. 3.281 ± 2.068), 0.5(13.657 ± 5.428 vs. 3.459 ± 1.923), 1(15.292 ± 7.007 vs. 3.242 ± 2.530), 2(13.720 ± 8.550 vs. 3.651 ± 0.728), 4(13.949 ± 2.960 vs. 3.969 ± 1.924)and 8(13.123 ± 6.429 vs. 3.824 ± 1.875)μg/ml(all P<0.05). However, no significant correlation was observed between the mRNA expression of ERG11 gene and fluconazole concentrations(fluconazole-resistant strains rs = 0.229, P = 0.096; fluconazole-sensitive strainsrs=0.166, P=0.357). Conclusion Overexpression of ERG11 gene is associated with fluconazole resistance in T.asahii, but there is no correlation between the mRNA expression of ERG11 gene and fluconazole concentrations.