Increased number of glutamine repeats in the C-terminal of Candida albicans Rlm1p enhances the resistance to stress agents

Abstract

The highly polymorphic microsatellite CAI described for Candida albicans genotyping was found to be located within the RLM1 gene which codes for a transcription factor from the MADS box family that, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is known to regulate the expression of genes involved in the cell wall integrity pathway. The aim of this work was to study CAI genetic variability in a wide group of C. albicans isolates and determine the response of genetic variants to cell wall damaging stress agents. One hundred twenty-three C. albicans isolates were genotyped with CAI microsatellite (CAA/G)n, and 35 alleles were found with repeat units varying from 11 to 49. Alleles with less than 29 repetitions were the most frequent, while the longer ones were underrepresented and had a more complex internal structure. Combinations of RLM1 alleles generated 66 different genotypes. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in the susceptibility patterns to menadione, hydrogen peroxide, SDS, acetic acid, and CFW, stress agents affecting cell integrity, were found between strains harbouring alleles ranging from 17 to 28 repetitions and strains with longer alleles, suggesting that an increased number of repetitive units in the C. albicans RLM1 gene could be related to stress response.