Inositol Phosphoryl Transferase, Ipt1, Is a Critical Determinant of Azole Resistance and Virulence Phenotypes in <i>Candida glabrata</i>

oleh: Garima Shahi, Mohit Kumar, Nitesh Kumar Khandelwal, Atanu Banerjee, Parijat Sarkar, Sonam Kumari, Brooke D. Esquivel, Neeraj Chauhan, Amitabha Chattopadhyay, Theodore C. White, Naseem A. Gaur, Ashutosh Singh, Rajendra Prasad

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-06-01

Deskripsi

In this study, we have specifically blocked a key step of sphingolipid (SL) biosynthesis in <i>Candida glabrata</i> by disruption of the orthologs of ScIpt1 and ScSkn1. Based on their close homology with <i>S. cerevisiae</i> counterparts, the proteins are predicted to catalyze the addition of a phosphorylinositol group onto mannosyl inositolphosphoryl ceramide (MIPC) to form mannosyl diinositolphosphoryl ceramide (M(IP)<sub>2</sub>C), which accounts for the majority of complex SL structures in <i>S. cerevisiae</i> membranes. High throughput lipidome analysis confirmed the accumulation of MIPC structures in <i>ΔCgipt1</i> and <i>ΔCgskn1</i> cells, albeit to lesser extent in the latter. Noticeably, <i>ΔCgipt1</i> cells showed an increased susceptibility to azoles; however, <i>ΔCgskn1</i> cells showed no significant changes in the drug susceptibility profiles. Interestingly, the azole susceptible phenotype of <i>ΔCgipt1</i> cells seems to be independent of the ergosterol content. <i>ΔCgipt1</i> cells displayed altered lipid homeostasis, increased membrane fluidity as well as high diffusion of radiolabeled fluconazole (<sup>3</sup>H-FLC), which could together influence the azole susceptibility of <i>C. glabrata</i>. Furthermore, in vivo experiments also confirmed compromised virulence of the <i>ΔCgipt1</i> strain. Contrarily, specific functions of CgSkn1 remain unclear.