| | Category | MI | L19 | Identification of Genes in C.Albicans that Contribute to Antifungal |
| | Resistance |
| | Abstract | AIDS patients struggle when confronted with Candidiasis. Candidiasis is |
| | caused by Candida Albicans. The purpose of the investigation is to |
| | determine genes in C. Albicans that confer resistance to three antifungal |
| | agents: Aureobasidin, Rapamycin, and Fluvastatin. The expected outcome |
| | would facilitate smarter synthesis of new drugs and open up possibility of |
| | combination therapy of drug composites. The hypothesis that the same |
| | genes would not confer resistance to multiple drugs was tested. Among |
| | alternative research techniques available, overexpression was chosen |
| | due to its ability to investigate on a global scale. |
| | An established plasmid library for C. Albicans was plated. After |
| | incubation, colonies were isolated. These colonies were replica plated to |
| | check for resistance at different drug concentrations. Subsequently, |
| | resistant colonies on the plates were selected and their DNA was |
| | extracted and amplified through transformation in E. coli. The DNA was |
| | then cut with EcoRI and run on an agarose gel to see if plasmids were |
| | present and differed from the control MAL vector. The DNA with clear |
| | bands were transformed back into C. Albicans and replica plated to check |
| | for a definite resistance phenotype. Finally, the plasmids were sent to a |
| | specialized laboratory to be sequenced. |
| | Analysis of available data was conducted through the online Basic Local |
| | Alignment Search Tool (BLAST). The preliminary observation suggests that |
| | the IPT-1 gene increases resistance in C. Albicans to both Aureobasidin |
| | and Rapamycin. This disproves the hypothesis that genes can only confer |
| | resistance to one drug. Further analysis will include other plasmids |
| | conferring resistance and observations. |
| | The vision is to generate information about the three drugs and Candida |
| | Albicans that will allow smarter synthesis of new drugs and combination |
| | therapies to help immunocompromised patients in their battle against |
| | Candidiasis. |
| | Bibliography | Ghannoum, M. A., & Rice, L. B. (1999). Antifungal Agents: Mode of Action, |
| | Mechanisms of Resistance, and Correlation of These Mechanisms with |
| | Bacterial Resistance. Clinical Micriobiology Reviews . Retrieved from |
| | http://cmr.asm.org/cgi/content/full/12/4/501 McGrawhill Encyclopedia of |
| | Science and Technology. (2007). |
| | Medical Antifungal Agents. (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2008, from |
| | http://www.doctorfungus.org/thedrugs/medical.htm |
| | |