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Identification of the ergC gene involved in polyene drug sensitivity in the Mucorales species Phycomyces blakesleeanus

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Abstract

Background

A strain of Phycomyces blakesleeanus (Mucorales, Mucoromycota) that was previously isolated after ultraviolet mutagenesis has altered responses to polyene antifungal drugs, sterol profiles, and phototropism of its sporangia. In this study, the genetic basis for these changes was sought.

Methods and Results

Two base pair substitutions were identified in the mutant within a P. blakelesleeanus gene that is homologous to others characterized from fungi, such as the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ERG3 gene, encoding sterol Δ5,6-desaturase. The polyene resistance and growth reduction phenotypes co-segregated with mutations in the gene in genetic crosses. The P. blakelesleeanus wild type ergC gene complemented a S. cerevisiae deletion strain of ERG3.

Conclusions

This gene discovery may contribute towards better antifungal use in treating mucormycoses diseases caused by related species in the order Mucorales.

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Data availability

The DNA sequence of the wild type copy of ergC is available as GenBank accession MW506865. All other data are available in the manuscript or associated supplemental material.

Code availability

Not applicable.

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Funding

AI was an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow, and additional research on fungicide resistance was supported by an ARC Linkage project (LP170100548).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of BioSciences, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Alexander Idnurm & Melvin Xu

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  1. Alexander Idnurm
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  2. Melvin Xu
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Contributions

AI designed the research study and organized the project. AI and MX performed the research and analysis of the data. AI wrote the first draft of the manuscript and prepared the figures and tables, with subsequent input and editing from MX. Both authors approved the final version of the manuscript and submission of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Alexander Idnurm.

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Idnurm, A., Xu, M. Identification of the ergC gene involved in polyene drug sensitivity in the Mucorales species Phycomyces blakesleeanus. Mol Biol Rep 49, 981–987 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-021-06917-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-021-06917-6

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