Effects of fluconazole on Candida glabrata biofilms and its relationship with ABC transporter gene expression

Abstract

Candida glabrata has emerged as the second most prevalent fungal pathogen and its ability to form biofilms has been considered one of the most important virulence factors, since biofilms present a high tolerance to antifungal agents used in fungal infection treatment. The mechanisms of biofilm tolerance to antifungal agents remain poorly understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fluconazole (FLU) on the formation and control of C. glabrata biofilms and its relation with the expression of genes encoding for ABC transporters, CDR1, SNQ2, and PDR1. For that, minimal inhibitory concentration values for seven C. glabrata strains were determined and the effect of FLU against C. glabrata biofilms was evaluated by total biomass quantification and viable cell enumeration. Matrices from biofilms were analyzed in terms of protein, carbohydrate and DNA content. ABC transporter gene expression was analyzed for quantitative real-time PCR. In addition to the high amounts of proteins and carbohydrates detected in the extracellular matrices in the presence of FLU, this work showed that the overexpression of efflux pumps is a possible mechanism of biofilm tolerance to FLU and this phenomenon alters the structure of C. glabrata biofilms by creating cell clusters.

Keywords:

• Candida glabrata
• biofilms
• fluconazole
• resistance
• ABC transporters genes
• biofilm extracellular matrix

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge FCT, Portugal, for supporting the projects PTDC/SAU-MIC/119069/2010 and PTDC/EEB-EBI/120495/2010. The group would also like to acknowledge the precious contributions at the beginning of this work from our beloved Prof. Rosário Oliveira.