title: Estrogen effects on Candida albicans: a potential virulence-regulating mechanism.
abstract: Three Candida albicans strains were tested in the presence of 17-beta-estradiol (10-6 M and 10-9 M) for increased growth and for enhanced survival during incubation at nonpermissive temperatures. All 3 test organisms showed increased growth in the presence of estradiol compared with estrogen-free controls. Likewise, all 3 strains, when treated with estradiol, survived incubation at 48 degrees C better than did controls. Cytoplasmic extracts were probed with an anti-hsp90 antibody, and results suggested that intracellular hsp90 was up-regulated in the presence of 10-9 M 17-beta-estradiol. The results were confirmed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction with primers specific for C. albicans hsp90. A kinetic study revealed that peak hsp90 expression occurred within 2 h of exposure to 17-beta-estradiol. In addition, estrogen increased the amount of cdr1 (Candida multidrug resistance) mRNA compared with cells not treated with estrogen. Coumarin and phenol also up-regulated hsp90 and cdr1 mRNAs, indicating that the estrogen-sensing and -response systems in C. albicans may lack specificity.
authors.affiliation: Division of University Research, Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, Des Moines, IA 50312, USA.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essmann
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Burt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Larsen
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D003374:Coumarins / Q000494:pharmacology; D017931:DNA Primers; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D019800:Phenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: C094693:CDR1 protein, Candida albicans; D003374:Coumarins; D017931:DNA Primers; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019800:Phenol; D004958:Estradiol; C030123:coumarin