The effect of griseofulvin on the gene regulation of beta-tubulin in the dermatophyte pathogen Trichophyton rubrum.
Griseofulvin - a mold metabolite produced by Penicillium griseofulvum - is an antifungal drug whose interaction with tubulin is poorly understood. In this study we cloned the beta-tubulin gene in Trichophyton rubrum, which encodes a polypeptide with 447 amino acids (accession number AAV33733). Nucleotide sequence comparison in data banks for both the partial DNA and its deduced amino acid sequence revealed significant homology with members of the eukaryotic beta-tubulin gene family. Investigation based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) indicated that griseofulvin treatment of T. rubrum fungal cells decreased the expression of the beta-tubulin gene in a dose-dependent manner. However, fluconazole had no effect on the beta-tubulin transcript level under the same circumstances. The identification of this vital gene, which is potentially involved in many cellular functions in pathogenic dermatophyte fungi, is the first step towards understanding the functional characteristics of beta-tubulin in such fungi and may help in the development of new antifungal drugs against dermatophytes.
Zomorodian
Kamiar
K
Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. zomorodian@sums.ac.ir
Uthman
Umed
U
Tarazooie
Bita
B
Rezaie
Sassan
S
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004821:Epidermophyton / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects*; D015723:Gene Library; D006118:Griseofulvin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D014404:Tubulin; D006118:Griseofulvin