title: The polymorphism of protein phosphatase Z1 gene in Candida albicans.
abstract: The gene of protein phosphatase Z1 (CaPPZ1) that codes a fungus specific regulatory enzyme was investigated in Candida albicans. After cloning and sequencing CaPPZ1 we revealed the heterozygous nature of the ATCC 10231 reference strain, and identified two new alleles termed CaPPZ1-2 and CaPPZ1-3. The genetic polymorphism in CaPPZ1 was extended by finding a fourth allele CaPPZ1-4 in a clinical isolate. Single nucleotide replacements and short in/del mutations were identified in the gene, some of which resulted in amino acid changes in the protein. The analysis of the hypervariable 3'-noncoding gene region in 27 DNA sequences obtained from reference strains and clinical samples confirmed the presence of four distinct DNA sequence-groups that correspond to the four main alleles of CaPPZ1. In addition to the allelic combinations, we detected individual mutations elevating genetic variability of the opportunistic pathogen. We utilized the hypervariable gene region for genotyping C. albicans in clinical isolates by sequencing the cloned amplified region, by direct sequencing of the PCR products, or by RFLP analysis. The comparison of the genotypes of the strains originating from different body parts of the same patient proved to be useful in delineating the origin of the infection.
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Signaling Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Medical Chemistry, Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Farkas
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Majoros
authors.forename: Márton
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miskei
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pócsi
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dombrádi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D001483:Base Sequence; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D054643:INDEL Mutation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases