Creation of an RFP-tagged construct for complementation of Candida albicans
Advisor Information
Jill Blankenship
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
7-3-2014 9:00 AM
End Date
7-3-2014 12:00 PM
Abstract
Candida albicans is a pathogenic fungus. It exists as a commensal in the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts of a majority of human beings. It is the major cause of diaper rash in infants and vaginal yeast infections in women. Candida species are also the fourth major cause of systemic infections in hospital settings and the mortality rate remains as high as 40% for patients with systemic disease. Our lab focuses on a particular group of genes in the C. albicans genome called the septins that code for proteins involved in cytokinesis following mitosis. In addition to their cell cycle role, these proteins also play a vital role in filamentation, required for pathogenesis, and cell wall integrity, important for antifungal drug therapy, in C. albicans. Thus, by studying septin function, we can gain insight not only into pathogenesis, but into antifungal drug response as well. Using the strategy of homologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a red fluorescent protein was inserted downstream of the CDC3 gene of interest. The construct will allow for future localization studies and will serve as a complement for a strain that has been created by other members of the Blankenship lab. This will allow for subsequent experimentation to determine the important regions of septin CDC3 in C.albicans.
Creation of an RFP-tagged construct for complementation of Candida albicans
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Candida albicans is a pathogenic fungus. It exists as a commensal in the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts of a majority of human beings. It is the major cause of diaper rash in infants and vaginal yeast infections in women. Candida species are also the fourth major cause of systemic infections in hospital settings and the mortality rate remains as high as 40% for patients with systemic disease. Our lab focuses on a particular group of genes in the C. albicans genome called the septins that code for proteins involved in cytokinesis following mitosis. In addition to their cell cycle role, these proteins also play a vital role in filamentation, required for pathogenesis, and cell wall integrity, important for antifungal drug therapy, in C. albicans. Thus, by studying septin function, we can gain insight not only into pathogenesis, but into antifungal drug response as well. Using the strategy of homologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a red fluorescent protein was inserted downstream of the CDC3 gene of interest. The construct will allow for future localization studies and will serve as a complement for a strain that has been created by other members of the Blankenship lab. This will allow for subsequent experimentation to determine the important regions of septin CDC3 in C.albicans.