Amino acid substitutions in Erg11p of azole-resistant Candida glabrata: Possible effective substitutions and homology modelling

• Multi-azole resistance was observed in 3.3% of isolates.
• The ERG11 gene harbours several previously unreported missense mutations.
• Amino acid substitution G236V may be associated with fluconazole resistance according to homology modelling.

Understanding the mechanisms responsible for fluconazole resistance in Candida glabrata is not only crucial for the development of new antifungals but is also important in choosing appropriate antifungals for patients at the earliest stages. The aim of this study was to determine the Erg11p amino acid substitutions in fluconazole-resistant C. glabrata isolates. Sixty clinical isolates of C. glabrata were investigated. In vitro antifungal activities of fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole were determined using the broth microdilution reference method. The ERG11 gene for resistant (n = 4) and susceptible (n = 1) isolates were sequenced and multi-aligned using MEGA6 software. A homology model of the C. glabrata ERG11 gene was created by SWISS-MODEL software using the crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Erg11p as a template, and the predicted binding sites to fluconazole were investigated. Fluconazole and multi-azole resistance were observed in 6.7% and 3.3% of the isolates, respectively. Several amino acid substitutions were identified, among which some were also identified in susceptible isolates. The amino acid substitution G236V was at the binding site, and substitutions H146Q and D234E were near to the binding site of triazoles according to the SWISS-MODEL. According to the homology modelling results, the amino acid substitution G236V is highly likely to play a key role in azole resistance development.

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