AFFECTS OF AG COMPOUNDS ON METAL TRANSPORT GENES IN DERMATOPHYTIC FUNGI

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 皮肤真菌已知定植伤口生物膜。目前对烧伤患者的治疗包括用硝酸银或胶体银浸渍贴片覆盖该区域，以抑制伤口生物膜中微生物的生长。虽然细菌的敏感性、作用方式和耐药机制的信息很容易获得，但皮肤真菌的信息却很少。本项目的目标是了解皮肤真菌对银化合物的耐受或抗药性的机制。测定了硝酸银对白色念珠菌、克鲁斯假丝酵母菌、念珠菌、石膏小孢子菌的MIC。我们的研究目前正致力于完成白念珠菌耐银基因的qPCR引物的设计和优化。实时定量聚合酶链式反应实验正在不同水平上进行，以测试选定的目标基因表达的变化，直到MIC，甚至刚刚超过MIC。如果可能，同样的实验将在丝状皮肤癣菌、须须毛霉菌和石膏小孢子菌中进行。然而，缺乏这些物种的遗传信息，以及目标基因座上的物种之间缺乏相似性，这是一个挑战。我们对白色念珠菌的实验结果将有助于我们针对丝状皮肤真菌的分离、克隆和测序的感兴趣的基因座。这将有助于我们开发研究丝状皮肤真菌耐银性和抗银性所需的遗传工具。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Dermatophytic fungi have been known to colonize wound biofilms. Current treatment of burn patients involve covering the area with silver nitrate, or colloidal silver impregnated patches to inhibit the growth of microbes in wound biofilms. While information on sensitivity, mode of action and mechanism of resistance is readily available for bacteria, little is available for dermatophytic fungi. The goal of this project is to understand the mechanism of tolerance or resistance to silver compounds in dermatophytic fungi. We have determined the MIC of silver nitrate against Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum. Our research is now focusing on completing the design and optimization of qPCR primers for genes hypothesized to play a role in silver tolerance in Candida albicans. Real-time qPCR experiments to test changes in expression of the chosen target genes is being done at various levels up to and just over the MIC. If possible, the same experiments will be done in the filamentous dermatophytes Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum. However, the lack of genetic information for these species and the lack of similarity between species at the targeted loci presents a challenge. The results of our experiments with C. albicans will help us to target the loci of interest for isolation, cloning and sequencing in the filamentous dermatophytes. This will aid in our quest to develop the genetic tools required for studying silver tolerance and resistance in the filamentous dermatophytes.