ERG11 Polymorphism in Voriconazole-Resistant Candida tropicalis: Weak Role of ERG11 Expression, Ergosterol Content, and Membrane Permeability

Abstract

Mutations in ERG11 were detected by gene sequencing and amino acid alignment in 18 Candida tropicalis strains with different degrees of sensitivity to voriconazole (VRC). ERG11 expression, sterol content, and membrane permeability were also evaluated. We report three missense mutations in ERG11 that resulted in resistance to VRC. The transcriptional levels of ERG11 as well as the ergosterol content and membrane permeability demonstrated no correlation to only a slight correlation with the obtained MIC values, but the data did suggest a tendency toward such a correlation.

Keywords: C. tropicalis; ERG11; Erg11 mutations; azole resistance; ergosterol; gene expression; voriconazole.