Abstract
The infectious yeast Candida albicans progresses through two developmental programs which involve differential gene expression, the bud-hypha transition and high-frequency phenotypic switching. To understand how differentially expressed genes are regulated in this organism, the promoters of phase- specific genes must he functionally characterized, and a bioluminescent reporter system would facilitate such characterization. However, C. albicans has adopted a nontraditional codon strategy that involves a tRNA with a CAG anticodon to decode the codon CUG as serine rather than leucine. Since the luciferase gene of the sea pansy Renilla reniformis contains no CUGs, we have used it to develop a highly sensitive bioluminescent reporter system for C. albicans. When fused to the galactose-inducible promoter of GAL1, luciferase activity is inducible; when fused to the constitutive EF1α2 promoter, luciferase activity is constitutive; and when fused to the promoter of the white-phase-specific gene WH11 or the opaque-phase-specific gene OP4, luciferase activity is phase specific. The Renilla luciferase system can, therefore, be used as a bioluminescent reporter to analyze the strength and developmental regulation of C. albicans promoters.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 121-129 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Bacteriology |
| Volume | 178 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1996 |
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The sea pansy Renilla reniformis luciferase serves as a sensitive bioluminescent reporter for differential gene expression in Candida albicans. / Srikantha, Thyagarajan; Klapach, Aimee; Lorenz, W. Walter; Tsai, Luong K.; Laughlin, Laura A.; Gorman, Jessica A.; Soll, David R.
In: Journal of Bacteriology, Vol. 178, No. 1, 01.1996, p. 121-129.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The sea pansy Renilla reniformis luciferase serves as a sensitive bioluminescent reporter for differential gene expression in Candida albicans
AU - Srikantha, Thyagarajan
AU - Klapach, Aimee
AU - Lorenz, W. Walter
AU - Tsai, Luong K.
AU - Laughlin, Laura A.
AU - Gorman, Jessica A.
AU - Soll, David R.
PY - 1996/1
Y1 - 1996/1
N2 - The infectious yeast Candida albicans progresses through two developmental programs which involve differential gene expression, the bud-hypha transition and high-frequency phenotypic switching. To understand how differentially expressed genes are regulated in this organism, the promoters of phase- specific genes must he functionally characterized, and a bioluminescent reporter system would facilitate such characterization. However, C. albicans has adopted a nontraditional codon strategy that involves a tRNA with a CAG anticodon to decode the codon CUG as serine rather than leucine. Since the luciferase gene of the sea pansy Renilla reniformis contains no CUGs, we have used it to develop a highly sensitive bioluminescent reporter system for C. albicans. When fused to the galactose-inducible promoter of GAL1, luciferase activity is inducible; when fused to the constitutive EF1α2 promoter, luciferase activity is constitutive; and when fused to the promoter of the white-phase-specific gene WH11 or the opaque-phase-specific gene OP4, luciferase activity is phase specific. The Renilla luciferase system can, therefore, be used as a bioluminescent reporter to analyze the strength and developmental regulation of C. albicans promoters.
AB - The infectious yeast Candida albicans progresses through two developmental programs which involve differential gene expression, the bud-hypha transition and high-frequency phenotypic switching. To understand how differentially expressed genes are regulated in this organism, the promoters of phase- specific genes must he functionally characterized, and a bioluminescent reporter system would facilitate such characterization. However, C. albicans has adopted a nontraditional codon strategy that involves a tRNA with a CAG anticodon to decode the codon CUG as serine rather than leucine. Since the luciferase gene of the sea pansy Renilla reniformis contains no CUGs, we have used it to develop a highly sensitive bioluminescent reporter system for C. albicans. When fused to the galactose-inducible promoter of GAL1, luciferase activity is inducible; when fused to the constitutive EF1α2 promoter, luciferase activity is constitutive; and when fused to the promoter of the white-phase-specific gene WH11 or the opaque-phase-specific gene OP4, luciferase activity is phase specific. The Renilla luciferase system can, therefore, be used as a bioluminescent reporter to analyze the strength and developmental regulation of C. albicans promoters.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030025171&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1128/jb.178.1.121-129.1996
DO - 10.1128/jb.178.1.121-129.1996
M3 - Article
C2 - 8550405
AN - SCOPUS:0030025171
VL - 178
SP - 121
EP - 129
JO - Journal of Bacteriology
JF - Journal of Bacteriology
SN - 0021-9193
IS - 1
ER -