A Comparative Transcriptome Between Anti-drug Sensitive and Resistant Candida auris in China

Candida auris emerged as a pathogenic species of fungus that causes severe and invasive outbreaks worldwide. The fungus exhibits high intrinsic resistance rates to various first-line antifungals, and the underlying molecular mechanism responsible for its multidrug resistance is still unclear. In this study, a transcriptomic analysis was performed between two C. auris isolates that exhibited different anti-drug patterns by RNA-sequencing, namely, CX1 (anti-drug sensitive) and CX2 (resistant). Transcriptomic analysis results revealed 541 upregulated and 453 downregulated genes in the resistant C. auris strain compared with the susceptible strain. In addition, our findings highlight the presence of potential differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which may play a role in drug resistance, including genes involved in ergosterol and efflux pump biosynthesis such as SNQ2, CDR4, ARB1, MDR1, MRR1, and ERG genes. We also found that Hsp related genes were upregulated for expression in the anti-drug-resistant strain. Biofilm formation and growth conditions were also compared between the two isolates. Our study provides novel clues for future studies in terms of understanding multidrug resistance mechanisms of C. auris strains.

Automated summary

Candida auris has emerged as a pathogenic fungus causing severe outbreaks worldwide, exhibiting high resistance rates to first-line antifungals. This study conducted a transcriptomic analysis between two isolates with different anti-drug patterns, revealing potential genes involved in drug resistance and upregulation of Hsp-related genes in the resistant strain. The study highlights novel clues for understanding the multidrug resistance mechanisms of C. auris strains.