Differential expression of the vacuolar aspartic proteinase (APR1) gene in Candida albicans strains isolated from Malaysian and Iranian human and mice blood

Intracellular proteinase A is an aspartic enzyme in Candida albicans that is expressed by APR1 gene. The aims of this study were to evaluate and to compare APR1 gene expression in C. albicans strains isolated from Malaysian and Iranian patients and mice infected by C. albicans obtained from Malaysian and Iranian patients. The evaluation of APR1 gene expression was performed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with two-pair primers and 18S rRNA as housekeeping gene. The expression of APR1 gene and 18S rRNA was determined on agarose gel electrophoresis. The results did not show any significant difference in APR1 gene expression between C. albicans isolated from mice blood infected by C. albicans isolated from Malaysian and Iranian patients (p > 0.05). The expression of APR1 gene in C. albicans strains isolated from Malaysian patients was more than Iranian patients (p < 0.05). In addition, the gene expression in C. albicans strains obtained from mice blood was significantly higher than C. albicans strains isolated from both Malaysian and Iranian patients (p < 0.05). Considering the important role of intracellular proteinase A in C. albicans, APR1 gene as producer of this enzyme can act as an important gene in virulence of C. albicans in different environmental situations.