The Genetic Basis of Resistance to 5-fluorocytosine in Candida Species and Cryptococcus Neoformans

In terms of genetically determined susceptibility to the clinical antifungal agent 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC), Candida albicans may be homozygous sensitive (FCY/FCY), homozygous resistant (fcy/fcy), or heterozygous (fcy/FCY). Although heterozygotes are only slightly resistant, they occur at significant frequency among clinical strains and carry preexisting resistance determinants which may be responsible, following homozygosis, for treatment failures. There are two resistance genes (FCY1 and FCY2) known. Resistance in fcy1/fcy1 strains was associated with decreased UMP pyrophosphorylase activity, whereas resistance in fcy2/fcy2 strains was associated with decreased cytosine deaminase activity. These results were confirmed and extended in a 19F nuclear magnetic resonance study of 5-FC uptake and metabolism in genetically defined strains. By means of hybridization via spheroplast fusion, a complementation test was devised to test allelism of resistance determinants. Resistance to 5-FC was employed as a useful genetic marker in basic studies. In tetraploid hybrids which bore appropriate fcy markers, it was possible to select for reduction in ploidy by selecting for increased resistance to 5-FC; a novel parasexual system was thus generated (2n x 2n----4n----2n). In linkage studies, the gene FCY1 was shown to be linked to the gene HIS. Reciprocal mitotic recombination was demonstrated repeatedly with fcy1 and his alleles in cis and in trans configurations and evidence for nonreciprocal recombination (mitotic gene conversion) was also obtained. In Cryptococcus neoformans, mutation in either of two genes (FCY1, FCY2) is sufficient to confer resistance. These genes behave as simple Mendelian determinants which recombine freely. Diploid C. neoformans heterozygous for resistance (FCY/fcy) provided useful strains in which to develop genetic mapping methodology based on mitotic recombination.