Transcriptional profiling of CAI4 (Wild-type), cpp1Δ/Δ, cek1Δ/Δ, cek2Δ/Δ, cpp1Δ/Δ cek1Δ/Δ, cpp1Δ/Δ cek2Δ/Δ and cek1Δ/Δ cek2Δ/Δ strains in the absence or presence of alpha pheromone in Candida albicans

Twenty-one pheromone-induced genes were selected from the literature (Zhao, Daniels et al. 2005 was the major source) as the reference set for assessing the pheromone response of CAI4 (Wild-type), cpp1Δ/Δ, cek1Δ/Δ, cek2Δ/Δ, cpp1Δ/Δ cek1Δ/Δ, cpp1Δ/Δ cek2Δ/Δ and cek1Δ/Δ cek2Δ/Δ strains.Our aim was to check whether or not these 21 pheromone-induced genes are up-regulated in response to pheromone in each mutant strain. Total RNA was extracted from CAI4, cpp1Δ/Δ, cek1Δ/Δ, cek2Δ/Δ, cpp1Δ/Δ cek1Δ/Δ, cpp1Δ/Δ cek2Δ/Δ and cek1Δ/Δ cek2Δ/Δ strains. Cultures were grown overnight in SC- Glucose media at room temperature and were diluted to OD600 of 0.1 in 10 ml the next day. for each strain 2 sets of samples were prepared, one set were treated with α-pheromone (1μg/ml) and the other was untreated. After 3 hours of treatment cells were collected at an OD600 of between 0.8 and 1.