ZCF32, a fungus specific Zn(II)2-Cys6 transcription factor, is a major regulator of the biofilm circuit in the human pathogen Candida albicans

To delineate the functional role of ZCF32 in Candida albicans biology, we carried out the genome wide expression analysis of wild-type and zcf32 null mutants by global expression array. We analysed the gene expression profiles of YPK102/1 and YPK102/2 and the parent wild type (SC5314) strain grown in YPD liquid medium at 30°C till the start of the stationary phase. In the microarray analysis, a total of 607 genes were found to be differentially expressed (fold change < 1.5 at p-value < 0.05) between the wild type and two zcf32 null mutants. Out of the 607 differentially expressed genes, 438 genes were up-regulated whereas 169 genes were down-regulated. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of up-regulated and down-regulated genes suggests that biofilm, filamentation, iron homeostasis, cell wall biogenesis, oxidation, and cell cycle are the major pathways altered in zcf32 null mutant. Organism : Candida albicans , Agilent Custom Candida albicans Gene Expression 8x15k Array (AMADID: 026377) designed by Genotypic Technology Private Limited.