Candida albicans Sfp1 participates in the regulation of multiple antioxidative systems

To investigate the roles of Sfp1, we used a whole-genome DNA microarray to compare gene expression patterns between the sfp1-deleted and wild-type strains. Among the upregulated genes, a subset of genes is involved in oxidative stress response, including CAP1, SSK1, and SHO1. The CAP1 gene product is a bZip transcription factor involving in regulation of antioxidant gene expression. The SSK1 and SHO1 gene encodes a response regulator of two-component system and an adaptor protein in the Hog1 MAPK signaling pathway, respectively. Moreover, the sfp1-deleted mutant also exhibited an upregulation of genes encoding various antioxidants and enzymes controlling the cellular redox state, especially components of the glutathione system. Noticeably, 8 of the 21 upregulated glutathione-related genes (GCS1, GTT11, YCF1, CYS3, CIP1, EBP1, IFD6, and OYE32) are controlled by Cap1. This result raises a possibility that Sfp1 is involved in C. albicans oxidative stress response and somehow coordinately regulates these glutathione-related genes with Cap1. DNA microarray analysis to compare the gene expression profiles from the WT and sfp1-deleted strains in exponential phase. Two independent experiments were performed.