Involvement of Heat Shock Proteins in Candida albicans Biofilm Formation

Biofilm growth represents one of the most challenging problems associated with Candida infections, largely due to the natural resistance of biofilm to the common antifungal drugs. As elevated expression of heat shock proteins (HSP) promotes Candida yeast-hyphae switch, which is an essential step in biofilm formation, we investigated the expression of hsp genes during Candida albicans biofilm development. By measuring mRNA levels using qRT-PCR, we found that all three hsp genes that we monitored are overexpressed in the initial stage of C. albicans biofilm formation. To corroborate this finding, we examined the effect of 17-DMAG, a specific Hsp90 inhibitor, on the formation of C. albicans biofilm. Our results indicate the requirement of HSP during the early phase of Candida biofilm development.