Binding Sites in the EFG1 Promoter for Transcription Factors in a Proposed Regulatory Network: A Functional Analysis in the White and Opaque Phases of Candida albicans

In Candida albicans the transcription factor Efg1, which is differentially expressed in the white phase of the white-opaque transition, is essential for expression of the white phenotype. It is one of six transcription factors included in a proposed interactive transcription network regulating white-opaque switching and maintenance of the alternative phenotypes. Ten sites were identified in the EFG1 promoter that differentially bind one or more of the network transcription factors in the white and/or opaque phase. To explore the functionality of these binding sites in the differential expression of EFG1, we generated targeted deletions of each of the 10 binding sites, combinatorial deletions, and regional deletions using a Renilla reniformis luciferase reporter system. Individually targeted deletion of only four of the 10 sites had minor effects consistent with differential expression of EFG1, and only in the opaque phase. Alternative explanations are considered.