Antifungal resistance in pathogenic fungi is a growing global health concern. Nonpathogenic laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are an important model for studying mechanisms of antifungal resistance that are relevant to understanding the same processes in pathogenic fungi. We have developed a series of laboratory modules in which high school students used experimental evolution to study antifungal resistance by isolating azole-resistant S. cerevisiae mutants and examining the genetic basis of resistance. We have sequenced 99 clones from these experiments and found that all possessed mutations previously shown to impact azole resistance, validating our approach. We additionally found recurrent mutations in an mRNA degradation pathway and an uncharacterized mitochondrial protein (Csf1) that have possible mechanistic connections to azole resistance. The scale of replication in this initiative allowed us to identify candidate epistatic interactions, as evidenced by pairs of mutations that occur in the same clone more frequently than expected by chance (positive epistasis) or less frequently (negative epistasis). We validated one of these pairs, a negative epistatic interaction between gain-of-function mutations in the multidrug resistance transcription factors Pdr1 and Pdr3. This high school-university collaboration can serve as a model for involving members of the broader public in the scientific process to make meaningful discoveries in biomedical research.

• PMID: 36173330
• DOI full text
• PMC full text
• PubMed
• PubTator

Reference Type

Journal Article | Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural | Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Authors

Taylor MB, Skophammer R, Warwick AR, Geck RC, Boyer JM, yEvo Students, Walson M, Large CRL, Hickey AS, Rowley PA, ... Show all

Primary Lit For

Additional Lit For

Review For