Candida albicans
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMultiple Evolutionarily Conserved Domains of Cap2 Are Required for Promoter Recruitment and Iron Homeostasis Gene RegulationIron is an essential micronutrient for living cells. Candida albicans, the predominant human fungal pathogen, thrives under diverse environments with vastly different iron levels in the mammalian host. Therefore, to tightly control iron homeostasis, C. albicans has evolved a set of transcriptional...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe 5′ Untranslated Region of the EFG1 Transcript Promotes Its Translation To Regulate Hyphal Morphogenesis in Candida albicansMany of the virulence traits that make Candida albicans an important human fungal pathogen are regulated on a transcriptional level. Here, we report an important regulatory contribution of translation, which is exerted by the extensive 5′ untranslated regulatory sequence (5′ UTR) of the transcript for the protein Efg1, which determines growth, metabolism, and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRapid Gene Concatenation for Genetic Rescue of Multigene Mutants in Candida albicansOur understanding of new genes is often built upon the knowledge of well-characterized genes. One avenue toward revealing such connections involves creation of strains with mutations in two or more defined genes to permit genetic interaction analysis. Strain manipulations can yield unexpected mutations at loci outside the defined targeted genes. In this report, we describe a method for rapid validation of multigene mutants, thus...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionNovel Antifungal Compounds Discovered in Medicines for Malaria Venture’s Malaria BoxMuch like the recent increase in drug-resistant bacteria, there is a rise in antifungal-resistant strains of pathogenic fungi. There is a need for novel and more potent antifungal therapeutics. Consequently, we investigated a mixed library of drug-like and probe-like compounds with activity in Plasmodium spp. for activity against two common fungal pathogens, ...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Human Gut Microbial Metabolome Modulates Fungal Growth via the TOR Signaling PathwayCandida albicans is a natural component of the human microbiota but also an opportunistic pathogen that causes life-threatening infections. The human gastrointestinal tract is the main reservoir of C. albicans, from where systemic infections originate as a consequence of the disruption of the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPut3 Positively Regulates Proline Utilization in Candida albicansCandida albicans poses a significant threat to the lives of immunocompromised people. Historically, knowledge has been drawn from studies on Saccharomyces cerevisiae to understand the pathogen, and many Candida albicans genes are...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Candida albicans TOR-Activating GTPases Gtr1 and Rhb1 Coregulate Starvation Responses and Biofilm FormationCandida albicans is the major fungal pathogen of humans and is responsible for a wide range of infections, including life-threatening systemic infections in susceptible hosts. Target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) is an essential regulator of metabolism in this fungus, and components of this complex are under increased investigation as targets for new antifungal drugs...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Genomic Landscape of the Fungus-Specific SWI/SNF Complex Subunit, Snf6, in Candida albicansCandida albicans is a natural component of the human microbiota but also an opportunistic pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in immunosuppressed patients. Current therapeutics include a limited number of molecules that suffer from limitations, including growing clinical resistance and toxicity. New molecules are being clinically investigated; however,...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTarget Abundance-Based Fitness Screening (TAFiS) Facilitates Rapid Identification of Target-Specific and Physiologically Active Chemical ProbesConventional drug screening typically employs either target-based or cell-based approaches. The first group rely on biochemical assays to detect modulators of a purified target. However, hits frequently lack drug-like characteristics such as membrane permeability and target specificity. Cell-based screens identify compounds that induce a desired phenotype, but the target is unknown, which severely restricts further development and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyN-Acetylglucosamine Metabolism Promotes Survival of Candida albicans in the PhagosomeCandida albicans is the most important medically relevant fungal pathogen, with disseminated candidiasis being the fourth most common hospital-associated bloodstream infection. Macrophages and neutrophils are innate immune cells that play a key role in host defense by phagocytosing and destroying C....