Candida albicans
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyKinesin-5 Is Dispensable for Bipolar Spindle Formation and Elongation in Candida albicans, but Simultaneous Loss of Kinesin-14 Activity Is LethalCandida albicans is one of the most prevalent fungal pathogens of humans and can infect a broad range of niches within its host. This organism frequently acquires resistance to antifungal agents through rapid generation of genetic diversity, with aneuploidy serving as a particularly important adaptive mechanism. This paper describes an investigation of the sole...
Commentary | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencemSphere of Influence: the Wild Genetic Diversity of Our Closest Yeast CompanionsDouda Bensasson uses the population genomics of model yeast species to understand how wild yeast colonize new environments, such as humans or their food. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the discovery of “Surprisingly diverged populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in natural environments remote from human activity” (Q.-M. Wang, W.-Q. Liu, G...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGlobal Transcriptomic Analysis of the Candida albicans Response to Treatment with a Novel Inhibitor of FilamentationThese results from whole-genome transcriptional profiling provide further insights into the biological activity and mode of action of a small-molecule inhibitor of C. albicans filamentation. This information will assist in the development of novel antivirulence strategies against C. albicans...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Considering Complex Mutational Processes That Shape Microbial VirulenceMatt Anderson works in the field of genetics and infectious disease, with a focus on the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how two papers, “Gene Flow Contributes to Diversification of the Major Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans” (J. Ropars, C...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceSusceptibility to Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Is Associated with Trisomy of Chromosome 7 in Candida albicansAneuploidy (changes in chromosome number) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) occur frequently in the human-pathogenic yeast Candida albicans and are associated with adaptation to stress and to antifungal drugs. Aneuploidy and LOH can also be induced during laboratory manipulations, such as during genetic transformation. We find that...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAn Intragenic Recombination Event Generates a Snf4-Independent Form of the Essential Protein Kinase Snf1 in Candida albicansGenomic alterations, including different types of recombination events, facilitate the generation of genetically altered variants and enable the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans to adapt to stressful conditions encountered in its human host. Here, we show that a specific recombination event between two 8-bp direct repeats within the coding sequence of the SNF1...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: a Systematic Approach To Dissect Virulence Traits in Candida albicansJ. Christian Pérez studies the interplay between Candida albicans and the mammalian host. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how “Systematic screens of a Candida albicans homozygous deletion library decouple morphogenetic switching and pathogenicity” (S. M. Noble, S. French, L. A....
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologymSphere of Influence: Start with an Interesting Biological PhenomenonTeresa O'Meara works in the field of functional genomics of Candida albicans, with a focus on host-pathogen interactions. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how papers entitled "Systematic Screens of a Candida albicans Homozygous Deletion Library Decouple Morphogenetic Switching...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRoles of the Transcription Factors Sfl2 and Efg1 in White-Opaque Switching in a/α Strains of Candida albicansMore than 95% of Candida albicans strains isolated from humans are MTLa/α, and approximately a third of these can undergo the white-to-opaque transition. Therefore, besides being a requirement for MTL-homozygous strains to mate, the opaque phenotype very likely plays a role in the commensalism and pathogenesis of nonmating, a...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Virulence Phenotype Rapidly Assesses Candida Fungal Pathogenesis in Healthy and Immunocompromised Caenorhabditis elegans HostsOpportunistic pathogens are commensals capable of causing disease and are serious threats to human health. It is critical to understand the mechanisms and host contexts under which opportunistic pathogens become virulent. In this work, we present a novel assay to quickly and quantitatively measure pathogen virulence in healthy and immunocompromised nematode hosts. We found that Candida species, one of the most prominent fungal...