Candida albicans
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyEFG1 Mutations, Phenotypic Switching, and Colonization by Clinical a/α Strains of Candida albicansClose to half of a collection of 27 clinical a/α isolates of Candida albicans underwent white-to-opaque switching. Complementation experiments revealed that while approximately half of the a/α switchers were due to EFG1 mutations, the remaining half were due to mutations in other genes. In addition, the results of competition...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLinking Sfl1 Regulation of Hyphal Development to Stress Response Kinases in Candida albicansCandida albicans is a commensal as well as a pathogen of humans. C. albicans is able to mount a cellular response to a diverse range of external stimuli in the host and switch reversibly between the yeast and hyphal growth forms. Hyphal development is a key virulence determinant. Here, we studied...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Decoding Transcriptional Regulatory Networks To Illuminate the Mechanisms of Microbial PathogenicitySadri Znaidi works in the field of molecular mycology with a focus on functional genomics in Candida albicans. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the paper “An iron homeostasis regulatory circuit with reciprocal roles in Candida albicans commensalism and pathogenesis” by Chen...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionNanoemulsion as an Effective Treatment against Human-Pathogenic FungiAdvances in medicine have resulted in the discovery and implementation of treatments for human disease. While these recent advances have been beneficial, procedures such as solid-organ transplants and cancer treatments have left many patients in an immunocompromised state. Furthermore, the emergence of immunocompromising diseases such as HIV/AIDS or other immunosuppressive medical conditions have opened an opportunity for fungal...
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...