Candida albicans
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMAP Kinase Regulation of the Candida albicans Pheromone PathwayMAP kinases and their regulators are critical components of eukaryotic signaling pathways implicated in normal cell behavior as well as abnormal behaviors linked to diseases such as cancer. The mating pathway of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was central in establishing the MAP kinase paradigm....
Editor's Pick Research Article | Synthetic BiologyA CRISPR Interference Platform for Efficient Genetic Repression in Candida albicansFungal pathogens are an increasingly important cause of human disease and mortality, and Candida albicans is among the most common causes of fungal disease. Studying this important fungal pathogen requires a comprehensive genetic toolkit to establish how different genetic factors play roles in the biology and virulence of this pathogen. Here, we developed a CRISPR-...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Recessive Lethal Alleles in the Diploid Genome of a Candida albicans Laboratory Strain Unveils a Potential Role of Repetitive Sequences in Buffering Their Deleterious ImpactCandida albicans is a major fungal pathogen, whose mode of reproduction is mainly clonal. Its genome is highly tolerant to rearrangements, in particular loss of heterozygosity events, known to unmask recessive lethal and deleterious alleles in heterozygous diploid organisms such as C. albicans. By...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyImplementation of a CRISPR-Based System for Gene Regulation in Candida albicansCRISPR technology is a new and efficient way to edit genomes, but it is also an appealing way to regulate gene expression. We have implemented CRISPR as a gene expression platform in Candida albicans using fusions between a Cas9 inactive enzyme and specific repressors or activators and demonstrated its functionality. This will allow future manipulation of complex...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Vacuolar Ca2+ ATPase Pump Pmc1p Is Required for Candida albicans PathogenesisMaintenance of Ca2+ homeostasis is important for fungal cells to respond to a multitude of stresses, as well as antifungal treatment, and for virulence in animal models. Here, we demonstrate that a P-type ATPase, Pmc1p, is required for Candida albicans to respond to a variety of stresses...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionRepurposing Pilocarpine Hydrochloride for Treatment of Candida albicans InfectionsCandida albicans is the most common human fungal pathogen with an estimated crude mortality rate of 40%. The ability of the organism to switch from the yeast to hyphal form and produce biofilms are important virulence factors. C. albicans infections are combatted by the host immune system. However...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGenetic Analysis of NDT80 Family Transcription Factors in Candida albicans Using New CRISPR-Cas9 ApproachesTranscription factors play key roles in regulating virulence of the human fungal pathogen C. albicans. In addition to regulating the expression of virulence factors, they also control the ability of C. albicans to switch to filamentous hyphal growth, which facilitates biofilm formation on medical...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAlexidine Dihydrochloride Has Broad-Spectrum Activities against Diverse Fungal PathogensThe prevalence of fungal infections has seen a rise in the past decades due to advances in modern medicine leading to an expanding population of device-associated and immunocompromised patients. Furthermore, the spectrum of pathogenic fungi has changed, with the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains such as C. auris. High mortality related to fungal infections...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFunctional Mapping of Transcription Factor Grf10 That Regulates Adenine-Responsive and Filamentation Genes in Candida albicansMetabolic adaptation and morphogenesis are essential for Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, to survive and infect diverse body sites in the mammalian host. C. albicans utilizes transcription factors to tightly control the transcription of metabolic genes and morphogenesis genes. Grf10...
Resource Report | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA High-Throughput Candida albicans Two-Hybrid SystemCandida albicans is a major fungal pathogen, and due to the rise of fungal infections and emerging resistance to the limited antifungals available, it is important to develop novel and more specific antifungals. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) can be applied as very specific drug targets. However, because of the aberrant codon usage of...