Infection-related gene expression in Candida albicans

Research into the major fungal pathogen, Candida albicans has firmly entered the post-genomics era. The current challenge is to apply these technologies to the analysis of C. albicans infections. Initial studies, which focused on the expression of specific virulence genes, have supported the view that secreted hydrolases and adhesins are expressed in a niche-specific fashion during infection. However, genome-wide expression profiling has revealed that most infection-related changes in C. albicans gene expression reflect environmental adaptation. Initial contacts with the host and disease progression are clearly associated with metabolic and stress adaptation. These studies, together with analyses of C. albicans mutants, indicate that physiological fitness plays a central role in the pathogenicity of this fungus, alongside virulence factors.     

Development of phenotypic resistance to direct lethal miconazole action by Candida albicans entering stationary phase

In the late logarithmic or very early stationary phase of the growth cycle, yeast cells of Candida albicans undergo a shift from susceptibility to resistance to the direct lethal action of miconazole. Regulation of this phenotypic shift was examined. Experiments based on viable count determinations and the construction of time-kill curves showed that reestablishment of resistance is independent of both pH and the attainment of some critical viable cell density. However, it was found that development of resistance requires the continued availability of an appropriate energy source toward the end of exponential growth.     

The regulation of cellular differentiation in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans

Dimorphism in the yeast Candida albicans provides an unusually simple model system for investigating the mechanisms which regulate cellular differentiation, or cell divergence. Under the regime of pH-regulated dimorphism, it has been demonstrated that the programs of protein synthesis accompanying bud and hypha formation are strikingly similar. Instead of dramatic differences in the repertoire of gene products possessed by bud- and hypha-forming cells, subtle temporal, spatial and quantitative differences in the same architectural events appear to be basic to the genesis of alternative phenotypes. This emerging story of phenotypic regulation does not exclude differential gene expression, but rather de-emphasizes its role and underscores other mechanisms which are not generally considered.     

Lipid synthesis during reinitiation of growth from stationary phase cultures of Candida albicans

Lipid synthesis has been studied in the dimorphic fungus Candida albicans. ¹⁴C-acetate incorporation into lipid material was used to measure new lipid synthesis in two cultures in which either yeast or mycelial growth was initiated from stationary phase yeast cells. When resuspended in fresh medium at 37 °C, cells resume growth and change morphology while at 30 °C cells resume budding growth. When resuspended at the appropriate temperature, both yeast and germ tube cultures immediately incorporated ¹⁴C-acetate into lipid material. The labeled lipid was more or less evenly divided between neutral and phospholipid. Phosphatidyl choline was the major phospholipid fraction and along with phosphatidyl ethanolamine accounted for 60–65 % of the total phospholipid. Lipid synthesis during growth initiation of either morphology showed a similar pattern, with no significant differences observed in neutral or phospholipid or phospholipid components between yeast and mycelial forms.     

氟康唑体外诱导白假丝酵母菌耐药基因表达的研究

目的 对白假丝酵母菌耐药机制进行研究.方法 将临床分离对氟康唑敏感的白假丝酵母菌种,经体外诱导产生耐药.半定量PCR检测敏感株、耐药株、回复敏感株多药耐药基因CDR1、CDR2、MDR1和转录调控因子TAC1编码基因表达水平的变化,并对TAC1编码基因进行测序.结果 与敏感株和回复敏感株比较,耐药株CDR1、CDR2相对表达量增高,发现1株TAC1 N977D氨基酸置换.结论 氟康唑体外诱导白假丝酵母菌产生耐药的机制与CDR1、CDR2表达相关.TAC1基因突变在诱导耐药中的机制有待进一步研究.     

Defining pheromone-receptor signaling in Candida albicans and related asexual Candida species

Candida albicans is an important human fungal pathogen in which sexual reproduction is under the control of the novel white-opaque switch. Opaque cells are the mating-competent form, whereas white cells do not mate but can still respond to pheromones, resulting in biofilm formation. In this study, we first define the domains of the α-pheromone receptor Ste2 that are necessary for signaling in both white and opaque forms. Both cell states require the IC loop 3 (IC3) and the C-terminal tail of Ste2 for the cellular response, whereas the first IC loop (IC1) of Ste2 is dispensable for signaling. To also address pheromone-receptor interactions in related species, including apparently asexual Candida species, Ste2 orthologues were heterologously expressed in Candida albicans. Ste2 receptors from multiple Candida clade species were functional when expressed in C. albicans, whereas the Ste2 receptor of Candida lusitaniae was nonfunctional. Significantly, however, expression of a chimeric C. lusitaniae Ste2 receptor containing the C-terminal tail of Ste2 from C. albicans generated a productive response to C. lusitaniae pheromone. This system has allowed us to characterize pheromones from multiple Candida species and indicates that functional pheromone-receptor couples exist in fungal species that have yet to be shown to undergo sexual mating.     

Candida albicans HEX1 gene, a reporter of gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A nonapeptide from IL-1β has been reported to be an immunostimulant and adjuvant. To investigate the possibility of enhancing the immunogenicity of recombinant antigens delivered by live-attenuated Salmonella strains, we inserted an oligonucleotide coding for the nonapeptide from murine IL-1β into the genes of three model proteins: LamB, MalE, and flagellin. The hybrid proteins were expressed and delivered in vivo by Salmonella aroA strains, and serum antibody responses were analyzed. The results showed that the nonapeptide induced an increase in the immune response against Salmonella-delivered flagellin, measured on day 28 post-immunization. However, the adjuvant effect was lost by day 42. In no case was an adjuvant effect detected for Salmonella-delivered LamB or MalE. Thus, by comparing the immune responses raised by purified MalE with and without the peptide, we investigated whether the insertion of the peptide affected the immunogenicity of the protein itself. Also in this case, a modest adjuvant effect was shown only after primary immunization and when very low doses of antigen were used. In conclusion, the immunomodulatory properties of the IL-1β peptide can also be detected when it is delivered in vivo by Salmonella; however, the effect is modest and antigen-dependent. Received: 30 May 1997 / Accepted: 15 September 1997     

白念珠菌抗氧化基因体外表达研究

目的检测白念珠菌体外抗氧化及调节转录的基因表达情况,进一步了解白念珠菌抗氧化机制在体外生长状态下的作用。方法选取白念珠菌标准株sc5314、3株临床分离保存株及7例临床念珠菌性阴道炎分泌物分离株（白念珠菌）,接种培养鉴定为白念珠菌后,分别将体外SDB振荡培养2 h、6 h、24 h、72 h、120 d的菌液（含未培养0h）,用Trizol法提取总RNA,反转录为cDNA后进行实时荧光定量PCR,检测体外各时间点抗氧化基因及抗氧化转录因子的基因表达情况,运用Ct值比较法进行表达量的相对定量分析。结果与0 h相比,体外6 hSOD2表达增加7.47倍,经Wilcoxon配对符号秩和检验显示P值小于0.01,差异具有统计学意义。其他各基因2 h及6 h分别与0 h相比P值均〉0.01,其表达差异不具有统计学意义。体外培养1 d后各基因表达明显增加,CaHog1、CAP1、CAT及SOD5在第3天达最高,分别为24.23、3.34、33.64及14.72倍;SOD2在第1天达最高为68.95倍;CaSkn7在第5天达最高为7.21倍。经Wilcoxon配对符号秩和检验显示SOD5第1天P值为0.013,其余基因表达P均〈0.01,表达差异具有统计学意义。结论当外界营养逐渐耗竭时,白念珠菌会动态加强抗氧化基因的表达,以抵抗机体内、外产生的氧化压力,其中SOD2可能是最早增加表达的抗氧化基因,3条抗氧化感受通路的转录调节基因均有增加表达,提示3条抗氧化感受通路在适应体外营养限制过程中起了重要作用。     

Biofilm of Candida albicans: formation,regulation and resistance

Candida albicans is the most common human fungal pathogen, causing infections that range from mucous membranes to systemic infections. The present article provides an overview of C. albicans, with the production of biofilms produced by this fungus, as well as reporting the classes of antifungals used to fight such infections, together with the resistance mechanisms to these drugs. Candida albicans is highly adaptable, enabling the transition from commensal to pathogen due to a repertoire of virulence factors. Specifically, the ability to change morphology and form biofilms is central to the pathogenesis of C. albicans. Indeed, most infections by this pathogen are associated with the formation of biofilms on surfaces of hosts or medical devices, causing high morbidity and mortality. Significantly, biofilms formed by C. albicans are inherently tolerant to antimicrobial therapy, so the susceptibility of C. albicans biofilms to current therapeutic agents remains low. Therefore, it is difficult to predict which molecules will emerge as new clinical antifungals. The biofilm formation of C. albicans has been causing impacts on susceptibility to antifungals, leading to resistance, which demonstrates the importance of research aimed at the prevention and control of these clinical microbial communities.     

Identification of the gene encoding DNA topoisomerase I from Candida albicans

Abstract A gene encoding a type I topoisomerase (TOP1) was isolated from Candida albicans , sequenced, and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The TOP1 gene was identified from a C. albicans genomic library by hybridization with the product of a polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primer sets encoding regions conserved in other TOP1 genes. A clone containing an open reading frame of 2463 bp and predicted to encode a protein of 778 amino acids with sequence similarity to eukaryotic type I topoisomerases was identified. The C. albicans TOP1 gene restored camptothecin sensitivity and increased the topoisomerase activity in S. cerevisiae , indicating that the DNA fragment encodes a functional C. albicans topoisomerase I.