Effect of farnesol on Candida dubliniensis morphogenesis

AIMS: Cell-cell signalling in Candida albicans is a known phenomenon and farnesol was identified as a quorum sensing molecule determining the yeast morphology. The aim of this work was to verify if farnesol had a similar effect on Candida dubliniensis, highlighting the effect of farnesol on Candida spp. morphogenesis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two different strains of C. dubliniensis and one of C. albicans were grown both in RPMI 1640 and in serum in the presence of absence of farnesol. At 150 micromol l(-1) farnesol the growth rate of both Candida species was not affected. On the contrary, farnesol inhibited hyphae and pseudohyphae formation in C. dubliniensis. CONCLUSION: Farnesol seems to mediate cell morphology in both Candida species. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The effect of farnesol on C. dubliniensis morphology was not reported previously.