Roles of Cch1 and Mid1 in Morphogenesis, Oxidative Stress Response and Virulence in Candida albicans

Ca²⁺ channel Cch1, and its subunit Mid1, has been suggested as the protein complex responsible for mediating Ca²⁺ influx, which is often employed by fungal cells to maintain cell survival. The abilities of morphological switch and response to stress conditions are closely related to pathogenicity in Candida albicans. Cch1 and Mid1 activity are required for virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans and Claviceps purpurea, respectively. To investigate whether Cch1 and Mid1 also play a role in the virulence of C. albicans, we constructed cch1Δ/Δ and mid1Δ/Δ mutant strains for functional analysis of CCH1 and MID1. Although both of the mutants displayed the ability of yeast-to-hypha transition, they were defective in hyphae maintenance and invasive growth. Interestingly, deletion of CCH1 or MID1 in C. albicans led to an obvious defect phenotype in oxidative stress response. Moreover, the virulence of the mutants was reduced in a mouse model. Our results demonstrated that Cch1 and Mid1 activity are related to the virulence of C. albicans and may provide a new antifungal target.