scholarly journals Mutations in Alternative Carbon Utilization Pathways in Candida albicans Attenuate Virulence and Confer Pleiotropic Phenotypes

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 280-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa A. Ramírez ◽  
Michael C. Lorenz
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Carbon Metabolism ◽  
Innate Immune System ◽  
Glyoxylate Cycle ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Carbon Utilization ◽  
The Glyoxylate Cycle

ABSTRACT The interaction between Candida albicans and cells of the innate immune system is a key determinant of disease progression. Transcriptional profiling has revealed that C. albicans has a complex response to phagocytosis, much of which is similar to carbon starvation. This suggests that nutrient limitation is a significant stress in vivo, and we have shown that glyoxylate cycle mutants are less virulent in mice. To examine whether other aspects of carbon metabolism are important in vivo during an infection, we have constructed strains lacking FOX2 and FBP1, which encode key components of fatty acid β-oxidation and gluconeogenesis, respectively. As expected, fox2Δ mutants failed to utilize several fatty acids as carbon sources. Surprisingly, however, these mutants also failed to grow in the presence of several other carbon sources, whose assimilation is independent of β-oxidation, including ethanol and citric acid. Mutants lacking the glyoxylate enzyme ICL1 also had more severe carbon utilization phenotypes than were expected. These results suggest that the regulation of alternative carbon metabolism in C. albicans is significantly different from that in other fungi. In vivo, fox2Δ mutants show a moderate but significant reduction in virulence in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis, while disruption of the glyoxylate cycle or gluconeogenesis confers a severe attenuation in this model. These data indicate that C. albicans often encounters carbon-poor conditions during growth in the host and that the ability to efficiently utilize multiple nonfermentable carbon sources is a virulence determinant. Consistent with this in vivo requirement, C. albicans uniquely regulates carbon metabolism in a more integrated manner than in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, such that defects in one part of the machinery have wider impacts than expected. These aspects of alternative carbon metabolism may then be useful as targets for therapeutic intervention.

scholarly journals The Transcription Factor Homolog CTF1 Regulates β-Oxidation in Candida albicans

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1604-1614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa A. Ramírez ◽  
Michael C. Lorenz
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Carbon Metabolism ◽  
Regulatory Network ◽  
Glyoxylate Cycle ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Peroxisomal Biogenesis ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
The Glyoxylate Cycle

ABSTRACT Carbon starvation is one of the many stresses to which microbial pathogens are subjected while in the host. Pathways necessary for the utilization of alternative carbon sources, such as gluconeogenesis, the glyoxylate cycle, and β-oxidation of fatty acids, have been shown to be required for full virulence in several systems, including the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. We have investigated the regulatory network governing alternative carbon metabolism in this organism through characterization of transcriptional regulators identified based on the model fungi, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus nidulans. C. albicans has homologs of the ScCAT8/AnFacB and ScADR1/AnAmdX transcription factors that regulate induction of genes encoding the proteins of gluconeogenesis, the glyoxylate cycle, and ethanol utilization. Surprisingly, C. albicans mutants lacking CAT8 or ADR1 have no apparent phenotypes and do not regulate genes for key enzymes of these pathways. Fatty acid degradation and peroxisomal biogenesis are controlled by nonhomologous regulators, OAF1/PIP2 in S. cerevisiae and FarA/FarB in A. nidulans; C. albicans is missing OAF1 and PIP2 and, instead, has a single homolog of the Far proteins, CTF1. We have shown that CTF1 is required for growth on lipids and for expression of genes necessary for β-oxidation, such as FOX2. ctf1Δ/ctf1Δ (ctf1Δ/Δ) strains do not, however, show the pleiotropic phenotypes observed for fox2Δ/Δ mutants. The ctf1Δ/Δ mutant confers a mild attenuation in virulence, like the fox2Δ/Δ mutant. Thus, phenotypic and genotypic observations highlight important differences in the regulatory network for alternative carbon metabolism in C. albicans compared to the paradigms developed in other model fungi.

scholarly journals Multiple Alternative Carbon Pathways Combine To Promote Candida albicans Stress Resistance, Immune Interactions, and Virulence

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Williams ◽  
Michael C. Lorenz
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Stress Resistance ◽  
Innate Immune System ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Alternative ◽  
Carbon Pathways

ABSTRACT The phagocytic cells of the innate immune system are an essential first line of antimicrobial defense, and yet Candida albicans, one of the most problematic fungal pathogens, is capable of resisting the stresses imposed by the macrophage phagosome, eventually resulting in the destruction of the phagocyte. C. albicans rapidly adapts to the phagosome by upregulating multiple alternative carbon utilization pathways, particularly those for amino acids, carboxylic acids, and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Here, we report that C. albicans recognizes these carbon sources both as crucial nutrients and as independent signals in its environment. Even in the presence of glucose, each carbon source promotes increased resistance to a unique profile of stressors; lactate promotes increased resistance to osmotic and cell wall stresses, amino acids increased resistance to oxidative and nitrosative stresses, and GlcNAc increased resistance to oxidative stress and caspofungin, while all three alternative carbon sources have been shown to induce resistance to fluconazole. Moreover, we show mutants incapable of utilizing these carbon sources, in particular, strains engineered to be defective in all three pathways, are significantly attenuated in both macrophage and mouse models, with additive effects observed as multiple carbon pathways are eliminated, suggesting that C. albicans simultaneously utilizes multiple carbon sources within the macrophage phagosome and during disseminated candidiasis. Taking the data together, we propose that, in addition to providing energy to the pathogen within host environments, alternative carbon sources serve as niche-specific priming signals that allow C. albicans to recognize microenvironments within the host and to prepare for stresses associated with that niche, thus promoting host adaptation and virulence. IMPORTANCE Candida albicans is a fungal pathogen and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in people with defects, sometimes minor ones, in innate immunity. The phagocytes of the innate immune system, particularly macrophages and neutrophils, generally restrict this organism to its normal commensal niches, but C. albicans shows a robust and multifaceted response to these cell types. Inside macrophages, a key component of this response is the activation of multiple pathways for the utilization of alternative carbon sources, particularly amino acids, carboxylic acids, and N-acetylglucosamine. These carbon sources are key sources of energy and biomass but also independently promote stress resistance, induce cell wall alterations, and affect C. albicans interactions with macrophages. Engineered strains incapable of utilizing these alternative carbon pathways are attenuated in infection models. These data suggest that C. albicans recognizes nutrient composition as an indicator of specific host environments and tailors its responses accordingly.

In vivo effect of three fractions of Larrea divaricata Cav. (jarilla) on the innate immune system: macrophage response against Candida albicans

Mycoses ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. e718-e825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renzo F. Martino ◽  
Roberto C. Davicino ◽  
María A. Mattar ◽  
Yolanda A. Casali ◽  
Silvia G. Correa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Innate Immune System ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Macrophage Response ◽  
Larrea Divaricata

scholarly journals The Glyoxylate Cycle Is Involved in White-Opaque Switching in Candida albicans

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 502
Author(s):  
Susana Hidalgo Vico ◽  
Daniel Prieto ◽  
Rebeca Alonso Monge ◽  
Elvira Román ◽  
Jesús Pla
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Isocitrate Lyase ◽  
Glyoxylate Cycle ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Glyoxylate Shunt ◽  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Altered Metabolism ◽  
The Glyoxylate Cycle

Candida albicans is a commensal yeast that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract of humans. The master regulator of the white-opaque transition WOR1 has been implicated in the adaptation to this commensal status. A proteomic analysis of cells overexpressing this transcription factor (WOR1OE) suggested an altered metabolism of carbon sources and a phenotypic analysis confirmed this alteration. The WOR1OE cells are deficient in using trehalose and xylose and are unable to use 2C sources, which is consistent with a reduction in the amount of Icl1, the isocitrate lyase enzyme. The icl1Δ/Δ mutants overexpressing WOR1 are deficient in the production of phloxine B positive cells, a main characteristic of opaque cells, a phenotype also observed in mating type hemizygous mtla1Δ icl1Δ/Δ cells, suggesting the involvement of Icl1 in the adaptation to the commensal state. In fact, icl1Δ/Δ cells have reduced fitness in mouse gastrointestinal tract as compared with essentially isogenic heterozygous ICL1/icl1Δ, but overproduction of WOR1 in an icl1Δ/Δ mutant does not restore fitness. These results implicate the glyoxylate shunt in the adaptation to commensalism of C. albicans by mechanisms that are partially independent of WOR1.

scholarly journals Quantitative Determination of Metabolic Fluxes during Coutilization of Two Carbon Sources: Comparative Analyses withCorynebacterium glutamicum during Growth on Acetate and/or Glucose

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (11) ◽  
pp. 3088-3096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker F. Wendisch ◽  
Albert A. de Graaf ◽  
Hermann Sahm ◽  
Bernhard J. Eikmanns
Keyword(s):  
Citric Acid ◽  
Citric Acid Cycle ◽  
Glyoxylate Cycle ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Malate Synthase ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Acid Cycle ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
The Glyoxylate Cycle

ABSTRACT Growth of Corynebacterium glutamicum on mixtures of the carbon sources glucose and acetate is shown to be distinct from growth on either substrate alone. The organism showed nondiauxic growth on media containing acetate-glucose mixtures and simultaneously metabolized these substrates. Compared to those for growth on acetate or glucose alone, the consumption rates of the individual substrates were reduced during acetate-glucose cometabolism, resulting in similar total carbon consumption rates for the three conditions. By13C-labeling experiments with subsequent nuclear magnetic resonance analyses in combination with metabolite balancing, the in vivo activities for pathways or single enzymes in the central metabolism of C. glutamicum were quantified for growth on acetate, on glucose, and on both carbon sources. The activity of the citric acid cycle was high on acetate, intermediate on acetate plus glucose, and low on glucose, corresponding to in vivo activities of citrate synthase of 413, 219, and 111 nmol · (mg of protein)−1 · min−1, respectively. The citric acid cycle was replenished by carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and/or pyruvate (30 nmol · [mg of protein]−1 · min−1) during growth on glucose. Although levels of PEP carboxylase and pyruvate carboxylase during growth on acetate were similar to those for growth on glucose, anaplerosis occurred solely by the glyoxylate cycle (99 nmol · [mg of protein]−1 · min−1). Surprisingly, the anaplerotic function was fulfilled completely by the glyoxylate cycle (50 nmol · [mg of protein]−1 · min−1) on glucose plus acetate also. Consistent with the predictions deduced from the metabolic flux analyses, a glyoxylate cycle-deficient mutant ofC. glutamicum, constructed by targeted deletion of the isocitrate lyase and malate synthase genes, exhibited impaired growth on acetate-glucose mixtures.

Central carbon metabolism of Leishmania parasites

Parasitology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 137 (9) ◽  
pp. 1303-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELEANOR C. SAUNDERS ◽  
DAVID P. DE SOUZA ◽  
THOMAS NADERER ◽  
MARIJKE F. SERNEE ◽  
JULIE E. RALTON ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Metabolism ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Central Carbon Metabolism ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Carbon Utilization ◽  
Central Carbon ◽  
Host Infection

SUMMARYLeishmania spp. are sandfly-transmitted protozoa parasites that cause a spectrum of diseases in humans. Many enzymes involved in Leishmania central carbon metabolism differ from their equivalents in the mammalian host and are potential drug targets. In this review we summarize recent advances in our understanding of Leishmania central carbon metabolism, focusing on pathways of carbon utilization that are required for growth and pathogenesis in the mammalian host. While Leishmania central carbon metabolism shares many features in common with other pathogenic trypanosomatids, significant differences are also apparent. Leishmania parasites are also unusual in constitutively expressing most core metabolic pathways throughout their life cycle, a feature that may allow these parasites to exploit a range of different carbon sources (primarily sugars and amino acids) rapidly in both the insect vector and vertebrate host. Indeed, recent gene deletion studies suggest that mammal-infective stages are dependent on multiple carbon sources in vivo. The application of metabolomic approaches, outlined here, are likely to be important in defining aspects of central carbon metabolism that are essential at different stages of mammalian host infection.

scholarly journals Sinorhizobium meliloti Mutants Lacking Phosphotransferase System Enzyme HPr or EIIA Are Altered in Diverse Processes, Including Carbon Metabolism, Cobalt Requirements, and Succinoglycan Production

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (8) ◽  
pp. 2947-2956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina Arango Pinedo ◽  
Ryan M. Bringhurst ◽  
Daniel J. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Metabolism ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Deletion Mutants ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Carbon Utilization ◽  
Carbon Regulation ◽  
Extreme Sensitivity

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti is a member of the Alphaproteobacteria that fixes nitrogen when it is in a symbiotic relationship. Genes for an incomplete phosphotransferase system (PTS) have been found in the genome of S. meliloti. The genes present code for Hpr and ManX (an EIIAMan-type enzyme). HPr and EIIA regulate carbon utilization in other bacteria. hpr and manX in-frame deletion mutants exhibited altered carbon metabolism and other phenotypes. Loss of HPr resulted in partial relief of succinate-mediated catabolite repression, extreme sensitivity to cobalt limitation, rapid die-off during stationary phase, and altered succinoglycan production. Loss of ManX decreased expression of melA-agp and lac, the operons needed for utilization of α- and β-galactosides, slowed growth on diverse carbon sources, and enhanced accumulation of high-molecular-weight succinoglycan. A strain with both hpr and manX deletions exhibited phenotypes similar to those of the strain with a single hpr deletion. Despite these strong phenotypes, deletion mutants exhibited wild-type nodulation and nitrogen fixation when they were inoculated onto Medicago sativa. The results show that HPr and ManX (EIIAMan) are involved in more than carbon regulation in S. meliloti and suggest that the phenotypes observed occur due to activity of HPr or one of its phosphorylated forms.

scholarly journals Altered Dynamics of Candida albicans Phagocytosis by Macrophages and PMNs When Both Phagocyte Subsets Are Present

mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona M. Rudkin ◽  
Judith M. Bain ◽  
Catriona Walls ◽  
Leanne E. Lewis ◽  
Neil A. R. Gow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Innate Immune System ◽  
Video Microscopy ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Live Cell ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Polymorphonuclear Cells ◽  
Fungal Cell ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT An important first line of defense against Candida albicans infections is the killing of fungal cells by professional phagocytes of the innate immune system, such as polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and macrophages. In this study, we employed live-cell video microscopy coupled with dynamic image analysis tools to provide insights into the complexity of C. albicans phagocytosis when macrophages and PMNs were incubated with C. albicans alone and when both phagocyte subsets were present. When C. albicans cells were incubated with only one phagocyte subtype, PMNs had a lower overall phagocytic capacity than macrophages, despite engulfing fungal cells at a higher rate once fungal cells were bound to the phagocyte surface. PMNs were more susceptible to C. albicans-mediated killing than macrophages, irrespective of the number of C. albicans cells ingested. In contrast, when both phagocyte subsets were studied in coculture, the two cell types phagocytosed and cleared C. albicans at equal rates and were equally susceptible to killing by the fungus. The increase in macrophage susceptibility to C. albicans-mediated killing was a consequence of macrophages taking up a higher proportion of hyphal cells under these conditions. In the presence of both PMNs and macrophages, C. albicans yeast cells were predominantly cleared by PMNs, which migrated at a greater speed toward fungal cells and engulfed bound cells more rapidly. These observations demonstrate that the phagocytosis of fungal pathogens depends on, and is modified by, the specific phagocyte subsets present at the site of infection. IMPORTANCE Extensive work investigating fungal cell phagocytosis by macrophages and PMNs of the innate immune system has been carried out. These studies have been informative but have examined this phenomenon only when one phagocyte subset is present. The current study employed live-cell video microscopy to break down C. albicans phagocytosis into its component parts and examine the effect of a single phagocyte subset, versus a mixed phagocyte population, on these individual stages. Through this approach, we identified that the rate of fungal cell engulfment and rate of phagocyte killing altered significantly when both macrophages and PMNs were incubated in coculture with C. albicans compared to the rate of either phagocyte subset incubated alone with the fungus. This research highlights the significance of studying pathogen-host cell interactions with a combination of phagocytes in order to gain a greater understanding of the interactions that occur between cells of the host immune system in response to fungal invasion.

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