scholarly journals The Sho1 Adaptor Protein Links Oxidative Stress to Morphogenesis and Cell Wall Biosynthesis in the Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 10611-10627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Román ◽  
César Nombela ◽  
Jesús Pla
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Congo Red ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
Hog Pathway ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
High Osmolarity

ABSTRACT The Sho1 adaptor protein is an important element of one of the two upstream branches of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a signal transduction cascade involved in adaptation to stress. In the present work, we describe its role in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans by the construction of mutants altered in this gene. We report here that sho1 mutants are sensitive to oxidative stress but that Sho1 has a minor role in the transmission of the phosphorylation signal to the Hog1 MAP kinase in response to oxidative stress, which mainly occurs through a putative Sln1-Ssk1 branch of the HOG pathway. Genetic analysis revealed that double ssk1 sho1 mutants were still able to grow on high-osmolarity media and activate Hog1 in response to this stress, indicating the existence of alternative inputs of the pathway. We also demonstrate that the Cek1 MAP kinase is constitutively active in hog1 and ssk1 mutants, a phenotypic trait that correlates with their resistance to the cell wall inhibitor Congo red, and that Sho1 is essential for the activation of the Cek1 MAP kinase under different conditions that require active cell growth and/or cell wall remodeling, such as the resumption of growth upon exit from the stationary phase. sho1 mutants are also sensitive to certain cell wall interfering compounds (Congo red, calcofluor white), presenting an altered cell wall structure (as shown by the ability to aggregate), and are defective in morphogenesis on different media, such as SLAD and Spider, that stimulate hyphal growth. These results reveal a role for the Sho1 protein in linking oxidative stress, cell wall biogenesis, and morphogenesis in this important human fungal pathogen.

scholarly journals The Cek1 and Hog1 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Play Complementary Roles in Cell Wall Biogenesis and Chlamydospore Formation in the Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Eisman ◽  
R. Alonso-Monge ◽  
E. Román ◽  
D. Arana ◽  
C. Nombela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Hog Pathway ◽  
Cell Wall Biogenesis ◽  
Chlamydospore Formation ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Morphological Transitions ◽  
Relationship Of

ABSTRACT The Hog1 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase mediates an adaptive response to both osmotic and oxidative stress in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. This protein also participates in two distinct morphogenetic processes, namely the yeast-to-hypha transition (as a repressor) and chlamydospore formation (as an inducer). We show here that repression of filamentous growth occurs both under serum limitation and under other partially inducing conditions, such as low temperature, low pH, or nitrogen starvation. To understand the relationship of the HOG pathway to other MAP kinase cascades that also play a role in morphological transitions, we have constructed and characterized a set of double mutants in which we deleted both the HOG1 gene and other signaling elements (the CST20, CLA4, and HST7 kinases, the CPH1 and EFG1 transcription factors, and the CPP1 protein phosphatase). We also show that Hog1 prevents the yeast-to-hypha switch independent of all the elements analyzed and that the inability of the hog1 mutants to form chlamydospores is suppressed when additional elements of the CEK1 pathway (CST20 or HST7) are altered. Finally, we report that Hog1 represses the activation of the Cek1 MAP kinase under basal conditions and that Cek1 activation correlates with resistance to certain cell wall inhibitors (such as Congo red), demonstrating a role for this pathway in cell wall biogenesis.

scholarly journals Msb2 Signaling Mucin Controls Activation of Cek1 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase in Candida albicans

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1235-1249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Román ◽  
Fabien Cottier ◽  
Joachim F. Ernst ◽  
Jesús Pla
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Osmotic Shock ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Hog Pathway ◽  
High Osmolarity ◽  
Cell Wall Biogenesis ◽  
Solid Media ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

ABSTRACT We have characterized the role that the Msb2 protein plays in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans by the use of mutants defective in the putative upstream components of the HOG pathway. Msb2, in cooperation with Sho1, controls the activation of the Cek1 mitogen-activated protein kinase under conditions that damage the cell wall, thus defining Msb2 as a signaling element of this pathway in the fungus. msb2 mutants display altered sensitivity to Congo red, caspofungin, zymolyase, or tunicamycin, indicating that this protein is involved in cell wall biogenesis. Msb2 (as well as Sho1 and Hst7) is involved in the transmission of the signal toward Cek1 mediated by the Cdc42 GTPase, as revealed by the use of activated alleles (Cdc42G12V) of this protein. msb2 mutants have a stronger defective invasion phenotype than sho1 mutants when tested on certain solid media that use mannitol or sucrose as a carbon source or under hypoxia. Interestingly, Msb2 contributes to growth under conditions of high osmolarity when both branches of the HOG pathway are altered, as triple ssk1 msb2 sho1 mutants (but not any single or double mutant) are osmosensitive. However, this phenomenon is independent of the presence of Hog1, as Hog1 phosphorylation, Hog1 translocation to the nucleus, and glycerol accumulation are not affected in this mutant following an osmotic shock. These results reveal essential functions in morphogenesis, invasion, cell wall biogenesis, and growth under conditions of high osmolarity for Msb2 in C. albicans and suggest the divergence and specialization of this signaling pathway in filamentous fungi.

scholarly journals The High-Osmolarity Glycerol Response Pathway in the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida glabrata Strain ATCC 2001 Lacks a Signaling Branch That Operates in Baker's Yeast

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 1635-1645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christa Gregori ◽  
Christoph Schüller ◽  
Andreas Roetzer ◽  
Tobias Schwarzmüller ◽  
Gustav Ammerer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Map Kinase ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Acid Tolerance ◽  
Weak Acid ◽  
Hog Pathway ◽  
High Osmolarity ◽  
High Osmolarity Glycerol ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen

ABSTRACT The high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway mediates adaptation to high-osmolarity stress in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we investigate the function of HOG in the human opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida glabrata. C. glabrata sho1Δ (Cgsho1Δ) deletion strains from the sequenced ATCC 2001 strain display severe growth defects under hyperosmotic conditions, a phenotype not observed for yeast sho1Δ mutants. However, deletion of CgSHO1 in other genetic backgrounds fails to cause osmostress hypersensitivity, whereas cells lacking the downstream MAP kinase Pbs2 remain osmosensitive. Notably, ATCC 2001 Cgsho1Δ cells also display methylglyoxal hypersensitivity, implying the inactivity of the Sln1 branch in ATCC 2001. Genomic sequencing of CgSSK2 in different C. glabrata backgrounds demonstrates that ATCC 2001 harbors a truncated and mutated Cgssk2-1 allele, the only orthologue of yeast SSK2/SSK22 genes. Thus, the osmophenotype of ATCC 2001 is caused by a point mutation in Cgssk2-1, which debilitates the second HOG pathway branch. Functional complementation experiments unequivocally demonstrate that HOG signaling in yeast and C. glabrata share similar functions in osmostress adaptation. In contrast to yeast, however, Cgsho1Δ mutants display hypersensitivity to weak organic acids such as sorbate and benzoate. Hence, CgSho1 is also implicated in modulating weak acid tolerance, suggesting that HOG signaling in C. glabrata mediates the response to multiple stress conditions.

The Pbs2 MAP kinase kinase is essential for the oxidative-stress response in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans

Microbiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 1033-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Arana ◽  
César Nombela ◽  
Rebeca Alonso-Monge ◽  
Jesús Pla
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Oxidative Stress Response ◽  
Map Kinase Kinase

scholarly journals Interaction between the Candida albicans High-Osmolarity Glycerol (HOG) Pathway and the Response to Human β-Defensins 2 and 3

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Argimón ◽  
Saranna Fanning ◽  
Jill R. Blankenship ◽  
Aaron P. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Cell Injury ◽  
Cationic Peptides ◽  
Hog Pathway ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Osmolarity ◽  
High Osmolarity Glycerol

ABSTRACT Human β-defensins 2 and 3 are small cationic peptides with antimicrobial activity against the fungal pathogen Candida albicans . We found that hog1 and pbs2 mutants were hypersensitive to treatment with these peptides, pointing to a role of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway in the response to defensin-induced cell injury.

scholarly journals Melanin Externalization in Candida albicans Depends on Cell Wall Chitin Structures

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1329-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire A. Walker ◽  
Beatriz L. Gómez ◽  
Héctor M. Mora-Montes ◽  
Kevin S. Mackenzie ◽  
Carol A. Munro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Chitin Synthesis ◽  
Melanin Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Encoding Gene ◽  
Chitinase Genes

ABSTRACT The fungal pathogen Candida albicans produces dark-pigmented melanin after 3 to 4 days of incubation in medium containing l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) as a substrate. Expression profiling of C. albicans revealed very few genes significantly up- or downregulated by growth in l-DOPA. We were unable to determine a possible role for melanin in the virulence of C. albicans. However, we showed that melanin was externalized from the fungal cells in the form of electron-dense melanosomes that were free or often loosely bound to the cell wall exterior. Melanin production was boosted by the addition of N-acetylglucosamine to the medium, indicating a possible association between melanin production and chitin synthesis. Melanin externalization was blocked in a mutant specifically disrupted in the chitin synthase-encoding gene CHS2. Melanosomes remained within the outermost cell wall layers in chs3Δ and chs2Δ chs3Δ mutants but were fully externalized in chs8Δ and chs2Δ chs8Δ mutants. All the CHS mutants synthesized dark pigment at equivalent rates from mixed membrane fractions in vitro, suggesting it was the form of chitin structure produced by the enzymes, not the enzymes themselves, that was involved in the melanin externalization process. Mutants with single and double disruptions of the chitinase genes CHT2 and CHT3 and the chitin pathway regulator ECM33 also showed impaired melanin externalization. We hypothesize that the chitin product of Chs3 forms a scaffold essential for normal externalization of melanosomes, while the Chs8 chitin product, probably produced in cell walls in greater quantity in the absence of CHS2, impedes externalization.

scholarly journals Metabolic Reprogramming in the Opportunistic Yeast Candida albicans in Response to Hypoxia

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anaïs Burgain ◽  
Faiza Tebbji ◽  
Inès Khemiri ◽  
Adnane Sellam
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Membrane Lipids ◽  
Oxygen Depletion ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Fungal Virulence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Hypoxia is the predominant condition that the human opportunistic fungus Candida albicans encounters in the majority of the colonized niches within the host. So far, the impact of such a condition on the overall metabolism of this important human-pathogenic yeast has not been investigated. Here, we have undertaken a time-resolved metabolomics analysis to uncover the metabolic landscape of fungal cells experiencing hypoxia. Our data showed a dynamic reprogramming of many fundamental metabolic pathways, such as glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and different metabolic routes related to fungal cell wall biogenesis. The C. albicans lipidome was highly affected by oxygen depletion, with an increased level of free fatty acids and biochemical intermediates of membrane lipids, including phospholipids, lysophospholipids, sphingolipids, and mevalonate. The depletion of oxygen-dependent lipids such as ergosterol or phosphatidylcholine with longer and polyunsaturated lateral fatty acid chains was observed only at the later hypoxic time point (180 min). Transcriptomics data supported the main metabolic response to hypoxia when matched to our metabolomic profiles. The hypoxic metabolome reflected different physiological alterations of the cell wall and plasma membrane of C. albicans under an oxygen-limiting environment that were confirmed by different approaches. This study provided a framework for future in vivo investigations to examine relevant hypoxic metabolic trajectories in fungal virulence and fitness within the host. IMPORTANCE A critical aspect of cell fitness is the ability to sense and adapt to variations in oxygen levels in their local environment. Candida albicans is an opportunistic yeast that is the most prevalent human fungal pathogen. While hypoxia is the predominant condition that C. albicans encounters in most of its niches, its impact on fungal metabolism remains unexplored so far. Here, we provided a detailed landscape of the C. albicans metabolome that emphasized the importance of many metabolic routes for the adaptation of this yeast to oxygen depletion. The fungal hypoxic metabolome identified in this work provides a framework for future investigations to assess the contribution of relevant metabolic pathways in the fitness of C. albicans and other human eukaryotic pathogens with similar colonized human niches. As hypoxia is present at most of the fungal infection foci in the host, hypoxic metabolic pathways are thus an attractive target for antifungal therapy.

scholarly journals Simple Carbohydrate Derivatives Diminish the Formation of Biofilm of the Pathogenic Yeast Candida albicans

Antibiotics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena P. Ishchuk ◽  
Olov Sterner ◽  
Ulf Ellervik ◽  
Sophie Manner
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Untreated Control ◽  
Morphological Transition ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Yeast Form ◽  
Human Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Morphological Transitions ◽  
Simple Carbohydrate

The opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans relies on cell morphological transitions to develop biofilm and invade the host. In the current study, we developed new regulatory molecules, which inhibit the morphological transition of C. albicans from yeast-form cells to cells forming hyphae. These compounds, benzyl α-l-fucopyranoside and benzyl β-d-xylopyranoside, inhibit the hyphae formation and adhesion of C. albicans to a polystyrene surface, resulting in a reduced biofilm formation. The addition of cAMP to cells treated with α-l-fucopyranoside restored the yeast-hyphae switch and the biofilm level to that of the untreated control. In the β-d-xylopyranoside treated cells, the biofilm level was only partially restored by the addition of cAMP, and these cells remained mainly as yeast-form cells.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document