Nonsex Genes in the Mating Type Locus of Candida albicans Play Roles in a/α Biofilm Formation, Including Impermeability and Fluconazole Resistance

PLoS Pathogens

Thyagarajan Srikantha¹  Nidhi Sahni¹  David R. Soll¹  Song Yi¹  Claude Pujol¹  Karla J. Daniels¹ 

[1] The Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America

关键词: Biofilms;    Genetic loci;    C;    ida albicans;    Deletion mutagenesis;    Mouse models;    Confocal laser microscopy;    Pikas;    Animal models of infection;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1002476

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

The mating type locus (MTL) of Candida albicans contains the mating type genes and has, therefore, been assumed to play an exclusive role in the mating process. In mating-incompetent a/α cells, two of the mating type genes, MTLa1 and MTLα2, encode components of the a1-α2 corepressor that suppresses mating and switching. But the MTL locus of C. albicans also contains three apparently unrelated “nonsex” genes (NSGs), PIK, PAP and OBP, the first two essential for growth. Since it had been previously demonstrated that deleting either the a/α copy of the entire MTL locus, or either MTLa1 or MTLα2, affected virulence, we hypothesized that the NSGs in the MTL locus may also play a role in pathogenesis. Here by mutational analysis, it is demonstrated that both the mating type and nonsex genes in the MTL locus play roles in a/α biofilm formation, and that OBP is essential for impermeability and fluconazole resistance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY