The MP65 gene is required for cell wall integrity, adherence to epithelial cells and biofilm formation in Candida albicans

BMC Microbiology

Research Article

Susanna Murtas¹  Flavia De Bernardis²  Francesca Mondello²  Silvia Arancia²  Antonietta Girolamo²  Silvia Sandini²  Marisa Colone³  Annarita Stringaro³  Nicolina Mastrangelo³ 

[1] Center for Immunobiologicals Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy;Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immuno-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy;Department of Technology and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy;

关键词: Glucan;    Tunicamycin;    Cell Wall Polysaccharide;    Cell Wall Integrity;    Buccal Epithelial Cell;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2180-11-106

 received in 2010-12-28, accepted in 2011-05-16,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe MP65 gene of Candida albicans (orf19.1779) encodes a putative β-glucanase mannoprotein of 65 kDa, which plays a main role in a host-fungus relationship, morphogenesis and pathogenicity. In this study, we performed an extensive analysis of a mp65Δ mutant to assess the role of this protein in cell wall integrity, adherence to epithelial cells and biofilm formation.ResultsThe mp65Δ mutant showed a high sensitivity to a range of cell wall-perturbing and degrading agents, especially Congo red, which induced morphological changes such as swelling, clumping and formation of hyphae. The mp65Δ mutant showed an activation of two MAPKs (Mkc1p and Cek1p), a high level of expression of two stress-related genes (DDR48 and SOD5), and a modulated expression of β-glucan epitopes, but no gross changes in cell wall polysaccharide composition. Interestingly, the mp65Δ mutant displayed a marked reduction in adhesion to BEC and Caco-2 cells and severe defects in biofilm formation when compared to the wild type. All of the mentioned properties were totally or partially recovered in a revertant strain, demonstrating the specificity of gene deletion.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that the MP65 gene of Candida albicans plays a significant role in maintaining cell wall integrity, as well as in adherence to epithelia and biofilm formation, which are major virulence attributes of this fungus.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Sandini et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011