Mating in Candida albicans and the search for a sexual cycle.

Candida albicans is a normal part of the human microflora, but it is also an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes both mucosal infections and life-threatening systemic infections. Until recently, C. albicans was thought to be asexual, existing only as an obligate diploid. However, a mating locus was identified that was homologous to those in sexually reproducing fungi, and mating of C. albicans strains was subsequently demonstrated in the laboratory. In this review, we compare and contrast the mating process in C. albicans with that of other fungi, particularly Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whose mating has been most intensively studied. Several features of the mating pathway appear unique to C. albicans, including aspects of gene regulation and cell biology, as well as the involvement of "white-opaque" switching, an alteration between two quasi-stable inheritable states. These specializations of the mating process may have evolved to promote the survival of C. albicans in the hostile environment of a mammalian host.

[1]  David M Young,et al.  Opportunities for genetic investigation afforded by Acinetobacter baylyi, a nutritionally versatile bacterial species that is highly competent for natural transformation. , 2005, Annual review of microbiology.

[2]  Yoshihiro Kawaoka,et al.  The origins of new pandemic viruses: the acquisition of new host ranges by canine parvovirus and influenza A viruses. , 2005, Annual review of microbiology.

[3]  E. Cascales,et al.  Biogenesis, architecture, and function of bacterial type IV secretion systems. , 2005, Annual review of microbiology.

[4]  M. Maxon,et al.  Nuclear fusion occurs during mating in Candida albicans and is dependent on the KAR3 gene , 2005, Molecular microbiology.

[5]  J. Derisi,et al.  Genomic dissection of the cell-type-specification circuit in Saccharomyces cerevisiae , 2004, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[6]  P. T. Magee,et al.  Through a glass opaquely: the biological significance of mating in Candida albicans. , 2004, Current opinion in microbiology.

[7]  H. Madhani,et al.  Principles of MAP kinase signaling specificity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. , 2004, Annual review of genetics.

[8]  D. Soll,et al.  The Closely Related Species Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis Can Mate , 2004, Eukaryotic Cell.

[9]  M. Whiteway,et al.  Candida morphogenesis and host-pathogen interactions. , 2004, Current opinion in microbiology.

[10]  J. Berman,et al.  The distinct morphogenic states of Candida albicans. , 2004, Trends in microbiology.

[11]  D. Roberts,et al.  Sensing the host environment: recognition of hemoglobin by the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. , 2004, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[12]  P. T. Magee,et al.  Homozygosity at the MTL locus in clinical strains of Candida albicans: karyotypic rearrangements and tetraploid formation † , 2004, Molecular microbiology.

[13]  D. Roberts,et al.  Hemoglobin Regulates Expression of an Activator of Mating-Type Locus α Genes in Candida albicans , 2004, Eukaryotic Cell.

[14]  G. Butler,et al.  Evolution of the MAT locus and its Ho endonuclease in yeast species. , 2004, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[15]  P. T. Magee,et al.  Chromosome 1 trisomy compromises the virulence of Candida albicans , 2004, Molecular microbiology.

[16]  M. Fěvre,et al.  Randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs assess recombination following an induced parasexual cycle in Penicillium roqueforti , 1993, Current Genetics.

[17]  D. Markie,et al.  Heat shock induces chromosome loss in the yeast Candida albicans , 2004, Molecular and General Genetics MGG.

[18]  P. T. Magee,et al.  Heterozygosity and segregation in Candida albicans , 2004, Molecular and General Genetics MGG.

[19]  P. T. Magee,et al.  MFα1, the Gene Encoding the α Mating Pheromone of Candida albicans , 2003, Eukaryotic Cell.

[20]  M. Uhl,et al.  Identification and Characterization of a Candida albicans Mating Pheromone , 2003, Molecular and Cellular Biology.

[21]  A. E. Tsong,et al.  Evolution of a Combinatorial Transcriptional Circuit A Case Study in Yeasts , 2003, Cell.

[22]  Alexander D. Johnson,et al.  Candida albicans , 2003 .

[23]  D. Soll,et al.  The adhesin Hwp1 and the first daughter cell localize to the a/a portion of the conjugation bridge during Candida albicans mating. , 2003, Molecular biology of the cell.

[24]  D. Soll,et al.  α-Pheromone-Induced “Shmooing” and Gene Regulation Require White-Opaque Switching during Candida albicans Mating , 2003, Eukaryotic Cell.

[25]  D. Soll,et al.  Skin Facilitates Candida albicans Mating , 2003, Infection and Immunity.

[26]  R. Bennett,et al.  Completion of a parasexual cycle in Candida albicans by induced chromosome loss in tetraploid strains , 2003, The EMBO journal.

[27]  D. Soll,et al.  Three Mating Type-Like Loci in Candida glabrata , 2003, Eukaryotic Cell.

[28]  A. Ferreira,et al.  Sex in fungi: lessons of gene regulation. , 2003, Genetics and molecular research : GMR.

[29]  D. Soll,et al.  Cell Biology of Mating in Candida albicans , 2003, Eukaryotic Cell.

[30]  Julie J. Blake,et al.  Inactivation of Kex2p Diminishes the Virulence of Candida albicans * , 2003, The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[31]  Simon Wong,et al.  Evidence from comparative genomics for a complete sexual cycle in the 'asexual' pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata , 2003, Genome Biology.

[32]  P. T. Magee,et al.  Many of the genes required for mating in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are also required for mating in Candida albicans , 2002, Molecular microbiology.

[33]  S. Lane,et al.  A conserved mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway is required for mating in Candida albicans , 2002, Molecular microbiology.

[34]  Yee-Chun Chen,et al.  Differential secretion of Sap4-6 proteins in Candida albicans during hyphae formation. , 2002, Microbiology.

[35]  Ronald W. Davis,et al.  Metabolic specialization associated with phenotypic switching in Candida albicans , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[36]  D. Soll,et al.  In Candida albicans, white-opaque switchers are homozygous for mating type. , 2002, Genetics.

[37]  Alexander D. Johnson,et al.  White-Opaque Switching in Candida albicans Is Controlled by Mating-Type Locus Homeodomain Proteins and Allows Efficient Mating , 2002, Cell.

[38]  N. Gow.  Candida albicans switches mates. , 2002, Molecular cell.

[39]  M. Schaller,et al.  Candida albicans Hyphal Formation and the Expression of the Efg1-Regulated Proteinases Sap4 to Sap6 Are Required for the Invasion of Parenchymal Organs , 2002, Infection and Immunity.

[40]  J. Staab,et al.  Reevaluation of the Role of HWP1 in Systemic Candidiasis by Use of Candida albicans Strains with Selectable Marker URA3 Targeted to the ENO1 Locus , 2002, Infection and Immunity.

[41]  G. Maschmeyer,et al.  Management of mycoses in patients with hematologic disease and cancer -- review of the literature. , 2002, European journal of medical research.

[42]  David R Soll,et al.  Candida commensalism and virulence: the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. , 2002, Acta tropica.

[43]  Haopin Liu.  Co-regulation of pathogenesis with dimorphism and phenotypic switching in Candida albicans, a commensal and a pathogen. , 2002, International journal of medical microbiology : IJMM.

[44]  R. Calderone,et al.  Virulence factors of Candida albicans. , 2001, Trends in microbiology.

[45]  C. Nombela,et al.  Virulence genes in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. , 2001, FEMS microbiology reviews.

[46]  Nancy F. Hansen,et al.  Genomic evidence for a complete sexual cycle in Candida albicans , 2001, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[47]  E. Elion,et al.  Pheromone response, mating and cell biology. , 2000, Current opinion in microbiology.

[48]  J. Heitman,et al.  Signal Transduction Cascades Regulating Fungal Development and Virulence , 2000, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews.

[49]  Alexander D. Johnson,et al.  Identification and characterization of TUP1-regulated genes in Candida albicans. , 2000, Genetics.

[50]  A. Johnson,et al.  Evidence for mating of the "asexual" yeast Candida albicans in a mammalian host. , 2000, Science.

[51]  P. T. Magee,et al.  Induction of mating in Candida albicans by construction of MTLa and MTLalpha strains. , 2000, Science.

[52]  W. Ko,et al.  Segregation following interspecific transfer of isolated nuclei between Phytophthora parasitica and P. capsici. , 2000, Canadian journal of microbiology.

[53]  T. Hughes,et al.  Signaling and circuitry of multiple MAPK pathways revealed by a matrix of global gene expression profiles. , 2000, Science.

[54]  D. Soll,et al.  Misexpression of the Opaque-Phase-Specific GenePEP1 (SAP1) in the White Phase of Candida albicans Confers Increased Virulence in a Mouse Model of Cutaneous Infection , 1999, Infection and Immunity.

[55]  F. Sherman,et al.  Appearance and properties of L-sorbose-utilizing mutants of Candida albicans obtained on a selective plate. , 1999, Genetics.

[56]  Christina M. Hull,et al.  Identification of a mating type-like locus in the asexual pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. , 1999, Science.

[57]  J. Staab,et al.  Adhesive and mammalian transglutaminase substrate properties of Candida albicans Hwp1. , 1999, Science.

[58]  J. Sobel,et al.  Candida glabrata: Review of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Clinical Disease with Comparison toC. albicans , 1999, Clinical Microbiology Reviews.

[59]  M. Whiteway,et al.  Roles of the Candida albicansMitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Homolog, Cek1p, in Hyphal Development and Systemic Candidiasis , 1998, Infection and Immunity.

[60]  F. Sherman,et al.  Monosomy of a specific chromosome determines L-sorbose utilization: a novel regulatory mechanism in Candida albicans. , 1998, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[61]  D. Soll,et al.  Misexpression of the white-phase-specific gene WH11 in the opaque phase of Candida albicans affects switching and virulence , 1997, Infection and immunity.

[62]  M. Tibayrenc.  Are Candida albicans natural populations subdivided? , 1997, Trends in microbiology.

[63]  D. Soll.  Gene regulation during high-frequency switching in Candida albicans. , 1997, Microbiology.

[64]  A. Brown,et al.  Signal transduction through homologs of the Ste20p and Ste7p protein kinases can trigger hyphal formation in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. , 1996, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[65]  G. Fink,et al.  Candida albicans strains heterozygous and homozygous for mutations in mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling components have defects in hyphal development. , 1996, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[66]  T. G. Mitchell,et al.  Molecular markers reveal that population structure of the human pathogen Candida albicans exhibits both clonality and recombination. , 1996, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[67]  G. Fink,et al.  DLH1 is a functional Candida albicans homologue of the meiosis-specific gene DMC1. , 1996, Genetics.

[68]  A. Johnson,et al.  Molecular mechanisms of cell-type determination in budding yeast. , 1995, Current opinion in genetics & development.

[69]  D. Coleman,et al.  Candida dubliniensis sp. nov.: phenotypic and molecular characterization of a novel species associated with oral candidosis in HIV-infected individuals. , 1995, Microbiology.

[70]  G. Fink,et al.  Suppression of hyphal formation in Candida albicans by mutation of a STE12 homolog. , 1994, Science.

[71]  M. Richardson,et al.  Pathogenesis of superficial mycoses. , 1994, Journal of medical and veterinary mycology : bi-monthly publication of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology.

[72]  D. Soll,et al.  High-frequency phenotypic switching in Candida albicans. , 1993, Trends in genetics : TIG.

[73]  Clutterbuck Aj.  Sexual and parasexual genetics of Aspergillus species. , 1992 .

[74]  Ira Herskowitz,et al.  11 Mating-type Determination and Mating-type Interconversion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae , 1992 .

[75]  A. Clutterbuck.  Sexual and parasexual genetics of Aspergillus species. , 1992, Biotechnology.

[76]  P. T. Magee,et al.  Opaque-white phenotype transition: a programmed morphological transition in Candida albicans , 1988, Journal of bacteriology.

[77]  D. Soll,et al.  Unique phenotype of opaque cells in the white-opaque transition of Candida albicans , 1987, Journal of bacteriology.

[78]  D. Soll,et al.  "White-opaque transition": a second high-frequency switching system in Candida albicans , 1987, Journal of bacteriology.

[79]  R. Poulter,et al.  Conservation of genetic linkage in nonisogenic isolates of Candida albicans , 1983, Journal of bacteriology.

[80]  J. Wills,et al.  DNA content, kinetic complexity, and the ploidy question in Candida albicans , 1982, Molecular and cellular biology.

[81]  S. Sogin,et al.  Ploidy determination of Canadida albicans , 1979, Journal of bacteriology.

[82]  S. Sogin,et al.  Ploidy Determination of Candida albicans , 2022 .