Expression of one-hybrid fusions with Staphylococcus aureus lexA in Candida albicans confirms that Nrg1 is a transcriptional repressor and that Gcn4 is a transcriptional activator

The transcription factor Ofi1 is critical for white-opaque switching in natural MTLa/α isolates of Candida albicans

Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, is able to switch between two distinct cell types: white and opaque. While white-to-opaque switching is typically repressed by the a1/α2 heterodimer in MTLa/α cells, it was recently reported that switching can also occur in some natural MTLa/α strains under certain environmental conditions. However, the regulatory program governing white-opaque switching in MTLa/α cells is not fully understood. Here, we collected 90 clinical isolates of C. albicans, 16 of which possess the ability to form opaque colonies. Among the known regulators implicated in white-opaque switching, only OFI1 exhibited significantly higher expression in these 16 strains compared to the reference strain SC5314. Importantly, ectopic expression of OFI1 in both clinical isolates and laboratory strains promoted switching frequency even in the absence of N-acetylglucosamine and high CO2 , the optimal condition for white-to-opaque switching in MTLa/α strains. Deleting OFI1 resulted in a reduction in opaque-formation frequency and the stability of the opaque cell in MTLa/α cells. Ofi1 binds to the promoters of WOR1 and WOR3 to induce their expression, which facilitates white-to-opaque switching. Ofi1 is conserved across the CTG species. Altogether, our study reported the identification of a transcription factor Ofi1 as the critical regulator that promotes white-to-opaque switching in natural MTLa/α isolates of C. albicans.

Functional Dichotomy for a Hyphal Repressor in Candida albicans

Nrg1 is a repressor of hypha formation and hypha-associated gene expression in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. It has been well studied in the genetic background of the type strain SC5314. Here, we tested Nrg1 function in four other diverse clinical isolates through an analysis of nrg1Δ/Δ mutants, with SC5314 included as a control. In three strains, nrg1Δ/Δ mutants unexpectedly produced aberrant hyphae under inducing conditions, as assayed by microscopic observation and endothelial cell damage. The nrg1Δ/Δ mutant of strain P57055 had the most severe defect. We examined gene expression features under hypha-inducing conditions by RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) for the SC5314 and P57055 backgrounds. The SC5314 nrg1Δ/Δ mutant expressed six hypha-associated genes at reduced levels compared with wild-type SC5314. The P57055 nrg1Δ/Δ mutant expressed 17 hypha-associated genes at reduced levels compared with wild-type P57055, including IRF1, RAS2, and ECE1. These findings indicate that Nrg1 has a positive role in hypha-associated gene expression and that this role is magnified in strain P57055. Remarkably, the same hypha-associated genes affected by the nrg1Δ/Δ mutation in strain P57055 were also naturally expressed at lower levels in wild-type P57055 than those in wild-type SC5314. Our results suggest that strain P57055 is defective in a pathway that acts in parallel with Nrg1 to upregulate the expression of several hypha-associated genes. IMPORTANCE Hypha formation is a central virulence trait of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Control of hypha formation has been studied in detail in the type strain but not in other diverse C. albicans clinical isolates. Here, we show that the hyphal repressor Nrg1 has an unexpected positive role in hypha formation and hypha-associated gene expression, as revealed by the sensitized P57055 strain background. Our findings indicate that reliance on a single type strain limits understanding of gene function and illustrate that strain diversity is a valuable resource for C. albicans molecular genetic analysis.

Recognition of galactose by a scaffold protein recruits a transcriptional activator for the GAL regulon induction in Candida albicans

The GAL pathway of yeasts has long served as a model system for understanding of how regulatory mode of eukaryotic metabolic pathways evolves. While Gal4 mode has been well-characterized in Saccharomycetaceae clade, little is known about the regulation of the GAL pathway in other yeasts. Here, we find that Rep1, a Ndt80-like family transcription factor, serves as a galactose sensor in the commensal-pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. It is presented at the GAL gene promoters independent of the presence of galactose. Rep1 recognizes galactose via a direct physical interaction. The net result of this interaction is the recruitment of a transcriptional activator Cga1 (Candida galactose gene activator, orf19.4959) and transcription of the GAL genes proceeds. Rep1 and Cga1 are conserved across the CTG species. Rep1 itself does not possess transcriptional activity. Instead, it provides a scaffold to recruit different factors for transcriptional regulation. Rep1-Cga1 mode of regulation represents a new example of network rewiring in fungi, which provides insight into how C. albicans evolves transcriptional programs to colonize diverse host niches.

Mediator Tail Module Is Required for Tac1-Activated CDR1 Expression and Azole Resistance in Candida albicans

The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans develops drug resistance after long-term exposure to azole drugs in the treatment of chronic candidiasis. Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in the transcription factor Tac1 and the consequent expression of its targets, drug efflux pumps Cdr1 and Cdr2, are a common mechanism by which C. albicans acquires fluconazole resistance. The mechanism by which GOF mutations hyperactivate Tac1 is currently unknown. Here, we define a transcriptional activation domain (TAD) at the C terminus of Tac1. GOF mutations within the Tac1 TAD, outside the context of full-length Tac1, generally do not enhance its absolute potential as a transcriptional activator. Negative regulation of the Tac1 TAD by the Tac1 middle region is necessary for the activating effect of GOF mutations or fluphenazine to be realized. We have found that full-length Tac1, when hyperactivated by xenobiotics or GOF mutations, facilitates the recruitment of the Mediator coactivator complex to the CDR1 promoter. Azole resistance and the activation of Tac1 target genes, such as CDR1, are dependent on the Tac1 TAD and subunits of the Mediator tail module. The dependence of different Tac1 target promoters on the Mediator tail module, however, varies widely. Lastly, we show that hyperactivation of Tac1 is correlated with its Mediator-dependent phosphorylation, a potentially useful biomarker for Tac1 hyperactivation. The role of Mediator in events downstream of Tac1 hyperactivation in fluconazole-resistant clinical isolates is complex and provides opportunities and challenges for therapeutic intervention.

Role of SFP1 in the Regulation of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation

Candida albicans is a major human fungal pathogen. One of the important features of C. albicans pathogenicity is the ability to form biofilms on mucosal surfaces and indwelling medical devices. Biofilm formation involves complex processes in C. albicans, including cell adhesion, filamentous growth, extracellular matrix secretion and cell dispersion. In this work, we characterized the role of the transcription factor Sfp1, particularly with respect to its function in the regulation of biofilm formation. The deletion of the SFP1 gene enhanced cell adhesion and biofilm formation in comparison to the wild-type strain. Interestingly, the sfp1-deleted mutant also exhibited an increase in the expression of the ALS1, ALS3 and HWP1 genes, which encode adhesin proteins. In addition, Sfp1 was demonstrated to function downstream of the Rhb1-TOR signaling pathway. Bcr1 and Efg1 are transcription factors that are critical for controlling biofilm formation, and Efg1 is also required for hyphal growth. Deleting either the BCR1 or EFG1 gene in the sfp1-null background led to reduced adhesin gene expression. As a result, the bcr1/sfp1 or efg1/sfp1 double deletion mutants exhibited dramatically reduced biofilm formation. The results indicated that Sfp1 negatively regulates the ALS1, ALS3 and HWP1 adhesin genes and that the repression of these genes is mediated by the inhibition of Bcr1 and Efg1.

Fungal mediator tail subunits contain classical transcriptional activation domains

Classical activation domains within DNA-bound eukaryotic transcription factors make weak interactions with coactivator complexes, such as Mediator, to stimulate transcription. How these interactions stimulate transcription, however, is unknown. The activation of reporter genes by artificial fusion of Mediator subunits to DNA binding domains that bind to their promoters has been cited as evidence that the primary role of activators is simply to recruit Mediator. We have identified potent classical transcriptional activation domains in the C termini of several tail module subunits of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, and Candida dubliniensis Mediator, while their N-terminal domains are necessary and sufficient for their incorporation into Mediator but do not possess the ability to activate transcription when fused to a DNA binding domain. This suggests that Mediator fusion proteins actually are functioning in a manner similar to that of a classical DNA-bound activator rather than just recruiting Mediator. Our finding that deletion of the activation domains of S. cerevisiae Med2 and Med3, as well as C. dubliniensis Tlo1 (a Med2 ortholog), impairs the induction of certain genes shows these domains function at native promoters. Activation domains within coactivators are likely an important feature of these complexes and one that may have been uniquely leveraged by a common fungal pathogen.

Diversity in genetic in vivo methods for protein-protein interaction studies: from the yeast two-hybrid system to the mammalian split-luciferase system

The yeast two-hybrid system pioneered the field of in vivo protein-protein interaction methods and undisputedly gave rise to a palette of ingenious techniques that are constantly pushing further the limits of the original method. Sensitivity and selectivity have improved because of various technical tricks and experimental designs. Here we present an exhaustive overview of the genetic approaches available to study in vivo binary protein interactions, based on two-hybrid and protein fragment complementation assays. These methods have been engineered and employed successfully in microorganisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli, but also in higher eukaryotes. From single binary pairwise interactions to whole-genome interactome mapping, the self-reassembly concept has been employed widely. Innovative studies report the use of proteins such as ubiquitin, dihydrofolate reductase, and adenylate cyclase as reconstituted reporters. Protein fragment complementation assays have extended the possibilities in protein-protein interaction studies, with technologies that enable spatial and temporal analyses of protein complexes. In addition, one-hybrid and three-hybrid systems have broadened the types of interactions that can be studied and the findings that can be obtained. Applications of these technologies are discussed, together with the advantages and limitations of the available assays.

Rhb1 regulates the expression of secreted aspartic protease 2 through the TOR signaling pathway in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen in humans. In C. albicans, secreted aspartyl protease 2 (Sap2) is the most highly expressed secreted aspartic protease in vitro and is a virulence factor. Recent research links the small GTPase Rhb1 to C. albicans target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling in response to nitrogen availability. The results of this study show that Rhb1 is related to cell growth through the control of SAP2 expression when protein is the major nitrogen source. This process involves various components of the TOR signaling pathway, including Tor1 kinase and its downstream effectors. TOR signaling not only controls SAP2 transcription but also affects Sap2 protein levels, possibly through general amino acid control. DNA microarray analysis identifies other target genes downstream of Rhb1 in addition to SAP2. These findings provide new insight into nutrients, Rhb1-TOR signaling, and expression of C. albicans virulence factor.

Functional dissection of a Candida albicans zinc cluster transcription factor, the multidrug resistance regulator Mrr1

The overexpression of the MDR1 gene, which encodes a multidrug efflux pump of the major facilitator superfamily, is a frequent cause of resistance to the widely used antimycotic agent fluconazole and other toxic compounds in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. The zinc cluster transcription factor Mrr1 controls MDR1 expression in response to inducing chemicals, and gain-of-function mutations in MRR1 are responsible for the constitutive MDR1 upregulation in fluconazole-resistant C. albicans strains. To understand how Mrr1 activity is regulated, we identified functional domains of this transcription factor. A hybrid protein consisting of the N-terminal 106 amino acids of Mrr1 and the transcriptional activation domain of Gal4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae constitutively induced MDR1 expression, demonstrating that the DNA binding domain is sufficient to target Mrr1 to the MDR1 promoter. Using a series of C-terminal truncations and systematic internal deletions, we could show that Mrr1 contains multiple activation and inhibitory domains. One activation domain (AD1) is located in the C terminus of Mrr1. When fused to the tetracycline repressor TetR, this distal activation domain induced gene expression from a TetR-dependent promoter. The deletion of an inhibitory region (ID1) located near the distal activation domain resulted in constitutive activity of Mrr1. The additional removal of AD1 abolished the constitutive activity, but the truncated Mrr1 still could activate the MDR1 promoter in response to the inducer benomyl. These results demonstrate that the activity of Mrr1 is regulated in multiple ways and provide insights into the function of an important mediator of drug resistance in C. albicans.

Regulatory circuitry governing fungal development, drug resistance, and disease

Pathogenic fungi have become a leading cause of human mortality due to the increasing frequency of fungal infections in immunocompromised populations and the limited armamentarium of clinically useful antifungal drugs. Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus are the leading causes of opportunistic fungal infections. In these diverse pathogenic fungi, complex signal transduction cascades are critical for sensing environmental changes and mediating appropriate cellular responses. For C. albicans, several environmental cues regulate a morphogenetic switch from yeast to filamentous growth, a reversible transition important for virulence. Many of the signaling cascades regulating morphogenesis are also required for cells to adapt and survive the cellular stresses imposed by antifungal drugs. Many of these signaling networks are conserved in C. neoformans and A. fumigatus, which undergo distinct morphogenetic programs during specific phases of their life cycles. Furthermore, the key mechanisms of fungal drug resistance, including alterations of the drug target, overexpression of drug efflux transporters, and alteration of cellular stress responses, are conserved between these species. This review focuses on the circuitry regulating fungal morphogenesis and drug resistance and the impact of these pathways on virulence. Although the three human-pathogenic fungi highlighted in this review are those most frequently encountered in the clinic, they represent a minute fraction of fungal diversity. Exploration of the conservation and divergence of core signal transduction pathways across C. albicans, C. neoformans, and A. fumigatus provides a foundation for the study of a broader diversity of pathogenic fungi and a platform for the development of new therapeutic strategies for fungal disease.

Candida albicans Hap43 is a repressor induced under low-iron conditions and is essential for iron-responsive transcriptional regulation and virulence

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that exists as normal flora in healthy human bodies but causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. In addition to innate and adaptive immunities, hosts also resist microbial infections by developing a mechanism of "natural resistance" that maintains a low level of free iron to restrict the growth of invading pathogens. C. albicans must overcome this iron-deprived environment to cause infections. There are three types of iron-responsive transcriptional regulators in fungi; Aft1/Aft2 activators in yeast, GATA-type repressors in many fungi, and HapX/Php4 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Aspergillus species. In this study, we characterized the iron-responsive regulator Hap43, which is the C. albicans homolog of HapX/Php4 and is repressed by the GATA-type repressor Sfu1 under iron-sufficient conditions. We provide evidence that Hap43 is essential for the growth of C. albicans under low-iron conditions and for C. albicans virulence in a mouse model of infection. Hap43 was not required for iron acquisition under low-iron conditions. Instead, it was responsible for repression of genes that encode iron-dependent proteins involved in mitochondrial respiration and iron-sulfur cluster assembly. We also demonstrated that Hap43 executes its function by becoming a transcriptional repressor and accumulating in the nucleus in response to iron deprivation. Finally, we found a connection between Hap43 and the global corepressor Tup1 in low-iron-induced flavinogenesis. Taken together, our data suggest a complex interplay among Hap43, Sfu1, and Tup1 to coordinately regulate iron acquisition, iron utilization, and other iron-responsive metabolic activities.

A CUG codon adapted two-hybrid system for the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans

The genetics of the most common human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans has several unique characteristics. Most notably, C. albicans does not follow the universal genetic code, by translating the CUG codon into serine instead of leucine. Consequently, the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a host for yeast two-hybrid experiments with C. albicans proteins is limited due to erroneous translation caused by the aberrant codon usage of C. albicans. To circumvent the need for heterologous expression and codon optimalization of C. albicans genes we constructed a two-hybrid system with C. albicans itself as the host with components that are compatible for use in this organism. The functionality of this two-hybrid system was shown by successful interaction assays with the protein pairs Kis1-Snf4 and Ino4-Ino2. We further confirmed interactions between components of the filamentation/mating MAP kinase pathway, including the unsuspected interaction between the MAP kinases Cek2 and Cek1. We conclude that this system can be used to enhance our knowledge of protein-protein interactions in C. albicans.

Functional analysis of cis- and trans-acting elements of the Candida albicans CDR2 promoter with a novel promoter reporter system

Azole resistance in Candida albicans can be mediated by the upregulation of the ATP binding cassette transporter genes CDR1 and CDR2. Both genes are regulated by a cis-acting element called the drug-responsive element (DRE), with the consensus sequence 5'-CGGAWATCGGATATTTTTTT-3', and the transcription factor Tac1p. In order to analyze in detail the DRE sequence necessary for the regulation of CDR1 and CDR2 and properties of TAC1 alleles, a one-hybrid system was designed. This system is based on a P((CDR2))-HIS3 reporter system in which complementation of histidine auxotrophy can be monitored by activation of the reporter system by CDR2-inducing drugs such as estradiol. Our results show that most of the modifications within the DRE, but especially at the level of CGG triplets, strongly reduce CDR2 expression. The CDR2 DRE was replaced by putative DREs deduced from promoters of coregulated genes (CDR1, RTA3, and IFU5). Surprisingly, even if Tac1p was able to bind these putative DREs, as shown by chromatin immunoprecipitation, those from RTA3 and IFU5 did not functionally replace the CDR2 DRE. The one-hybrid system was also used for the identification of gain-of-function (GOF) mutations either in TAC1 alleles from clinical C. albicans isolates or inserted in TAC1 wild-type alleles by random mutagenesis. In all, 17 different GOF mutations were identified at 13 distinct positions. Five of them (G980E, N972D, A736V, T225A, and N977D) have already been described in clinical isolates, and four others (G980W, A736T, N972S, and N972I) occurred at already-described positions, thus suggesting that GOF mutations can occur in a limited number of positions in Tac1p. In conclusion, the one-hybrid system developed here is rapid and powerful and can be used for characterization of cis- and trans-acting elements in C. albicans.

Functional mapping of the Candida albicans Efg1 regulator

Efg1p is a key transcriptional regulator in Candida albicans which controls various aspects of morphogenesis and metabolism in this organism. Efg1p contains a central basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain, flanked by sequences highly conserved in fungal APSES proteins, as well as polyglutamine stretches at the N- and C-terminal ends. A systematic deletion approach to specify functional domains of Efg1p revealed that the APSES domain is essential for morphogenesis of the normal yeast and true hyphal cell forms and that bHLH flanking sequences are needed for Efg1p stability. Additional C-terminal sequences were required for hyphal formation on some inducing media, and most Efg1p sequences were needed for chlamydospore morphogenesis. Overexpression of EFG1 led to pseudohypha formation only if a functional APSES domain was present, while a switch from the opaque to the white cell type in addition depended on the presence of certain N- and C-terminal segments. Yeast two-hybrid experiments revealed that binding of Efg1p to its antagonist Czf1p required two regions outside of the APSES domain, which did not coincide with Efg1p sequences needed for its transcriptional repressor activity. Binding of the Flo8 transcription factor to Efg1p did not require the APSES domain but appeared to occur at two or more redundant domains. In contrast, DNA binding of Efg1p to an MluI cell cycle box (MCB) element solely required the APSES domain. Overall, these results suggest that functional domains of Efg1p are spread throughout most of its sequences, including the central APSES domain involved in DNA binding, as well as flanking regions required for various protein interactions and regulatory activities.

Control of gag-pol gene expression in the Candida albicans retrotransposon Tca2

Background

In the C. albicans retrotransposon Tca2, the gag and pol ORFs are separated by a UGA stop codon, 3' of which is a potential RNA pseudoknot. It is unclear how the Tca2 gag UGA codon is bypassed to allow pol expression. However, in other retroelements, translational readthrough of the gag stop codon can be directed by its flanking sequence, including a 3' pseudoknot.

Results

The hypothesis was tested that in Tca2, gag stop codon flanking sequences direct translational readthrough and synthesis of a gag-pol fusion protein. Sequence from the Tca2 gag-UGA-pol junction (300 nt) was inserted between fused lacZ and luciferase (luc) genes in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae dual reporter construct. Although downstream of UGA, luc was expressed, but its expression was unaffected by inserting additional stop codons at the 3' end of lacZ. Luc expression was instead being driven by a previously unknown minor promoter activity within the gag-pol junction region. Evidence together indicated that junction sequence alone cannot direct UGA readthrough. Using reporter genes in C. albicans, the activities of this gag-pol junction promoter and the Tca2 long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter were compared. Of the two promoters, only the LTR promoter was induced by heat-shock, which also triggers retrotransposition. Tca2 pol protein, epitope-tagged in C. albicans to allow detection, was also heat-shock induced, indicating that pol proteins were expressed from a gag-UGA-pol RNA.

Conclusion

This is the first demonstration that the LTR promoter directs Tca2 pol protein expression, and that pol proteins are translated from a gag-pol RNA, which thus requires a mechanism for stop codon bypass. However, in contrast to most other retroelement and viral readthrough signals, immediate gag UGA-flanking sequences were insufficient to direct stop readthrough in S. cerevisiae, indicating non-canonical mechanisms direct gag UGA bypass in Tca2.

Candida albicans Sfl1 suppresses flocculation and filamentation

Hyphal morphogenesis in Candida albicans is regulated by multiple pathways which act by either inducing or repressing filamentation. Most notably, Tup1, Nrg1, and Rfg1 are transcriptional repressors, while Efg1, Flo8, Cph1, and Czf1 can induce filamentation. Here, we present the functional analysis of CaSFL1, which encodes the C. albicans homolog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SFL1 (suppressor of flocculation) gene. Deletion of CaSFL1 results in flocculation (i.e., the formation of clumps) of yeast cells, which is most pronounced in minimal medium. The flocs contained hyphae already under noninducing conditions, and filamentation could be enhanced with hypha-inducing cues at 37 degrees C. Expression of SFL1 in a heterozygous mutant under the control of the CaMET3 promoter was shown to complement these defects and allowed switching between wild-type and mutant phenotypes. Interestingly, increased expression of SFL1 using a MET3prom-SFL1 construct prior to the induction of filamentation completely blocked germ tube formation. To localize Sfl1 in vivo, we generated a SFL1-GFP fusion. Sfl1-green fluorescent protein was found in the nucleus in both yeast cells and, to a lesser extent, hyphal cells. Using reverse transcription-PCR, we find an increased expression of ALS1, ALS3, HWP1, ECE1, and also FLO8. Our results suggest that Sfl1 functions in the repression of flocculation and filamentation and thus represents a novel negative regulator of C. albicans morphogenesis.

Genotypic evolution of azole resistance mechanisms in sequential Candida albicans isolates

TAC1 (for transcriptional activator of CDR genes) is critical for the upregulation of the ABC transporters CDR1 and CDR2, which mediate azole resistance in Candida albicans. While a wild-type TAC1 allele drives high expression of CDR1/2 in response to inducers, we showed previously that TAC1 can be hyperactive by a gain-of-function (GOF) point mutation responsible for constitutive high expression of CDR1/2. High azole resistance levels are achieved when C. albicans carries hyperactive alleles only as a consequence of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the TAC1 locus on chromosome 5 (Chr 5), which is linked to the mating-type-like (MTL) locus. Both are located on the Chr 5 left arm along with ERG11 (target of azoles). In this work, five groups of related isolates containing azole-susceptible and -resistant strains were analyzed for the TAC1 and ERG11 alleles and for Chr 5 alterations. While recovered ERG11 alleles contained known mutations, 17 new TAC1 alleles were isolated, including 7 hyperactive alleles with five separate new GOF mutations. Single-nucleotide-polymorphism analysis of Chr 5 revealed that azole-resistant strains acquired TAC1 hyperactive alleles and, in most cases, ERG11 mutant alleles by LOH events not systematically including the MTL locus. TAC1 LOH resulted from mitotic recombination of the left arm of Chr 5, gene conversion within the TAC1 locus, or the loss and reduplication of the entire Chr 5. In one case, two independent TAC1 hyperactive alleles were acquired. Comparative genome hybridization and karyotype analysis revealed the presence of isochromosome 5L [i(5L)] in two azole-resistant strains. i(5L) leads to increased copy numbers of azole resistance genes present on the left arm of Chr 5, among them TAC1 and ERG11. Our work shows that azole resistance was due not only to the presence of specific mutations in azole resistance genes (at least ERG11 and TAC1) but also to their increase in copy number by LOH and to the addition of extra Chr 5 copies. With the combination of these different modifications, sophisticated genotypes were obtained. The development of azole resistance in C. albicans is therefore a powerful instrument for generating genetic diversity.

Transcriptional rewiring of fungal galactose-metabolism circuitry

BACKGROUND

The Leloir-pathway genes encode the enzymatic machinery involved in the metabolism of galactose.

RESULTS

In the distantly related fungi Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, the genes encoding these enzymes are syntenically arranged, but the upstream regulatory regions are highly divergent. In S. cerevisiae, the Leloir-pathway genes are positively regulated by Gal4p acting through the UAS(G) sequence CGG(N(11))CCG. However, in C. albicans, the Gal4p and UAS(G) combination is found to regulate genes unrelated to galactose metabolism. We identified a palindromic sequence that acts to control GAL10 expression in C. albicans in the presence of galactose. This palindrome is found upstream of other Leloir-pathway genes in C. albicans, and in the absence of other regulatory sequences, activation of expression through this sequence in the presence of galactose requires Cph1p, the homolog of the Ste12p transcription factor of S. cerevisiae.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the cellular process of galactose induction of the Leloir pathway is conserved between the two organisms, the regulatory circuits achieving the cellular process are completely distinct.

Developmental regulation of an adhesin gene during cellular morphogenesis in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans

Candida albicans expresses specific virulence traits that promote disease establishment and progression. These traits include morphological transitions between yeast and hyphal growth forms that are thought to contribute to dissemination and invasion and cell surface adhesins that promote attachment to the host. Here, we describe the regulation of the adhesin gene ALS3, which is expressed specifically during hyphal development in C. albicans. Using a combination of reporter constructs and regulatory mutants, we show that this regulation is mediated by multiple factors at the transcriptional level. The analysis of ALS3 promoter deletions revealed that this promoter contains two activation regions: one is essential for activation during hyphal development, while the second increases the amplitude of this activation. Further deletion analyses using the Renilla reniformis luciferase reporter delineate the essential activation region between positions -471 and -321 of the promoter. Further 5' or 3' deletions block activation. ALS3 transcription is repressed mainly by Nrg1 and Tup1, but Rfg1 contributes to this repression. Efg1, Tec1, and Bcr1 are essential for the transcriptional activation of ALS3, with Tec1 mediating its effects indirectly through Bcr1 rather than through the putative Tec1 sites in the ALS3 promoter. ALS3 transcription is not affected by Cph2, but Cph1 contributes to full ALS3 activation. The data suggest that multiple morphogenetic signaling pathways operate through the promoter of this adhesin gene to mediate its developmental regulation in this major fungal pathogen.

Transcriptional activation domains of the Candida albicans Gcn4p and Gal4p homologs

Many putative transcription factors in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans contain sequence similarity to well-defined transcriptional regulators in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but this sequence similarity is often limited to the DNA binding domains of the molecules. The Gcn4p and Gal4p proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are highly studied and well-understood eukaryotic transcription factors of the basic leucine zipper (Gcn4p) and C(6) zinc cluster (Gal4p) families; C. albicans has C. albicans Gcn4p (CaGcn4p) and CaGal4p with DNA binding domains highly similar to their S. cerevisiae counterparts. Deletion analysis of the CaGcn4p protein shows that the N' terminus is needed for transcriptional activation; an 81-amino-acid region is critical for this function, and this domain can be coupled to a lexA DNA binding module to provide transcription-activating function in a heterologous reporter system. Deletion analysis of the C. albicans Gal4p identifies a C-terminal 73-amino-acid-long transcription-activating domain that also can be transferred to a heterologous reporter construct to direct transcriptional activation. These two transcriptional activation regions show no sequence similarity to the respective domains in their S. cerevisiae homologs, and the two C. albicans transcription-activating domains themselves show little similarity.

Gene disruption in Candida albicans using a synthetic, codon-optimised Cre-loxP system

The development of the molecular toolbox for the fungal pathogen Candida albicans has been hampered by its lack of an exploitable sexual cycle, its diploid nature, and its non-canonical genetic code. We describe the adaptation of the Cre-loxP site-specific recombination system as a tool for the efficient and controlled disruption of C. albicans genes. We have validated this system by disrupting two C. albicans loci: ADE2 and MET15. Ade2 and met15 null mutants were made using loxP-flanked ARG4- and HIS1-based disruption cassettes. These markers were then resolved from the C. albicans genome using a synthetic codon-optimised cre recombinase gene, with near 100% efficiency. Finally, CIp plasmids containing the URA3, HIS1, and ARG4 markers were generated for the reintegration of markers and target genes in control strains. This system allows multiple and sequential genetic manipulations, which will facilitate the functional analysis of multigene families in C. albicans.

Global roles of Ssn6 in Tup1- and Nrg1-dependent gene regulation in the fungal pathogen, Candida albicans

In budding yeast, Tup1 and Ssn6/Cyc8 form a corepressor that regulates a large number of genes. This Tup1-Ssn6 corepressor appears to be conserved from yeast to man. In the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, Tup1 regulates cellular morphogenesis, phenotypic switching, and metabolism, but the role of Ssn6 remains unclear. We show that there are clear differences in the morphological and invasive phenotypes of C. albicans ssn6 and tup1 mutants. Unlike Tup1, Ssn6 depletion promoted morphological events reminiscent of phenotypic switching rather than filamentous growth. Transcript profiling revealed minimal overlap between the Ssn6 and Tup1 regulons. Hypha-specific genes, which are repressed by Tup1 and Nrg1, were not derepressed in ssn6 cells under the conditions studied. In contrast, the phase specific gene WH11 was derepressed in ssn6 cells, but not in tup1 or nrg1 cells. Hence Ssn6 and Tup1 play distinct roles in C. albicans. Nevertheless, both Ssn6 and Tup1 were required for the Nrg1-mediated repression of an artificial NRE promoter, and lexA-Nrg1 mediated repression in the C. albicans one-hybrid system. These observations are explained in models that are generally consistent with the Tup1-Ssn6 paradigm in budding yeast.

Msn2- and Msn4-like transcription factors play no obvious roles in the stress responses of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the (C2H2)2 zinc finger transcription factors Msn2 and Msn4 play central roles in responses to a range of stresses by activating gene transcription via the stress response element (STRE; CCCCT). The pathogen Candida albicans displays stress responses that are thought to help it survive adverse environmental conditions encountered within its human host. However, these responses differ from those in S. cerevisiae, and hence we predicted that the roles of Msn2- and Msn4-like proteins might have been functionally reassigned in C. albicans. C. albicans has two such proteins: CaMsn4 and Mnl1 (for Msn2- and Msn4-like). CaMSN4, but not MNL1, weakly complemented the inability of an S. cerevisiae msn2 msn4 mutant to activate a STRE-lacZ reporter. Also, the disruption of CaMsn4 and Mnl1 had no discernible effect upon the resistance of C. albicans to heat, osmotic, ethanol, nutrient, oxidative, or heavy-metal stress or upon the stress-activated transcriptome in C. albicans. Furthermore, although Cap1-dependent activation of a Yap response element-luciferase reporter was observed, a STRE reporter was not activated in response to stresses in C. albicans. Ectopic expression of CaMsn4 or Mnl1 did not affect the cellular or molecular responses of C. albicans to stress. Under the conditions tested, the putative activation and DNA binding domains of CaMsn4 did not appear to be functional. These data suggest that CaMsn4 and Mnl1 do not contribute significantly to stress responses in C. albicans. The data are consistent with the idea that stress signaling in this fungus has diverged significantly from that in budding yeast.