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Yu G, Ge X, Li W, Ji L, Yang S. Interspecific cross-talk: The catalyst driving microbial biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 76:108420. [PMID: 39128577 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Microorganisms co-exist and co-evolve in nature, forming intricate ecological communities. The interspecies cross-talk within these communities creates and sustains their great biosynthetic potential, making them an important source of natural medicines and high-value-added chemicals. However, conventional investigations into microbial metabolites are typically carried out in pure cultures, resulting in the absence of specific activating factors and consequently causing a substantial number of biosynthetic gene clusters to remain silent. This, in turn, hampers the in-depth exploration of microbial biosynthetic potential and frequently presents researchers with the challenge of rediscovering compounds. In response to this challenge, the coculture strategy has emerged to explore microbial biosynthetic capabilities and has shed light on the study of cross-talk mechanisms. These elucidated mechanisms will contribute to a better understanding of complex biosynthetic regulations and offer valuable insights to guide the mining of secondary metabolites. This review summarizes the research advances in microbial cross-talk mechanisms, with a particular focus on the mechanisms that activate the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Additionally, the instructive value of these mechanisms for developing strategies to activate biosynthetic pathways is discussed. Moreover, challenges and recommendations for conducting in-depth studies on the cross-talk mechanisms are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guihong Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, and Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaoxuan Ge
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, and Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanting Li
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, and Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Linwei Ji
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, and Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Song Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, and Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Zhang LB, Yang ZH, Yang WWJ, Guan Y. A novel fungal sensor (Ngs1) of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) mediates the fungal response to GlcNAc in the interaction between entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana and insect host. J Invertebr Pathol 2024; 207:108206. [PMID: 39306323 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2024.108206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2024] [Revised: 09/10/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
As N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) ubiquitously exists in both insect cuticle and fungal cell walls, the GlcNAc sensor (Ngs1) potentially plays important roles in the interactions between entomopathogenic fungi and their insect hosts. However, the roles of the Ngs1 derived from the entomopathogens in response to the host's cuticle remain completely unexplored. In this study, a putative Ngs1 homolog was identified in the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Deletion of Ngs1 significantly reduced virulence towards Galleria mellonella larvae either through cuticle infection (by 23%) or by bypassing the cuticle (by 44%). To investigate the role of Ngs1 in fungal virulence, an analysis of the transcriptome induced by Locusta migratoria exoskeleton was conducted, highlighting the regulatory mechanism of Ngs1 in carbohydrate metabolic process, particularly chitin metabolism and GlcNAc metabolism. Consistent with the transcriptomic data, Ngs1-deletion mutants showed reduced activities of both secreted chitinase (17% reduction) and Pr1 protease (35% reduction). Loss of Ngs1 down-regulated the transcript levels of GlcNAc-catabolism genes, resulting in a 17% decrease in fungal growth on GlcNAc-supported media. Furthermore, Ngs1 deficiency attenuated the fungal response to GlcNAc, leading to the alteration of fungal resistance to diverse stress cues. All of these changes contribute to the reduction in virulence in Ngs1-deficient B. bassiana. These findings support that Ngs1 plays a critical role in responding to insect-derived GlcNAc, affecting the production of cuticle-degrading enzymes to penetrate insect epidermis, GlcNAc-induced changes of stress resistance, and contribute to the fungal virulence against insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long-Bin Zhang
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China; The Key Laboratory of Marine Enzyme Engineering of Fujian Province, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China.
| | - Zhi-Hao Yang
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China; The Key Laboratory of Marine Enzyme Engineering of Fujian Province, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China
| | - Wu-Wei-Jie Yang
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China; The Key Laboratory of Marine Enzyme Engineering of Fujian Province, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China
| | - Yi Guan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China; The Key Laboratory of Marine Enzyme Engineering of Fujian Province, Fuzhou University, Fujian, China.
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3
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Fong JL, Ong Eng Yong V, Yeo C, Adamson C, Li L, Zhang D, Qiao Y. Biochemical Characterization of Recombinant Enterococcus faecalis EntV Peptide to Elucidate Its Antihyphal and Antifungal Mechanisms against Candida albicans. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:3408-3418. [PMID: 39137394 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Candida albicans is a common opportunistic fungus in humans, whose morphological switch between yeast and hyphae forms represents a key virulence trait. Developing strategies to inhibit C. albicans hyphal growth may provide insights into designs of novel antivirulent therapeutics. Importantly, the gut commensal bacterium, Enterococcus faecalis, secretes a bacteriocin EntV which has potent antivirulent and antifungal effects against C. albicans in infection models; however, hampered by the challenges to access large quantities of bioactive EntV, the detailed understanding of its mechanisms on C. albicans has remained elusive. In this work, we biochemically reconstituted the proteolytic cleavage reaction to obtain recombinant EntV88-His6 on a large preparative scale, providing facile access to the C-terminal EntV construct. Under in vitro C. albicans hyphal assay with specific inducers, we demonstrated that EntV88-His6 exhibits potent bioactivity against GlcNAc-triggered hyphal growth. Moreover, with fluorescent FITC-EntV88-His6, we revealed that EntV88-His6 enters C. albicans via endocytosis and perturbs the proper localization of the polarisome scaffolding Spa2 protein. Our findings provide important clues on EntV's mechanism of action. Surprisingly, we showed that EntV88-His6 does not affect C. albicans yeast cell growth but potently exerts cytotoxicity against C. albicans under hyphal-inducing conditions in vitro. The combination of EntV88-His6 and GlcNAc displays rapid killing of C. albicans, rendering it a promising antivirulent and antifungal agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Li Fong
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Victor Ong Eng Yong
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore
| | - Claresta Yeo
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Christopher Adamson
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Lanxin Li
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Dan Zhang
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore
| | - Yuan Qiao
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
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Luo G, Zhang J, Wang T, Cui H, Bai Y, Luo J, Zhang J, Zhang M, Di L, Yuan Y, Xiong K, Yu X, Zhang Y, Shen C, Zhu C, Wang Y, Su C, Lu Y. A human commensal-pathogenic fungus suppresses host immunity via targeting TBK1. Cell Host Microbe 2024; 32:1536-1551.e6. [PMID: 39084229 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2024.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Candida albicans stably colonizes humans but is the leading cause of hospital-acquired fungemia. Traditionally, masking immunogenic moieties has been viewed as a tactic for immune evasion. Here, we demonstrate that C. albicans blocks type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling via translocating an effector protein Cmi1 into host cells. Mechanistically, Cmi1 binds and inhibits TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) to abrogate IFN-regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation, thereby suppressing the IFN-I cascade. Murine infection with a cmi1 mutant displays an exaggerated IFN-I response in both kidneys and bone-marrow-derived macrophages, leading to rapid fungal clearance and host survival. Remarkably, the lack of CMI1 compromises gut commensalism and increases IFN-I response in mouse colonic cells. These phenotypes of cmi1 are rescued by the depletion of IFN-I receptor. This work establishes the importance of TBK1 inhibition in fungal pathogenesis and reveals that a human commensal-pathogenic fungus significantly impacts host immunity during gut colonization and infection via delivering effector proteins into host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Luo
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jingkai Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Tianxu Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Hao Cui
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Yukun Bai
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jianchen Luo
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Jinqiu Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Mao Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Linyan Di
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yuncong Yuan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Kang Xiong
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xiangtai Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Yaling Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Chao Shen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yong Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Chang Su
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Yang Lu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
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Katsipoulaki M, Stappers MHT, Malavia-Jones D, Brunke S, Hube B, Gow NAR. Candida albicans and Candida glabrata: global priority pathogens. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2024; 88:e0002123. [PMID: 38832801 PMCID: PMC11332356 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00021-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYA significant increase in the incidence of Candida-mediated infections has been observed in the last decade, mainly due to rising numbers of susceptible individuals. Recently, the World Health Organization published its first fungal pathogen priority list, with Candida species listed in medium, high, and critical priority categories. This review is a synthesis of information and recent advances in our understanding of two of these species-Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. Of these, C. albicans is the most common cause of candidemia around the world and is categorized as a critical priority pathogen. C. glabrata is considered a high-priority pathogen and has become an increasingly important cause of candidemia in recent years. It is now the second most common causative agent of candidemia in many geographical regions. Despite their differences and phylogenetic divergence, they are successful as pathogens and commensals of humans. Both species can cause a broad variety of infections, ranging from superficial to potentially lethal systemic infections. While they share similarities in certain infection strategies, including tissue adhesion and invasion, they differ significantly in key aspects of their biology, interaction with immune cells, host damage strategies, and metabolic adaptations. Here we provide insights on key aspects of their biology, epidemiology, commensal and pathogenic lifestyles, interactions with the immune system, and antifungal resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrto Katsipoulaki
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Mark H. T. Stappers
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Dhara Malavia-Jones
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Sascha Brunke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Bernhard Hube
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Neil A. R. Gow
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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Yoon SB, Chen L, Robinson IE, Khatib TO, Arthur RA, Claussen H, Zohbi NM, Wu H, Mouw JK, Marcus AI. Subpopulation commensalism promotes Rac1-dependent invasion of single cells via laminin-332. J Cell Biol 2024; 223:e202308080. [PMID: 38551497 PMCID: PMC10982113 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202308080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic heterogeneity poses a significant hurdle for cancer treatment but is under-characterized in the context of tumor invasion. Amidst the range of phenotypic heterogeneity across solid tumor types, collectively invading cells and single cells have been extensively characterized as independent modes of invasion, but their intercellular interactions have rarely been explored. Here, we isolated collectively invading cells and single cells from the heterogeneous 4T1 cell line and observed extensive transcriptional and epigenetic diversity across these subpopulations. By integrating these datasets, we identified laminin-332 as a protein complex exclusively secreted by collectively invading cells. Live-cell imaging revealed that laminin-332 derived from collectively invading cells increased the velocity and directionality of single cells. Despite collectively invading and single cells having similar expression of the integrin α6β4 dimer, single cells demonstrated higher Rac1 activation upon laminin-332 binding to integrin α6β4. This mechanism suggests a novel commensal relationship between collectively invading and single cells, wherein collectively invading cells promote the invasive potential of single cells through a laminin-332/Rac1 axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Bo Yoon
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Luxiao Chen
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Isaac E. Robinson
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tala O. Khatib
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Robert A. Arthur
- Emory Integrated Computational Core, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Henry Claussen
- Emory Integrated Computational Core, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Najdat M. Zohbi
- Graduate Medical Education, Piedmont Macon Medical, Macon, GA, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Janna K. Mouw
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Adam I. Marcus
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Cui H, Yang D, Gong S, Zhang Y, Dong B, Su C, Yang L, Lu Y. The transcription factor Ofi1 is critical for white-opaque switching in natural MTLa/α isolates of Candida albicans. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:275-290. [PMID: 38167837 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Cui
- College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Dandan Yang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shengwei Gong
- College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yaling Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bin Dong
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chang Su
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lianjuan Yang
- Shanghai Dermatology Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Lu
- College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Khodavandi P, Hosseini A, Khodavandi A, Alizadeh F, Azizi A, Gerami M. Hyphae-specific genes: Possible molecular targets for magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles alone and combined with visible light in Candida albicans. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2023; 44:103822. [PMID: 37778716 DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2023.103822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Candida albicans readily develops resistance to fluconazole. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (denoted as MION) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy are attracting attention as therapeutic agents. This study aims to investigate the inhibitory efficacy of MION alone and combined with visible light against C. albicans and expression analysis of hyphal wall protein 1 (HWP1) and agglutinin-like sequence 1 (ALS1) genes in C. albicans. Antifungal susceptibility testing, photodynamic activity assay, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assay and gene expression analysis were determined in C. albicans treated with MION alone and combined with visible light. MION at 1 × minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) level (500 μg/mL) exhibited antifungal activity against C. albicans isolates. Further, 1 × MIC levels of MION alone and combined with visible light displayed remarkable fungicidal effects at 24 and 48 h after treatment. The MION combined with visible light caused the highest levels of ROS production by all C. albicans isolates. The relative RT-PCR data showed significant downregulation of HWP1 and ALS1 genes which are the key virulence genes in C. albicans. Differences in gene expression of HWP1 and ALS1 were more significant in MION combined with visible light treatments than MION alone. Our study sheds a novel light on facile development of effective treatment of C. albicans especially fluconazole-resistant C. albicans infections. The hyphae-specific genes HWP1 and ALS1 could be probable molecular targets for MION alone and combined with visible light in C. albicans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Asma Hosseini
- Department of Microbiology, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran
| | - Alireza Khodavandi
- Department of Biology, Gachsaran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gachsaran, Iran.
| | - Fahimeh Alizadeh
- Department of Biology, Gachsaran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gachsaran, Iran.
| | - Arsalan Azizi
- Department of Pathology, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
| | - Majid Gerami
- Education Research Center, Yasuj University, Yasuj, Iran
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Mondal D, Thakur JK. N-acetylglucosamine: a behavioral fate switch in Candida albicans. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:1087-1089. [PMID: 37718189 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Candida albicans, a significant commensal fungus in the human gut, causes a wide spectrum of opportunistic infections. In a recent study, Yang et al. revealed the importance of a host-associated gut signal, GlcNAc, in C. albicans and described its significant role towards achieving a successful commensal-virulence trade-off program in the human body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debarati Mondal
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Jitendra K Thakur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India.
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