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Kumar D, Kumar A. Molecular Determinants Involved in Candida albicans Biofilm Formation and Regulation. Mol Biotechnol 2024; 66:1640-1659. [PMID: 37410258 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-023-00796-x] [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: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Candida albicans is known for its pathogenicity, although it lives within the human body as a commensal member. The commensal nature of C. albicans is well controlled and regulated by the host's immune system as they live in the harmonized microenvironment. However, the development of certain unusual microhabitat conditions (change in pH, co-inhabiting microorganisms' population ratio, debilitated host-immune system) pokes this commensal fungus to transform into a pathogen in such a way that it starts to propagate very rapidly and tries to breach the epithelial barrier to enter the host's systemic circulations. In addition, Candida is infamous as a major nosocomial (hospital-acquired infection) agent because it enters the human body through venous catheters or medical prostheses. The hysterical mode of C. albicans growth builds its microcolony or biofilm, which is pathogenic for the host. Biofilms propose additional resistance mechanisms from host immunity or extracellular chemicals to aid their survival. Differential gene expressions and regulations within the biofilms cause altered morphology and metabolism. The genes associated with adhesiveness, hyphal/pseudo-hyphal growth, persister cell transformation, and biofilm formation by C. albicans are controlled by myriads of cell-signaling regulators. These genes' transcription is controlled by different molecular determinants like transcription factors and regulators. Therefore, this review has focused discussion on host-immune-sensing molecular determinants of Candida during biofilm formation, regulatory descriptors (secondary messengers, regulatory RNAs, transcription factors) of Candida involved in biofilm formation that could enable small-molecule drug discovery against these molecular determinants, and lead to disrupt the well-structured Candida biofilms effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dushyant Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, 492010, India
| | - Awanish Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, 492010, India.
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2
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Kalebina TS, Rekstina VV, Pogarskaia EE, Kulakovskaya T. Importance of Non-Covalent Interactions in Yeast Cell Wall Molecular Organization. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2496. [PMID: 38473742 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
This review covers a group of non-covalently associated molecules, particularly proteins (NCAp), incorporated in the yeast cell wall (CW) with neither disulfide bridges with proteins covalently attached to polysaccharides nor other covalent bonds. Most NCAp, particularly Bgl2, are polysaccharide-remodeling enzymes. Either directly contacting their substrate or appearing as CW lipid-associated molecules, such as in vesicles, they represent the most movable enzymes and may play a central role in CW biogenesis. The absence of the covalent anchoring of NCAp allows them to be there where and when it is necessary. Another group of non-covalently attached to CW molecules are polyphosphates (polyP), the universal regulators of the activity of many enzymes. These anionic polymers are able to form complexes with metal ions and increase the diversity of non-covalent interactions through charged functional groups with both proteins and polysaccharides. The mechanism of regulation of polysaccharide-remodeling enzyme activity in the CW is unknown. We hypothesize that polyP content in the CW is regulated by another NCAp of the CW-acid phosphatase-which, along with post-translational modifications, may thus affect the activity, conformation and compartmentalization of Bgl2 and, possibly, some other polysaccharide-remodeling enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana S Kalebina
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Valentina V Rekstina
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Elizaveta E Pogarskaia
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Tatiana Kulakovskaya
- Federal Research Center "Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Pushchino 142290, Russia
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Lin M, Huang Y, Orihara K, Chibana H, Kajiwara S, Chen X. A Putative NADPH Oxidase Gene in Unicellular Pathogenic Candida glabrata Is Required for Fungal ROS Production and Oxidative Stress Response. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 10:16. [PMID: 38248926 PMCID: PMC10817436 DOI: 10.3390/jof10010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Most previous studies on fungal NADPH oxidases (Nox) focused on multicellular fungi and highlighted the important roles of Nox-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cellular differentiation and signaling communication. However, there are few reports about Nox in unicellular fungi. A novel NOX ortholog, CAGL0K05863g (named CgNOX1), in Candida glabrata was investigated in this study. Deletion of CgNOX1 led to a decrease in both intracellular and extracellular ROS production. In addition, the Cgnox1∆ mutant exhibited hypersensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and menadione. Also, the wild-type strain showed higher levels of both CgNOX1 mRNA expression and ROS production under oxidative stress. Moreover, the absence of CgNOX1 resulted in impaired ferric reductase activity. Although there was no effect on in vitro biofilm formation, the CgNOX1 mutant did not produce hepatic apoptosis, which might be mediated by fungal Nox-derived ROS during co-incubation. Together, these results indicated that the novel NOX gene plays important roles in unicellular pathogenic C. glabrata and its interaction with host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maoyi Lin
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Yao Huang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Kanami Orihara
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Hiroji Chibana
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan;
| | - Susumu Kajiwara
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Xinyue Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
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Thanh Nguyen H, Zhang R, Inokawa N, Oura T, Chen X, Iwatani S, Niimi K, Niimi M, Holmes AR, Cannon RD, Kajiwara S. Candida albicans Bgl2p, Ecm33p, and Als1p proteins are involved in adhesion to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite. J Oral Microbiol 2021; 13:1879497. [PMID: 33628397 PMCID: PMC7889271 DOI: 10.1080/20002297.2021.1879497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that causes oral candidiasis. A previous study showed that Bgl2p and Ecm33p may mediate the interaction between the yeast and saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (SHA; a model for the tooth surface). This study investigated the roles of these cell wall proteins in the adherence of C. albicans to SHA beads. Methods: C. albicans BGL2 and ECM33 null mutants were generated from wild-type strain SC5314 by using the SAT1-flipper gene disruption method. A novel method based on labelling the yeast with Nile red, was used to investigate the adherence. Results: Adhesion of bgl2Δ and ecm33Δ null mutants to SHA beads was 76.4% and 64.8% of the wild-type strain, respectively. Interestingly, the adhesion of the bgl2Δ, ecm33Δ double mutant (87.7%) was higher than that of both single mutants. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that the ALS1 gene was over-expressed in the bgl2Δ, ecm33Δ strain. The triple null mutant showed a significantly reduced adherence to the beads, (37.6%), compared to the wild-type strain. Conclusion: Bgl2p and Ecm33p contributed to the interaction between C. albicans and SHA beads. Deletion of these genes triggered overexpression of the ALS1 gene in the bgl2Δ/ecm33Δ mutant strain, and deletion of all three genes caused a significant decrease in adhesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoa Thanh Nguyen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Rouyu Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Naoki Inokawa
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takahiro Oura
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Xinyue Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shun Iwatani
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kyoko Niimi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Masakazu Niimi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Ann Rachel Holmes
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Richard David Cannon
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Susumu Kajiwara
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
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Chen X, Iwatani S, Kitamoto T, Chibana H, Kajiwara S. The Lack of SNARE Protein Homolog Syn8 Influences Biofilm Formation of Candida glabrata. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:607188. [PMID: 33644045 PMCID: PMC7907433 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.607188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biofilm formation of Candida species is considered to be a pathogenic factor of host infection. Since biofilm formation of Candida glabrata has not been as well studied as that of Candida albicans, we performed genetic screening of C. glabrata, and three candidate genes associated with biofilm formation were identified. Candida glabrata SYN8 (CAGL0H06325g) was selected as the most induced gene in biofilm cells for further research. Our results indicated that the syn8Δ mutant was defective not only in biofilm metabolic activity but also in biofilm morphological structure and biomass. Deletion of SYN8 seemed to have no effect on extracellular matrix production, but it led to a notable decrease in adhesion ability during biofilm formation, which may be linked to the repression of two adhesin genes, EPA10 and EPA22. Furthermore, hypersensitivity to hygromycin B and various ions in addition to the abnormal vacuolar morphology in the syn8Δ mutant suggested that active vacuolar function is required for biofilm formation of C. glabrata. These findings enhance our understanding of biofilm formation in this fungus and provide information for the development of future clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Chen
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Shun Iwatani
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Toshitaka Kitamoto
- School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hiroji Chibana
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Susumu Kajiwara
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
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Rodríguez-Cerdeira C, Gregorio MC, Molares-Vila A, López-Barcenas A, Fabbrocini G, Bardhi B, Sinani A, Sánchez-Blanco E, Arenas-Guzmán R, Hernandez-Castro R. Biofilms and vulvovaginal candidiasis. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2018; 174:110-125. [PMID: 30447520 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Revised: 11/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Candida species, including C. albicans, are part of the mucosal flora of most healthy women, and inhabit the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Under favourable conditions, they can colonize the vulvovaginal mucosa, giving rise to symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). The mechanism by which Candida spp. produces inflammation is unknown. Both, the blastoconidia and the pseudohyphae are capable of destroying the vaginal epithelium by direct invasion. Although the symptoms are not always related to the fungal burden, in general, VVC is associated with a greater number of yeasts and pseudohyphae. Some years ago, C. albicans was the species most frequently involved in the different forms of VVC. However, infections by different species have emerged during the last two decades producing an increase in causative species of VVC such as C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei and C. tropicalis. Candida species are pathogenic organisms that have two forms of development: planktonic and biofilm. A biofilm is defined as a community of microorganisms attached to a surface and encompassed by an extracellular matrix. This form of presentation gives microorganisms greater resistance to antifungal agents. This review, about Candia spp. with a special emphasis on Candida albicans discusses specific areas such as biofilm structure and development, cell morphology and biofilm formation, biofilm-associated gene expression, the cell surface and adherence, the extracellular matrix, biofilm metabolism, and biofilm drug resistance in vulvovaginitis biofilms as an important virulence factor in fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Rodríguez-Cerdeira
- Efficiency, Quality and Costs in Health Services Research Group (EFISALUD), Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Spain; Dermatology Department, Hospital do Meixoeiro and University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain; European Women's Dermatologic and Venereologic Society (EWDVS), Vigo, Spain.
| | - Miguel Carnero Gregorio
- Efficiency, Quality and Costs in Health Services Research Group (EFISALUD), Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Spain; Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Alberto Molares-Vila
- Efficiency, Quality and Costs in Health Services Research Group (EFISALUD), Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Spain; Department of Department of Analytical & Food Chemistry, Universidade de Vigo (UVIGO), Spain
| | - Adriana López-Barcenas
- Efficiency, Quality and Costs in Health Services Research Group (EFISALUD), Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Spain; Mycology Service, Hospital Manuel Gea González, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | | | - Ardiana Sinani
- Dermatology Service, Military Medical Unit, University Trauma Hospital, Tirana, Albania
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The PHR Family: The Role of Extracellular Transglycosylases in Shaping Candida albicans Cells. J Fungi (Basel) 2017; 3:jof3040059. [PMID: 29371575 PMCID: PMC5753161 DOI: 10.3390/jof3040059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida albicans is an opportunistic microorganism that can become a pathogen causing mild superficial mycosis or more severe invasive infections that can be life-threatening for debilitated patients. In the etiology of invasive infections, key factors are the adaptability of C. albicans to the different niches of the human body and the transition from a yeast form to hypha. Hyphal morphology confers high adhesiveness to the host cells, as well as the ability to penetrate into organs. The cell wall plays a crucial role in the morphological changes C. albicans undergoes in response to specific environmental cues. Among the different categories of enzymes involved in the formation of the fungal cell wall, the GH72 family of transglycosylases plays an important assembly role. These enzymes cut and religate β-(1,3)-glucan, the major determinant of cell shape. In C. albicans, the PHR family encodes GH72 enzymes, some of which work in specific environmental conditions. In this review, we will summarize the work from the initial discovery of PHR genes to the study of the pH-dependent expression of PHR1 and PHR2, from the characterization of the gene products to the recent findings concerning the stress response generated by the lack of GH72 activity in C. albicans hyphae.
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