Cell-type memory in a single-cell eukaryote requires the continuous presence of a specific transcription regulator.

ABSTRACT: A fundamental question in biology is how a eukaryotic cell type can be stably maintained through many rounds of DNA replication and cell division. In this paper, we investigate this question in a fungal species, Candida albicans, where two different cells types (white and opaque) arise from the same genome. Once formed, each cell type is stable for thousands of generations. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underlying opaque cell "memory." Using an auxin-mediated degradation system, we rapidly removed Wor1, the primary transcription activator of the opaque state and, using a variety of methods, determined how long cells can maintain the opaque state. Within approximately 1 h of Wor1 destruction, opaque cells irreversibly lose their memory and switch to the white cell state. This o

SUBMITTER: Lee CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10214202 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature