Cloning and characterization of PRA1, a gene encoding a novel pH-regulated antigen of Candida albicans.

ABSTRACT: Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans. The cell wall of the organism defines the interface between the pathogen and host tissues and is likely to play an essential and pivotal role in the host-pathogen interaction. The components of the cell wall critical to this interaction are undefined. Immunoscreening of a lambda expression library with sera raised against mycelial cell walls of C. albicans was used to identify genes encoding cell surface proteins. One of the positive clones represented a candidal gene that was differentially expressed in response to changes in the pH of the culture medium. Maximal expression occurred at neutral pH, with no expression detected below pH 6.0. On the basis of the expression pattern, the corresponding gene was designated PRA1, for

SUBMITTER: Sentandreu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC106883 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature