RFX transcription factor in the human-associated yeast Candida albicans regulates adhesion to oral epithelium.

ABSTRACT: Adhesion to mucosal surfaces is a critical step in many bacterial and fungal infections. Here, using a mouse model of oral infection by the human fungal pathobiont Candida albicans, we report the identification of a novel regulator of C. albicans adhesion to the oral mucosa. The regulator is a member of the regulatory factor X (RFX) family of transcription factors, which control cellular processes ranging from genome integrity in model yeasts to tissue differentiation in vertebrates. Mice infected with the C. albicans rfx1 deletion mutant displayed increased fungal burden in tongues compared to animals infected with the reference strain. High-resolution imaging revealed RFX1 transcripts being expressed by C. albicans cells during infection. Concomitant with the increase in fungal burden, t

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11023810 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature