Response of Candida albicans white and opaque cells to phagocytosis by macrophages suggests that opaque cells are "pre-adapted".

ABSTRACT: Candida albicans is a normal resident of the human gut and mucosal microbiomes and also an opportunistic fungal pathogen. It undergoes several morphological transitions, one of which is white-opaque switching, where C. albicans reversibly alternates between two distinct cell types, namely, "white" and "opaque." Each state, which is maintained by a complex transcriptional feedback loop, is heritable through many cell divisions. To date, most research works on interactions between C. albicans and the innate immune system have utilized white cells. In this paper, we examine the response of opaque cells following phagocytosis by murine macrophage cell lines and compare it to the response of white cells. White cells are known to rapidly form hyphae that can rupture macropha

SUBMITTER: Lohse MB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12838362 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature