Engineered control of cell morphology in vivo reveals distinct roles for yeast and filamentous forms of Candida albicans during infection.

ABSTRACT: It is widely assumed that the ability of Candida albicans to switch between different morphologies is required for pathogenesis. However, most virulence studies have used mutants that are permanently locked into either the yeast or filamentous forms which are avirulent but unsuitable for discerning the role of morphogenetic conversions at the various stages of the infectious process. We have constructed a strain in which this developmental transition can be externally modulated both in vitro and in vivo. This was achieved by placing one copy of the NRG1 gene (a negative regulator of filamentation) under the control of a tetracycline-regulatable promoter. This modified strain was then tested in an animal model of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis. Mice injected with this strain under

SUBMITTER: Saville SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC219382 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature