CO(2) acts as a signalling molecule in populations of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans.

ABSTRACT: When colonising host-niches or non-animated medical devices, individual cells of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans expand into significant biomasses. Here we show that within such biomasses, fungal metabolically generated CO(2) acts as a communication molecule promoting the switch from yeast to filamentous growth essential for C. albicans pathology. We find that CO(2)-mediated intra-colony signalling involves the adenylyl cyclase protein (Cyr1p), a multi-sensor recently found to coordinate fungal responses to serum and bacterial peptidoglycan. We further identify Lys 1373 as essential for CO(2)/bicarbonate regulation of Cyr1p. Disruption of the CO(2)/bicarbonate receptor-site interferes selectively with C. albicans filamentation within fungal biomasses. Comparisons between the Drosophil

SUBMITTER: Hall RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2987819 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature