The Fungal Histone Acetyl Transferase Gcn5 Controls Virulence of the Human Pathogen Candida albicans through Multiple Pathways.

ABSTRACT: Fungal virulence is regulated by a tight interplay of transcriptional control and chromatin remodelling. Despite compelling evidence that lysine acetylation modulates virulence of pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans, the underlying mechanisms have remained largely unexplored. We report here that Gcn5, a paradigm lysyl-acetyl transferase (KAT) modifying both histone and non-histone targets, controls fungal morphogenesis - a key virulence factor of C. albicans. Our data show that genetic removal of GCN5 abrogates fungal virulence in mice, suggesting strongly diminished fungal fitness in vivo. This may at least in part arise from increased susceptibility to killing by macrophages, as well as by other phagocytes such as neutrophils or monocytes. Loss of GCN5 also causes hypersensitivity

SUBMITTER: Shivarathri R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6603162 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature