Project description:Eukaryotic cell growth is coordinated in response to nutrient availability, growth factors, and environmental stimuli, enabling cell–cell interactions that promote survival. The rapamycin-sensitive Tor1 protein kinase, which is conserved from yeasts to humans, participates in a signaling pathway central to cellular nutrient responses. To gain insight into Tor-mediated processes in human fungal pathogens, we have characterized Tor signaling in Candida albicans. Global transcriptional profiling revealed evolutionarily conserved roles for Tor1 in regulating the expression of genes involved in nitrogen starvation responses and ribosome biogenesis. Interestingly, we found that in C. albicans Tor1 plays a novel role in regulating the expression of several cell wall and hyphal specific genes, including adhesins and their transcriptional repressors Nrg1 and Tup1. In accord with this transcriptional profile, rapamycin induced extensive cellular aggregation in an adhesin-dependent fashion. Moreover, adhesin gene induction and cellular aggregation of rapamycin-treated cells were strongly dependent on the transactivators Bcr1 and Efg1. These findings support models in which Tor1 negatively controls cellular adhesion by governing the activities of Bcr1 and Efg1. Taken together, these results provide evidence that Tor1-mediated cellular adhesion might be broadly conserved among eukaryotic organisms.
Project description:This study analyses the effects of truncation of the gene encoding Tor1 kinase in Candida albicans. The study involves a mutant tetO-TOR1-Del381 which has the N terminal regulator HEAT repeats deleted compared to a full length tetO-TOR1 strain and a heterozygous TOR1/tor1 control. Cell were grown in vitro in YEPD broth at 30˚C. In shut off experiments, doxycycline (30 µg.ml) was added to cultures to shut off the tetO promoter and inhibit Tor1 expression.
Project description:Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is commensally found in variety of host niches. Rhb1 serves as an positive regulator of Tor1 kinase which is the central component of the TOR signaling in controlling several virulence factors. Here, we used microarray to determined changes in transcript profile while the cell lacks the RHB1 gene.
Project description:Human serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major acute phase protein and shows a massive increase of concentration in plasma during inflammation. In the current study, we report that recombinant human and mouse SAA1 (rhSAA1 and rmSAA1) have a potent antifungal activity against the major fungal pathogen Candida albicans. rhSAA1 binds to the cell surface of C. albicans and promotes cell aggregation. At high concentrations, rhSAA1 disrupts the membrane integrity and induces rapid cell death of C. albicans. Further investigation demonstrates that rhSAA1 targets on the cell wall adhesin Als3 of C. albicans. Inactivation of ALS3 in C. albicans leads to remarkably decreased cell aggregation and death upon rhSAA1 treatment, implying that Als3 plays a critical role in SAA1 sensing. Moreover, deletion of the ALS3 transcriptional regulators such as AHR1, BCR1, and EFG1 in C. albicans results in a similar effect on cell responses to that of the als3/als3 mutant upon rhSAA1 treatment. Global gene expression profiling analysis indicates that rhSAA1 has a remarkable impact on the expression of cell wall- and metabolism-related genes in C. albicans. Our finding of the antifungal activity of rhSAA1 against C. albicans expands the function of this protein and would provide new insights into the understanding of the host-Candida interaction during infections.
Project description:Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is commensally found in variety of host niches. Rhb1 serves as an positive regulator of Tor1 kinase which is the central component of the TOR signaling in controlling several virulence factors. Here, we used microarray to determined changes in transcript profile while the cell lacks the RHB1 gene. 10 array generated by six batchs of individual experiment (from cell isolation to culture); each included one flask of wild type culture (SC5314) and one flask of rhb1M-bM-^HM-^F (CCT-D1)mutant culture.
Project description:Recent studies have shown that the transcriptional landscape of the pleiomorphic fungus Candida albicans is highly dependent upon growth conditions. Here using a dual RNA-seq approach we identified 299 C. albicans and 72 Streptococcus gordonii genes that were either up- or down-regulated specifically as a result of co-culturing these human oral cavity microorganisms. Seventy five C. albicans genes involved in responses to chemical stimuli, regulation, homeostasis, protein modification and cell cycle were statistically (P ≤0.05) upregulated, while 36 genes mainly involved in transport and translation were down-regulated. Upregulation of filamentation-associated TEC1 and FGR42 genes, and of ALS1 adhesin gene, concurred with previous evidence that the C. albicans yeast to hypha transition is promoted by S. gordonii. Increased expression of genes required for arginine biosynthesis in C. albicans was potentially indicative of a novel oxidative stress response. The transcriptional response of S. gordonii to C. albicans was less dramatic, with only eight S. gordonii genes significantly (P ≤0.05) up-regulated ≥ twofold (glpK, rplO, celB, rplN, rplB, rpsE, ciaR, and gat). The expression patterns suggest that signals from S. gordonii cause a positive filamentation response in C. albicans, while S. gordonii appears to be transcriptionally less influenced by C. albicans. Five Samples; Sample 1 - Candida albicans cells grown in hypha inducing conditions for two hours; Sample 2 - Candida albicans cells grown in hypha-inducing conditions for two hours before co-culture with Streptococcus gordonii cells for one hour in a 2:1 rato; Sample 3 - Candida albicans cells grown in hypha-inducing conditions for two hours before culture in Streptococcus gordonii media for one hour; Sample 4 - Candida albicans cells grown in hypha inducing conditions for two hours, filtered to remove Candida albicans cells and media added to Streptococcus gordonii cells for one hour; Sample 5 - Streptococcus gordonii cells alone for one hour. All samples extracted and sequenced in biological triplicate using Illumina HiSeq2500. Samples 1, 2 and 3 aligned to the reference genome for Candida albicans and Samples 2, 4 and 5 aligned to the reference genome for Streptococcus gordonii.
Project description:Recent studies have shown that the transcriptional landscape of the pleiomorphic fungus Candida albicans is highly dependent upon growth conditions. Here using a dual RNA-seq approach we identified 299 C. albicans and 72 Streptococcus gordonii genes that were either up- or down-regulated specifically as a result of co-culturing these human oral cavity microorganisms. Seventy five C. albicans genes involved in responses to chemical stimuli, regulation, homeostasis, protein modification and cell cycle were statistically (P ≤0.05) upregulated, while 36 genes mainly involved in transport and translation were down-regulated. Upregulation of filamentation-associated TEC1 and FGR42 genes, and of ALS1 adhesin gene, concurred with previous evidence that the C. albicans yeast to hypha transition is promoted by S. gordonii. Increased expression of genes required for arginine biosynthesis in C. albicans was potentially indicative of a novel oxidative stress response. The transcriptional response of S. gordonii to C. albicans was less dramatic, with only eight S. gordonii genes significantly (P ≤0.05) up-regulated ≥ twofold (glpK, rplO, celB, rplN, rplB, rpsE, ciaR, and gat). The expression patterns suggest that signals from S. gordonii cause a positive filamentation response in C. albicans, while S. gordonii appears to be transcriptionally less influenced by C. albicans.