title: The relationship between cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate and morphology in exponential phase Candida albicans.
abstract: The relationship between changes in cyclic AMP content and germ tube formation in exponential phase Candida albicans was investigated using two simple media containing glucose plus ammonium chloride, or N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc). The glucose medium did not promote germ tube formation unless the cells were starved before inoculation, whereas the GlcNAc medium promoted germ tube formation in both non-starved and starved cells. The cyclic AMP content of exponential phase cells, non-starved cells and starved cells was 0.21, 0.34 and 0.64 pmol mg-1 dry wt, respectively. In glucose medium, cyclic AMP content in both non-starved cells and starved cells increased for a period of 60 min after inoculation, but then decreased for a further 120 min. The cyclic AMP content of non-starved cells and starved cells was 0.16 and 0.29 pmol mg-1 dry wt, respectively, after 180 min. The maximum percentage of non-starved cells with germ tubes was around 20%. Starved cells with germ tubes were observed after 40 min and reached a maximum (around 90%) after 140 min. The number of germ tubes remained constant for the next 40 min. In GlcNAc medium, the cyclic AMP content of both non-starved cells and starved cells showed a tendency to increase for 180 min. The content of non-starved cells and starved cells was 2.02 and 1.75 pmol mg-1 dry wt, respectively, after 180 min. Germ tube formation in non-starved cells started after 70 min, reached around 80% after 150 min, and remained stable for the next 30 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Microbiology, Fukuoka Dental College, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamatake
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaminishi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hagihara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development*; D003470:Culture Media; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000032:analysis*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D005947:Glucose; D000117:Acetylglucosamine