Identification and characterization of a Candida albicans mating pheromone.
Candida albicans, the most prevalent fungal pathogen of humans, has recently been shown to undergo mating. Here we describe a mating pheromone produced by C. albicans alpha cells and show that the gene which encodes it (MFalpha) is required for alpha cells, but not a cells, to mate. We also identify the receptor for this mating pheromone as the product of the STE2 gene and show that this gene is required for the mating of a cells, but not alpha cells. Cells of the a mating type respond to the alpha mating pheromone by producing long polarized projections, similar to those observed in bona fide mating mixtures of C. albicans a and alpha cells. During this process, transcription of approximately 62 genes is induced. Although some of these genes correspond to those induced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by S. cerevisiae alpha-factor, most are specific to the C. albicans pheromone response. The most surprising class encode cell surface and secreted proteins previously implicated in virulence of C. albicans in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis. This observation suggests that aspects of cell-cell communication in mating may have been evolutionarily adopted for host-pathogen interactions in C. albicans.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California-San Francisco, 600 16th Street, Suite N372, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Richard J
RJ
Bennett
M Andrew
MA
Uhl
Mathew G
MG
Miller
Alexander D
AD
Johnson
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000209:etiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D000072235:Mating Factor; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D051964:Receptors, Mating Factor; D018000:Receptors, Peptide / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014774:Virulence
D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D010675:Pheromones; D051964:Receptors, Mating Factor; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000072235:Mating Factor