title: The white cell response to pheromone is a general characteristic of Candida albicans strains.
abstract: For Candida albicans, evidence has suggested that the mating pheromones activate not only the mating response in mating-competent opaque cells but also a unique response in mating-incompetent white cells that includes increased cohesion and adhesion, enhanced biofilm formation, and expression of select mating-related and white cell-specific genes. On the basis of a recent microarray analysis comparing changes in the global expression patterns of white cells in two strains in response to alpha-pheromone, however, skepticism concerning the validity and generality of the white cell response has been voiced. Here, we present evidence that the response occurs in all tested media (Lee's, RPMI, SpiderM, yeast extract-peptone-dextrose, and a synthetic medium) and in all of the 27 tested strains, including a/a and alpha/alpha strains, derivatives of the common laboratory strain SC5314, and representatives from all of the five major clades. The white cell response to pheromone is therefore a general characteristic of MTL-homozygous strains of C. albicans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sahni
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pujol
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Soll
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D003116:Color; D003470:Culture Media / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D010641:Phenotype; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D010675:Pheromones