title: Fig1 facilitates calcium influx and localizes to membranes destined to undergo fusion during mating in Candida albicans.
abstract: Few mating-regulated genes have been characterized in Candida albicans. C. albicans FIG1 (CaFIG1) is a fungus-specific and mating-induced gene encoding a putative 4-transmembrane domain protein that shares sequence similarities with members of the claudin superfamily. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Fig1 is required for shmoo fusion and is upregulated in response to mating pheromones. Expression of CaFIG1 was also strongly activated in the presence of cells of the opposite mating type. CaFig1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) was visible only during the mating response, when it localized predominantly to the plasma membrane and perinuclear zone in mating projections and daughter cells. At the plasma membrane, CaFig1-GFP was visualized as discontinuous zones, but the distribution of perinuclear CaFig1-GFP was homogeneous. Exposure to pheromone induced a 5-fold increase in Ca(2+) uptake in mating-competent opaque cells. Uptake was reduced substantially in the fig1Δ null mutant. CaFig1 is therefore involved in Ca(2+) influx and localizes to membranes that are destined to undergo fusion during mating.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences & Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. n.gow@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: Thyagarajan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Srikantha
authors.forename: Karla J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Soll
authors.forename: Neil A R
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Gow
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001692:Biological Transport; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010675:Pheromones; D002118:Calcium