title: Roles of Cch1 and Mid1 in morphogenesis, oxidative stress response and virulence in Candida albicans.
abstract: Ca(2+) channel Cch1, and its subunit Mid1, has been suggested as the protein complex responsible for mediating Ca(2+) influx, which is often employed by fungal cells to maintain cell survival. The abilities of morphological switch and response to stress conditions are closely related to pathogenicity in Candida albicans. Cch1 and Mid1 activity are required for virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans and Claviceps purpurea, respectively. To investigate whether Cch1 and Mid1 also play a role in the virulence of C. albicans, we constructed cch1Δ/Δ and mid1Δ/Δ mutant strains for functional analysis of CCH1 and MID1. Although both of the mutants displayed the ability of yeast-to-hypha transition, they were defective in hyphae maintenance and invasive growth. Interestingly, deletion of CCH1 or MID1 in C. albicans led to an obvious defect phenotype in oxidative stress response. Moreover, the virulence of the mutants was reduced in a mouse model. Our results demonstrated that Cch1 and Mid1 activity are related to the virulence of C. albicans and may provide a new antifungal target.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Nankai Universitdy, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Qilin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Laijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Mingchun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D025301:Hyphae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits