title: Global transcriptome sequencing identifies chlamydospore specific markers in Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis.
abstract: Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis are pathogenic fungi that are highly related but differ in virulence and in some phenotypic traits. During in vitro growth on certain nutrient-poor media, C. albicans and C. dubliniensis are the only yeast species which are able to produce chlamydospores, large thick-walled cells of unknown function. Interestingly, only C. dubliniensis forms pseudohyphae with abundant chlamydospores when grown on Staib medium, while C. albicans grows exclusively as a budding yeast. In order to further our understanding of chlamydospore development and assembly, we compared the global transcriptional profile of both species during growth in liquid Staib medium by RNA sequencing. We also included a C. albicans mutant in our study which lacks the morphogenetic transcriptional repressor Nrg1. This strain, which is characterized by its constitutive pseudohyphal growth, specifically produces masses of chlamydospores in Staib medium, similar to C. dubliniensis. This comparative approach identified a set of putatively chlamydospore-related genes. Two of the homologous C. albicans and C. dubliniensis genes (CSP1 and CSP2) which were most strongly upregulated during chlamydospore development were analysed in more detail. By use of the green fluorescent protein as a reporter, the encoded putative cell wall related proteins were found to exclusively localize to C. albicans and C. dubliniensis chlamydospores. Our findings uncover the first chlamydospore specific markers in Candida species and provide novel insights in the complex morphogenetic development of these important fungal pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knoell Institute, Junior Research Group Fundamental Molecular Biology of Pathogenic Fungi, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Palige
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Linde
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Böttcher
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Citiulo
authors.forename: Derek J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Staib
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rupp
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hube
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morschhäuser
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Staib
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005800:Genes, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D005819:Genetic Markers; D012331:RNA, Fungal