title: Candida albicans hyphal initiation and elongation.
abstract: The fungus Candida albicans is a benign member of the mucosal microbiota, but can cause mucosal infections and life-threatening disseminated invasive infections in susceptible individuals. The ability to switch between yeast, pseudohyphal, and hyphal growth forms (polymorphism) is one of the most investigated virulence attributes of C. albicans. Recent studies suggest that hyphal development in C. albicans requires two temporally linked regulations for initiation and maintenance of the hyphal transcriptional program. Hyphal initiation requires a rapid but temporary disappearance of the Nrg1 transcriptional repressor of hyphal morphogenesis. Hyphal maintenance requires active sensing of the surrounding environment, leading to exclusion of Nrg1 binding to promoters of hypha-specific genes or reduced NRG1 expression. We discuss recent advances in understanding the complex transcriptional regulation of hyphal gene expression. These provide molecular mechanisms underpinning the phenotypic plasticity of C. albicans polymorphism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. Electronic address: h4liu@uci.edu.
authors.forename: Haoping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D025301:Hyphae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins
keywords: Candida albicans; hyphal elongation; hyphal initiation; removing Nrg1 repression