title: Role of Tec1 in the development, architecture, and integrity of sexual biofilms of Candida albicans.
abstract: MTL-homozygous ( A: / A: or α/α) white cells form a complex sexual biofilm that exhibits the same architecture as that of MTL-heterozygous ( A: /α) pathogenic biofilms. However, the former is regulated by the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, while the latter is regulated by the Ras1/cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway. We previously demonstrated that in the formation of an MTL-homozygous, mature (48 h) sexual biofilm in RPMI 1640 medium, the MAP kinase pathway targets Tec1 rather than Cph1, the latter of which is the target of the same pathway, but for the opaque cell mating response. Here we continued our analysis of the role of Tec1 by comparing the effects of deleting TEC1 on initial adhesion to silicone elastomer, high-resolution confocal microscopy assessments of the stages and cellular phenotypes during the 48 h of biofilm development, human white cell penetration, and biofilm fragility. We show that although Tec1 plays only a minor role in initial adhesion to the silicone elastomer, it does play a major role in the growth of the basal yeast cell polylayer, vertical extension of hyphae and matrix deposition in the upper portion of the biofilm, final biofilm thickness, penetrability of human white blood cells, and final biofilm integrity (i.e., resistance to fluid flow). These results provide a more detailed description of normal biofilm development and architecture and confirm the central role played by the transcription factor Tec1 in the biofilm model employed here.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Karla J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.affiliation: Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Thyagarajan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Srikantha
authors.affiliation: Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pujol
authors.affiliation: Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Yang-Nim
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA david-soll@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Soll
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018441:Biofilms; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012826:Silicone Elastomers / Q000494:pharmacology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; C489432:TEC1 protein, Candida albicans; D014157:Transcription Factors