title: Lactic acid bacteria differentially regulate filamentation in two heritable cell types of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans.
abstract: Microorganisms rarely exist as single species in natural environments. The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are common members of the microbiota of several human niches such as the mouth, gut and vagina. Lactic acid bacteria are known to suppress filamentation, a key virulence feature of C. albicans, through the production of lactic acid and other metabolites. Here we report that C. albicans cells switch between two heritable cell types, white and opaque, to undergo filamentation to adapt to diversified environments. We show that acidic pH conditions caused by LAB and low temperatures support opaque cell filamentation, while neutral pH conditions and high temperatures promote white cell filamentation. The cAMP signalling pathway and the Rfg1 transcription factor play major roles in regulating the responses to these conditions. This cell type-specific response of C. albicans to different environmental conditions reflects its elaborate regulatory control of phenotypic plasticity.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guobo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chengjun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Clarissa J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Nobile
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guanghua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019344:Lactic Acid