Characterization of genetic determinants that modulate Candida albicans filamentation in the presence of bacteria

PLoS One. 2013 Aug 7;8(8):e71939. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071939. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

In the human body, fungi and bacteria share many niches where the close contact of these organisms maintains a balance among the microbial population. However, when this microbial balance is disrupted, as with antibiotic treatment, other bacteria or fungi can grow uninhibited. C. albicans is the most common opportunistic fungal pathogen affecting humans and can uniquely control its morphogenesis between yeast, pseudohyphal, and hyphal forms. Numerous studies have shown that C. albicans interactions with bacteria can impact its ability to undergo morphogenesis; however, the genetics that govern this morphological control via these bacterial interactions are still relatively unknown. To aid in the understanding of the cross-kingdom interactions of C. albicans with bacteria and the impact on morphology we utilized a haploinsufficiency based C. albicans mutant screen to test for the ability of C. albicans to produce hyphae in the presence of three bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus). Of the 18,144 mutant strains tested, 295 mutants produced hyphae in the presence of all three bacterial species. The 295 mutants identified 132 points of insertion, which included identified/predicted genes, major repeat sequences, and a number of non-coding/unannotated transcripts. One gene, CDR4, displayed increased expression when co-cultured with S. aureus, but not E. coli or P. aeruginosa. Our data demonstrates the ability to use a large scale library screen to identify genes involved in Candida-bacterial interactions and provides the foundation for comprehending the genetic pathways relating to bacterial control of C. albicans morphogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / genetics
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / metabolism*
  • Candida albicans / genetics
  • Candida albicans / growth & development*
  • Candida albicans / metabolism
  • Escherichia coli / physiology
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
  • Haploinsufficiency
  • Hyphae / genetics
  • Hyphae / growth & development*
  • Hyphae / metabolism
  • Microbial Interactions
  • Morphogenesis
  • Mutation
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / physiology
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Staphylococcus aureus / physiology*

Substances

  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
  • CDR4 protein, Candida albicans
  • Fungal Proteins

Grants and funding

This study was undertaken with faculty startup funding to MK and an East Tennessee State University School of Graduate Studies Research Grant to SF. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.