Candida
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThree Related Enzymes in Candida albicans Achieve Arginine- and Agmatine-Dependent Metabolism That Is Essential for Growth and Fungal Virulence...We show that the C. albicans ureohydrolases arginase (Car1), agmatinase (Agt1), and guanidinobutyrase (Gbu1) can orchestrate an arginase-independent route for polyamine production and that this is important for C. albicans growth and survival in microenvironments of the mammalian host.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySpleen Tyrosine Kinase Is a Critical Regulator of Neutrophil Responses to Candida SpeciesNeutrophils are recognized to represent significant immune cell mediators for the clearance and elimination of the human-pathogenic fungal pathogen Candida. The sensing of fungi by innate cells is performed, in part, through lectin receptor recognition of cell wall components and downstream cellular activation by signaling components, including spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). While the essential role of Syk in macrophages and...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionMutations in TAC1B: a Novel Genetic Determinant of Clinical Fluconazole Resistance in Candida aurisCandida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant pathogen of global concern, known to be responsible for outbreaks on six continents and to be commonly resistant to antifungals. While the vast majority of clinical C. auris isolates are highly resistant to fluconazole, an essential part of the...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Proteasome Governs Fungal Morphogenesis via Functional Connections with Hsp90 and cAMP-Protein Kinase A SignalingFungi cause life-threatening infections and pose a serious threat to human health as there are very few effective antifungal drugs. Candida albicans is a major human fungal pathogen and cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. A key trait that enables C. albicans virulence...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMultiple Alternative Carbon Pathways Combine To Promote Candida albicans Stress Resistance, Immune Interactions, and VirulenceCandida albicans is a fungal pathogen and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in people with defects, sometimes minor ones, in innate immunity. The phagocytes of the innate immune system, particularly macrophages and neutrophils, generally restrict this organism to its normal commensal niches, but...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyComparative Genomics for the Elucidation of Multidrug Resistance in Candida lusitaniaeAntifungal resistance is an inevitable phenomenon when fungal pathogens are exposed to antifungal drugs. These drugs can be grouped in four distinct classes (azoles, candins, polyenes, and pyrimidine analogs) and are used in different clinical settings. Failures in therapy implicate the sequential or combined use of these different drug classes, which can result in some cases in the development of multidrug resistance (MDR). MDR is...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyOn the Emergence of Candida auris: Climate Change, Azoles, Swamps, and BirdsThe most enigmatic aspect of the rise of Candida auris as a human pathogen is that it emerged simultaneously on three continents, with each clade being genetically distinct. Although new pathogenic fungal species are described regularly, these are mostly species associated with single cases in individuals who are immunosuppressed.
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAntifungal Activity of the Enterococcus faecalis Peptide EntV Requires Protease Cleavage and Disulfide Bond FormationEnterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans are among the most important and problematic pathobionts, organisms that normally are harmless commensals but can cause dangerous infections in immunocompromised hosts. In fact, both organisms are listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyIn Fungal Intracellular Pathogenesis, Form Determines FateFor pathogenic microbes to survive ingestion by macrophages, they must subvert powerful microbicidal mechanisms within the phagolysosome. After ingestion, Candida albicans undergoes a morphological transition producing hyphae, while the surrounding phagosome exhibits a loss of phagosomal acidity.
- Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Genome of the Human Pathogen Candida albicans Is Shaped by Mutation and Cryptic Sexual Recombination
Mutations introduce variation into the genome upon which selection can act. Defining the nature of these changes is critical for determining species evolution, as well as for understanding the genetic changes driving important cellular processes. The heterozygous diploid fungus Candida albicans is both a frequent commensal organism and a prevalent opportunistic...