TY - JOUR
T1 - Nonsex genes in the mating type locus of Candida albicans play roles in a/α biofilm formation, including impermeability and fluconazole resistance
AU - Srikantha, Thyagarajan
AU - Daniels, Karla J.
AU - Pujol, Claude
AU - Sahni, Nidhi
AU - Yi, Song
AU - Soll, David R.
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - The mating type locus (MTL) of Candida albicans contains the mating type genes and has, therefore, been assumed to play an exclusive role in the mating process. In mating-incompetent a/α cells, two of the mating type genes, MTLa1 and MTLα2, encode components of the a1-α2 corepressor that suppresses mating and switching. But the MTL locus of C. albicans also contains three apparently unrelated "nonsex" genes (NSGs), PIK, PAP and OBP, the first two essential for growth. Since it had been previously demonstrated that deleting either the a/α copy of the entire MTL locus, or either MTLa1 or MTLα2, affected virulence, we hypothesized that the NSGs in the MTL locus may also play a role in pathogenesis. Here by mutational analysis, it is demonstrated that both the mating type and nonsex genes in the MTL locus play roles in a/α biofilm formation, and that OBP is essential for impermeability and fluconazole resistance.
AB - The mating type locus (MTL) of Candida albicans contains the mating type genes and has, therefore, been assumed to play an exclusive role in the mating process. In mating-incompetent a/α cells, two of the mating type genes, MTLa1 and MTLα2, encode components of the a1-α2 corepressor that suppresses mating and switching. But the MTL locus of C. albicans also contains three apparently unrelated "nonsex" genes (NSGs), PIK, PAP and OBP, the first two essential for growth. Since it had been previously demonstrated that deleting either the a/α copy of the entire MTL locus, or either MTLa1 or MTLα2, affected virulence, we hypothesized that the NSGs in the MTL locus may also play a role in pathogenesis. Here by mutational analysis, it is demonstrated that both the mating type and nonsex genes in the MTL locus play roles in a/α biofilm formation, and that OBP is essential for impermeability and fluconazole resistance.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84857466261&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002476
DO - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002476
M3 - Article
C2 - 22253594
AN - SCOPUS:84857466261
SN - 1553-7366
VL - 8
JO - PLoS pathogens
JF - PLoS pathogens
IS - 1
M1 - e1002476
ER -