Chapter 5 Differences in stress responses between model and pathogenic fungi

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0275-0287(08)80047-1Get rights and content

Abstract

The virulence of the human fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Candida glabrata is dependent upon their ability to mount stress responses. This reflects the importance of these responses in protecting these fungal pathogens against host defences. Recent molecular and genomic studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of C. albicans stress responses and how they are regulated. Interestingly, it is now apparent that C. albicans has diverged significantly from the benign model yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe with respect to the nature and regulation of its stress responses. For example, recent studies, from us and others, have revealed that while key regulatory molecules are conserved in C. albicans, their contributions to the regulation of stress responses have diverged. While much less is known about stress responses in C. glabrata, initial findings suggest that the sensitivity and regulation of stress responses in this fungal pathogen also differs from that in S. cerevisiae and S. pombe. In this chapter I will highlight such differences and discuss how pathogenic Candida species may exploit specialised stress responses to protect themselves during disease progression in the human host.

References (57)

  • R. Alonso-Monge et al.

    The Hog1 mitogen-activated protein kinase is essential in the oxidative stress response and chlamydospore formation in Candida albicans

    Eukaryotic Cell

    (2003)
  • D.M. Arana et al.

    The Pbs2 MAP kinase kinase is essential for the oxidative-stress response in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans

    Microbiology

    (2005)
  • A.M. Calcagno et al.

    Candida glabrata Ste11 is involved in adaptation to hypertonic stress, maintenance of wild-type levels of filamentation and plays a role in virulence

    Medical Mycology

    (2005)
  • J.A. Calera et al.

    Defective hyphal development and avirulence caused by a deletion of the SSK1 response regulator gene in Candida albicans

    Infection and Immunity

    (2000)
  • H.C. Causton et al.

    Remodeling of yeast genome expression in response to environmental changes

    Molecular Biology of the Cell

    (2001)
  • D. Chen et al.

    Global transcriptional responses of fission yeast to environmental stress

    Molecular Biology of the Cell

    (2003)
  • B.A. Cohen et al.

    Disrimination between paralogs using microarray analysis: Application to the Yap1p and Yap2p transcriptional networks

    Molecular Biology of the Cell

    (2002)
  • A. Delaunay et al.

    H2O2 sensing through oxidation of the Yap1 transcription factor

    The EMBO Journal

    (2000)
  • B. Enjalbert et al.

    Stress-induced gene expression in Candida albicans: Absence of a general stress response

    Molecular Biology of the Cell

    (2003)
  • B. Enjalbert et al.

    Role of the Hog1 stress-activated protein kinase in the global transcriptional response to stress in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans

    Molecular Biology of the Cell

    (2006)
  • F.C. Fang

    Antimicrobial reactive oxygen and nitrogen species: Concepts and controversies

    Nature Reviews in Microbiology

    (2004)
  • L. Fernandes et al.

    Yap, a novel family of eight bZIP proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with distinct biological functions

    Molecular Cell Biology

    (1997)
  • C. Fradin et al.

    Granulocytes govern the transcriptional response, morphology and proliferation of Candida albicans in human blood

    Molecular Microbiology

    (2005)
  • C. Fradin et al.

    Stage-specific gene expression of Candida albicans in human blood

    Molecular Microbiology

    (2003)
  • A.P. Gasch et al.

    Genomic expression programs in the response of yeast cells to environmental changes

    Molecular Biology of the Cell

    (2000)
  • T.G. Gleason et al.

    Emerging evidence of selection of fluconazole-tolerant fungi in surgical intensive care units

    Archives of Surgery

    (1997)
  • S. Hohmann

    Osmotic stress signaling and osmoadaptation in yeasts

    Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews

    (2002)
  • B.S. Hromatka et al.

    Transcriptional response of Candida albicans to nitric oxide and the role of the YHB1 gene in nitrosative stress and virulence

    Molecular Biology of the Cell

    (2005)

    • Cited by (3)

    • Intraspecific variability of HOG1 phosphorylation in Penicillium verrucosum reflects different adaptation levels to salt rich habitats

      2013, International Journal of Food Microbiology
      Citation Excerpt :

      The activation of this MAP kinase pathway results in different adaptive responses such as accumulation of osmolytes, e.g. glycerol, mannitol, arabitol and proline, in the fungal cell and provision of Na+-ATPases. While the translation capacity is reduced, the glycolysis increases and the cell cycle arrests in the G1 and G2 phase to provide more energy for stress response (Gustin et al., 1998; Hohmann, 2008; Quinn, 2008). A key element of the osmoregulation is a two component histidine kinase signaling system which occurs also in prokaryotic systems in a less complex organization structure.

    • HOG MAP kinase regulation of alternariol biosynthesis in Alternaria alternata is important for substrate colonization

      2012, International Journal of Food Microbiology
      Citation Excerpt :

      Activation of the HOG pathway induces accumulation of osmolytes, e.g. glycerol, in the cell and provision of Na+-ATPases. The translation capacity of the cell is reduced, the glycolysis intensified and the cell cycle is arrested in the G1 and G2 phases to provide more energy for the stress response (Gustin et al., 1998; Hohmann, 2008; Quinn, 2008). Key elements of the osmoregulation are two component histidine kinase signaling systems coupled with a mitogen activated kinase cascade that transmits the signal by serial phosphorylation (Lin and Chung, 2010).

    • Aspects of the steroid response in fungi

      2009, Chemico-Biological Interactions
      Citation Excerpt :

      According to Quinn, considerable specialization in the nature and sensitivity of stress response is observed in C. albicans. Since this organism has to be able to colonize different microenvironments in the host, there is evidence suggesting that C. albicans is adapted to specific growth conditions [106]. Taken together, detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of interaction between steroid hormones and fungi could bring new ideas for the treatment of fungal infections.

    View full text
    Copyright © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.