N -Acetylglucosamine Induces White-to-Opaque Switching and Mating in Candida tropicalis, Providing New Insights into Adaptation and Fungal Sexual Evolution

• DOI: 10.1128/ec.00047-12
• Publication Date: 2012-04-29T00:14:56Z
• Authors: Jing Xie; Han Du; Guobo Guan; Yaojun Tong; Themistoklis K. K...; Lixin Zhang; Feng-yan Bai; Guanghua Huang
• Keywords: Phenotypic switching; Fungal protein; White (mutation)

ABSTRACT Pathogenic fungi are capable of switching between different phenotypes, each which has a biological advantage. In the most prevalent human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans , phenotypic transitions not only improve its adaptation to continuously changing host microenvironment but also regulate sexual mating. this report, we show that tropicalis another important opportunistic undergoes reversible and heritable switching, referred as “white-opaque” transition. Here N -acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), an inducer white-to-opaque in C. promotes opaque-cell formation mating inhibits filamentation number natural strains. Our results suggest chemical signals may facilitate had been previously thought reproduce asexually. Overexpression WOR1 gene induces formation. Additionally, intermediate phase white opaque was observed indicating could be tristable.