Candida Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Candida, including details on thrush infections, yeast, diet, treatment, symptoms.

Evolution of pathogenicity and sexual reproduction in eight Candida genomes.

Butler G, Rasmussen MD, Lin MF, Santos MA, Sakthikumar S, Munro CA, Rheinbay E, Grabherr M, Forche A, Reedy JL, Agrafioti I, Arnaud MB, Bates S, Brown AJ, Brunke S, Costanzo MC, Fitzpatrick DA, de Groot PW, Harris D, Hoyer LL, Hube B, Klis FM, Kodira C, Lennard N, Logue ME, Martin R, Neiman AM, Nikolaou E, Quail MA, Quinn J, Santos MC, Schmitzberger FF, Sherlock G, Shah P, Silverstein KA, Skrzypek MS, Soll D, Staggs R, Stansfield I, Stumpf MP, Sudbery PE, Srikantha T, Zeng Q, Berman J, Berriman M, Heitman J, Gow NA, Lorenz MC, Birren BW, Kellis M, Cuomo CA

UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. geraldine.butler@ucd.ie

Candida species are the most common cause of opportunistic fungal infection worldwide. Here we report the genome sequences of six Candida species and compare these and related pathogens and non-pathogens. There are significant expansions of cell wall, secreted and transporter gene families in pathogenic species, suggesting adaptations associated with virulence. Large genomic tracts are homozygous in three diploid species, possibly resulting from recent recombination events. Surprisingly, key components of the mating and meiosis pathways are missing from several species. These include major differences at the mating-type loci (MTL); Lodderomyces elongisporus lacks MTL, and components of the a1/2 cell identity determinant were lost in other species, raising questions about how mating and cell types are controlled. Analysis of the CUG leucine-to-serine genetic-code change reveals that 99% of ancestral CUG codons were erased and new ones arose elsewhere. Lastly, we revise the Candida albicans gene catalogue, identifying many new genes.

Published 5 June 2009 in Nature, 459(7247): 657-62.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Candida published 5 June 2009:

Studies on the antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp toxicity of Zeyheria tuberculosa (Vell.) Bur. (Bignoniaceae) extracts and their main constituents.   Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob, 8: 16.

BACKGROUND: Due to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs, the emergence of human pathogenic microorganisms resistant to major classes of antibiotics has been increased and has caused many clinical problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the in vitro antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp lethality of extracts and isolated compounds from Zeyheria tuberculosa (Vell.) Bur., a species used in Brazilian folk medicine ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Candida published 28 May 2009:

Sensing the environment: response of Candida albicans to the X factor.   FEMS Microbiol Lett, 295(1): 1-9.

Virulence of the fungal human pathogen Candida albicans is also attributed to its ability to switch reversibly between yeast and hyphal growth forms. Morphogenesis in this yeast is influenced by the composition of the environment, activating sensors, which consequently play an important role in fungal pathogenicity. This review summarizes some of the main environmental sensors, their ligands and downstream signaling pathways in C. albicans. We will focus on proteins localized in the plasma ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Candida published 26 May 2009:

Hypoxic adaptation by Efg1 regulates biofilm formation by Candida albicans.   Appl Environ Microbiol, 75(11): 3663-72.

Hypoxia is encountered frequently by Candida albicans during systemic infection of the human host. We tested if hypoxia allows biofilm formation by C. albicans, which is a major cause of perseverance and antifungal resistance in C. albicans infections. Using an in vitro biofilm system, we unexpectedly discovered that several positive regulators of biofilm formation during normoxia, including Tec1, Ace2, Czf1, Och1, and Als3, had little or no influence on biofilm development during hypoxia, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Biodegradation of phenol and m-cresol by Candida albicans PDY-07 under anaerobic condition.   J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol, 36(6): 809-14.

Strain Candida albicans PDY-07 was used to study the anaerobic biodegradation of phenol and m-cresol as single and dual substrates in batch cultures. The strain had a higher potential to degrade phenol than m-cresol. The cell growth kinetics of batch cultures with various initial m-cresol concentrations was investigated, and the Haldane kinetic model adequately described the dynamic behavior of cell growth on m-cresol. When cells grew on the mixture of phenol and m-cresol, substrate ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Candida published 21 May 2009:

Role for endosomal and vacuolar GTPases in Candida albicans pathogenesis.   Infect Immun, 77(6): 2343-55.

The vacuole has crucial roles in stress resistance and adaptation of the fungal cell. Furthermore, in Candida albicans it has been observed to undergo dramatic expansion during the initiation of hyphal growth, to produce highly "vacuolated" subapical compartments. We hypothesized that these functions may be crucial for survival within the host and tissue-invasive hyphal growth. We also considered the role of the late endosome or prevacuole compartment (PVC), a distinct organelle ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Farnesol-induced apoptosis in Candida albicans.   Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 53(6): 2392-401.

Farnesol, a precursor in the isoprenoid/sterol pathway, was recently identified as a quorum-sensing molecule produced by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Farnesol is involved in the inhibition of germination and biofilm formation by C. albicans and can be cytotoxic at certain concentrations. In addition, we have shown that farnesol can trigger apoptosis in mammalian cells via the classical apoptotic pathways. In order to elucidate the mechanism behind farnesol cytotoxicity in C. albicans, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Antifungal combinations against simulated Candida albicans endocardial vegetations.   Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 53(6): 2629-31.

The in vitro effects of flucytosine (5FC), liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB), and micafungin (Mica) combinations against two Candida albicans strains that simulated 24-hour-old endocardial vegetations were studied. Mica was superior to 5FC or L-AmB, and the 5FC-L-AmB-Mica combination was superior to all other treatments for one strain but no different from the dual combination of L-AmB-Mica for the other strain. [Abstract] [Full-text]

In vitro activity of micafungin against planktonic and sessile Candida albicans isolates.   Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 53(6): 2638-9.

Planktonic and sessile susceptibilities to micafungin were determined for 30 clinical isolates of Candida albicans obtained from blood or other sterile sites. Planktonic and sessile MIC(90)s for micafungin were 0.125 and 1.0 microg/ml, respectively. [Abstract] [Full-text]

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