Contact sensing and C. albicans-host interaction

本研究计画探讨机会性真菌病原体白色念珠菌致病的机制。本研究的长期目标是了解C。白色念珠菌细胞引起感染。环境感知对于调节促进毒力的活动可能是重要的，例如C。白念珠菌细胞转化为侵入性丝状菌丝，其渗透到宿主组织中。在实验室条件下的入侵性研究表明，C。白色念珠菌细胞感觉到与半固体基质的接触，导致它们产生侵入性菌丝。一种质膜蛋白，它是侵入性生长所需的，以响应与琼脂培养基接触，并可能是一个传感器的接触已被确定。为了评估接触感测在感染期间对入侵的重要性，将在感染的动物模型中研究缺乏传感器的突变体（目的1）。初步研究表明，其他质膜蛋白也参与接触传感。目标2将侧重于分析缺乏一种以上促进入侵的成分的双重或三重突变体。这些突变体在实验室琼脂入侵过程中的表型将被研究。为了了解接触感应过程是如何发生的，Aim 3将寻求识别和表征与接触感应蛋白一起发挥作用的结合伴侣。这些研究将增加对C.白色念珠菌发病机制

This research project investigates the mechanisms used by the opportunistic fungal pathogen, Candida albicans to produce disease. The long term goal of this research is to understand how C. albicans cells cause infection. Environmental sensing is likely to be important for regulation of activities that promote virulence, such as the ability of C. albicans cells to convert into invasive filamentous hyphae, which penetrate into host tissue. Studies of invasiveness under laboratory conditions have shown that C. albicans cells sense contact with a semi-solid matrix, causing them to produce invasive hyphae. A plasma membrane protein that is needed for invasive growth in response to contact with agar medium and may be a sensor of contact has been characterized. To evaluate the importance of contact sensing for invasion during infection, a mutant lacking the sensor will be studied in animal models of infection (Aim 1). Preliminary studies suggest that other plasma membrane proteins also participate in contact sensing. Aim 2 will focus on analyzing double or triple mutants lacking more than one component that promotes invasiveness. The phenotypes of such mutants during laboratory agar invasion will be studied. To understand how the contact sensing process takes place, Aim 3 will seek to identify and characterize binding partners that function with the contact sensing protein. These studies will increase the understanding of regulatory mechanisms that are important in C. albicans pathogenesis.