ENVIRONMENTAL MODULATION OF CANDIDAL SURFACE

我们的长期目标是了解 白色念珠菌及其人类宿主这项建议检查结构 和念珠菌细胞表面的功能动力学。微生物细胞 作为微生物与其环境之间的界面的表面 负责调节宿主/寄生虫的相互作用和致病机制。 白念珠菌的细胞表面是动态的，表现出 与致病相关的形态、粘附性和其他性质 进程。这些变化发生在对文化条件的响应和 举例说明可能发生在体内的适应性反应。分子 细胞表面动力学的基础到目前为止还没有明确的定义。 分子遗传学提供了一种方法来定义 细胞表面结构和动力学，这一应用主要集中在 差异编码细胞表面蛋白的基因分析 对环境条件作出反应而表达的。因为动态的 细胞表面的变化会导致与 宿主/寄生虫的相互作用，因为这些变化发生在对 培养条件下，可以得出差异表达的基因 对直接参与的生化或结构功能进行编码 建立致病细胞的表面特性 进程。对这些基因的结构和功能的分析将 提供对我们了解白色念珠菌及其 与主持人互动。

With the long term objective of understanding the interactions between Candida albicans and its human host this proposal examines the structural and functional dynamics of the Candidal cell surface. The microbial cell surface as the interface between the microbe and its environment is responsible for mediating host/parasite interactions and pathogenesis. The cell surface of C. albicans is dynamic, exhibiting changes in morphology, adherence and other properties relevant to the pathogenic process. These changes occur in response to culture conditions and exemplify adaptive responses that likely occur in vivo. The molecular basis of cell surface dynamics is as yet poorly defined. Molecular genetics provides a means of defining the molecular basis of cell surface structure and dynamics and this application focuses on the analysis of genes encoding cell surface proteins which are differentially expressed in response to environmental conditions. Because the dynamic changes in the cell surface result in altered properties relevant to the host/parasite interaction and because these changes occur in response to culture conditions, it follows that the differentially expressed genes encode biochemical or structural functions that are directly involved in establishing cell surface characteristics integral to the pathogenic process. Analysis of the structure and function of these genes will provide information essential to our understanding of C. albicans and its interaction with the host.