Chen Yu-Ting, Lin Chia-Ying, Tsai Pei-Wen, Yang Cheng-Yao, Hsieh Wen-Ping, Lan Chung-Yu
Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute of Statistics,National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Eukaryot Cell. 2012 Feb;11(2):168-82. doi: 10.1128/EC.05200-11. Epub 2011 Dec 22.
Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen in humans. In C. albicans, secreted aspartyl protease 2 (Sap2) is the most highly expressed secreted aspartic protease in vitro and is a virulence factor. Recent research links the small GTPase Rhb1 to C. albicans target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling in response to nitrogen availability. The results of this study show that Rhb1 is related to cell growth through the control of SAP2 expression when protein is the major nitrogen source. This process involves various components of the TOR signaling pathway, including Tor1 kinase and its downstream effectors. TOR signaling not only controls SAP2 transcription but also affects Sap2 protein levels, possibly through general amino acid control. DNA microarray analysis identifies other target genes downstream of Rhb1 in addition to SAP2. These findings provide new insight into nutrients, Rhb1-TOR signaling, and expression of C. albicans virulence factor.
白色念珠菌是人类主要的真菌病原体。在白色念珠菌中,分泌天冬氨酸蛋白酶2(Sap2)是体外表达量最高的分泌天冬氨酸蛋白酶,并且是一种毒力因子。最近的研究将小GTP酶Rhb1与白色念珠菌雷帕霉素靶蛋白(TOR)信号传导联系起来,以响应氮的可用性。这项研究的结果表明,当蛋白质是主要氮源时,Rhb1通过控制SAP2的表达与细胞生长相关。这个过程涉及TOR信号通路的各种成分,包括Tor1激酶及其下游效应器。TOR信号传导不仅控制SAP2的转录,还可能通过一般氨基酸控制来影响Sap2蛋白水平。DNA微阵列分析确定了除SAP2之外Rhb1下游的其他靶基因。这些发现为营养物质、Rhb1-TOR信号传导和白色念珠菌毒力因子的表达提供了新的见解。