Wang Yue
Candida albicans Biology Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, and Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
J Microbiol. 2016 Mar;54(3):170-7. doi: 10.1007/s12275-016-5550-9. Epub 2016 Feb 27.
The fungal human pathogen Candida albicans can cause invasive infection with high mortality rates. A key virulence factor is its ability to switch between three morphologies: yeast, pseudohyphae and hyphae. In contrast to the ovalshaped unicellular yeast cells, hyphae are highly elongated, tube-like, and multicellular. A long-standing question is what coordinates all the cellular machines to construct cells with distinct shapes. Hyphal-specific genes (HSGs) are thought to hold the answer. Among the numerous HSGs found, only UME6 and HGC1 are required for hyphal development. UME6 encodes a transcription factor that regulates many HSGs including HGC1. HGC1 encodes a G1 cyclin which partners with the Cdc28 cyclin-dependent kinase. Hgc1-Cdc28 simultaneously phosphorylates and regulates multiple substrates, thus controlling multiple cellular apparatuses for morphogenesis. This review is focused on major progresses made in the past decade on Hgc1's roles and regulation in C. albicans hyphal development and other traits important for infection.
真菌人类病原体白色念珠菌可引发侵袭性感染，死亡率很高。一个关键的毒力因子是其在三种形态之间转换的能力：酵母态、假菌丝态和菌丝态。与椭圆形的单细胞酵母细胞不同，菌丝高度细长，呈管状且为多细胞结构。一个长期存在的问题是，是什么协调了所有细胞机制来构建具有不同形状的细胞。菌丝特异性基因（HSGs）被认为是答案所在。在已发现的众多HSGs中，只有UME6和HGC1是菌丝发育所必需的。UME6编码一种转录因子，可调控包括HGC1在内的许多HSGs。HGC1编码一种G1细胞周期蛋白，它与细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶Cdc28相互作用。Hgc1-Cdc28同时磷酸化并调控多个底物，从而控制多个用于形态发生的细胞机制。本综述聚焦于过去十年中在Hgc1在白色念珠菌菌丝发育中的作用及调控以及对感染重要的其他特征方面取得的主要进展。
