An integrin-like protein in Candida albicans: implications for pathogenesis.

Candida albicans is the foremost fungal pathogen in neonates, diabetics and immunocompromised people. The discovery of integrin-like proteins in this yeast and the involvement of these proteins in adhesion, morphogenesis and signal transduction suggest important roles for primitive integrins in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, and as paradigms for signaling and differentiation in vertebrate cells.