Candida albicans VPS1 contributes to protease secretion, filamentation, and biofilm formation

Fungal Genet Biol. 2008 Jun;45(6):861-77. doi: 10.1016/j.fgb.2008.01.001. Epub 2008 Jan 26.

Abstract

To investigate the pre-vacuolar secretory pathway in Candida albicans, we cloned and analyzed the C. albicans homolog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuolar protein sorting gene VPS1. C. albicans VPS1 encodes a predicted 694-aa dynamin-like GTPase that is 73.3% similar to S. cerevisiae Vps1p. Plasmids bearing C. albicans VPS1 complemented the temperature-sensitive growth, abnormal class F vacuolar morphology, and carboxypeptidase missorting of a S. cerevisiae vps1 null mutant. To study VPS1 function in C. albicans, a conditional mutant strain (tetR-VPS1) was generated by deleting the first allele of VPS1 and placing the second allele under control of a tetracycline-regulatable promoter. With doxycycline, the tetR-VPS1 mutant was hyper-susceptible to sub-inhibitory concentrations of fluconazole, but not amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, or non-specific osmotic stresses. The repressed tetR-VPS1 mutant was defective in filamentation and secreted less extracellular protease activity. Biofilm production and filamentation within the biofilm were markedly reduced. These results suggest that C. albicans VPS1 has a key role in several important virulence-related phenotypes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Biofilms / growth & development*
  • Candida albicans / drug effects
  • Candida albicans / enzymology*
  • Candida albicans / genetics
  • Candida albicans / physiology*
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
  • Genetic Complementation Test
  • Osmotic Pressure
  • Peptide Hydrolases / metabolism*
  • Protein Transport
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Vacuoles / metabolism
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins
  • Peptide Hydrolases
  • GTP-Binding Proteins
  • VPS1 protein, S cerevisiae