Regulatory circuitry governing morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans

4294 Cell Cycle Volume 11 issue 23 A common hallmark of many fungal species is the capacity to undergo cellular morphogenesis programs, which, for fungal pathogens, play critical roles in sexual reproduction, nutrient acquisition and virulence. Fungal morphogenesis comprises a diversity of processes, ranging from spore germination and branching in filamentous fungi such as the pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, arthroconidia production in dermatophyte fungal pathogens, filamentous mold to yeast morphogenesis of dimorphic fungal pathogens, such as Histoplasma capsulatum, and the morphogenetic transition from yeast to filamentous growth in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Morphogenesis can also influence mating in the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, or control nutrient acquisition under starvation conditions, as observed for S. cerevisiae. Importantly, for C. albicans, morphological changes can facilitate tissue invasion, enhance biofilm formation and promote host immune evasion, making morphogenesis a crucial component of fungal virulence. Given that morphogenesis is fundamental to fungal development and virulence traits, it is perhaps not surprising that it is subject to elaborate molecular regulation. Even in the well-characterized S. cerevisiae model system, our understanding of the regulatory circuitry involved remains incomplete. Therefore, we undertook a global analysis of the genetic determinants that govern the key morphogenetic transition from yeast to filamentous growth in two distinct Regulatory circuitry governing morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans