Superoxide dismutases in Candida albicans: transcriptional regulation and functional characterization of the hyphal-induced SOD5 gene.

CuZn superoxide dismutases in Candida albicans: Transcriptional regulation and functional characterization of the hyphal induced SOD5 gene

Down-Regulation of the ALS3 Gene as a Consequent Effect of RNA-Mediated Silencing of the EFG1 Gene in Candida albicans

Background: The most important virulence factor which plays a central role in Candida albicans pathogenesis is the ability of this yeast to alternate between unicellular yeast and filamentous hyphal forms. Efg1 protein is thought to be the main positive regulating transcription factor, which is responsible for regulating hyphal-specific gene expression under most conditions. ALS3 is one of the ...

Candida albicans SOD5 represents the prototype of an unprecedented class of Cu-only superoxide dismutases required for pathogen defense.

The human fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Histoplasma capsulatum have been reported to protect against the oxidative burst of host innate immune cells using a family of extracellular proteins with similarity to Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). We report here that these molecules are widespread throughout fungi and deviate from canonical SOD1 at the primary, tertiary, and quaternary le...

Candida albicans FRE8 encodes a member of the NADPH oxidase family that produces a burst of ROS during fungal morphogenesis

Until recently, NADPH oxidase (NOX) enzymes were thought to be a property of multicellularity, where the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NOX acts in signaling processes or in attacking invading microbes through oxidative damage. We demonstrate here that the unicellular yeast and opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans is capable of a ROS burst using a member of the NOX enzyme f...

Candida albicans cell surface superoxide dismutases degrade host-derived reactive oxygen species to escape innate immune surveillance

Mammalian innate immune cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the oxidative burst reaction to destroy invading microbial pathogens. Using quantitative real-time ROS assays, we show here that both yeast and filamentous forms of the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans trigger ROS production in primary innate immune cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells. Through a...