SRA

The yeast-filament transition is essential for the virulence of a variety of fungi that are pathogenic to humans. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a ubiquitous molecule in both the environment and host, is one of the most potent inducers of filamentation in Candida albicans and thermally dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis. However, GlcNAc suppresses rather than promotes filamentation in Candida tropicalis, a fungal species that is closely related to C. albicans. Furthermore, we discover that glucose induces filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Mutation and overexpression assays demonstrate that the conserved cAMP signaling pathway plays a central role in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. Activation of this pathway promotes filamentation in C. tropicalis, while inactivation of this pathway results in a serious growth defect in filamentation. By screening an overexpression library of 154 transcription factors, we have identified approximately 40 regulators of filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Although most of the regulators (e.g., Tec1, Gat2, Nrg1, Sfl1, Sfl2, and Ash1) demonstrate a conserved role in the regulation of filamentation, similar to their homologs in C. albicans or S. cerevisiae, some of them are specific to C. tropicalis. For example, Czf1 and Efh1 repress filamentation, while Wor1, Zcf3, and Hcm1 promote filamentation in C. tropicalis. Bcr1, Aaf1, and Csr1 play a specific role in the process of GlcNAc-regulated filamentation. Our findings indicate that multiple interconnected signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. These mechanisms have conserved and divergent features among different Candida species. Overall design: Total RNA profiles of cells grown in Lee''s glucose or Lee''s GlcNAc medium.