Role of Candida albicans Eed1 protein in morphogenesis and pathogenicity

Description: The human opportunistic fungus Candida albicans causes a wide range of infections including superficial, deep-seated and disseminated candidiasis. Its ability to switch from yeast to hyphal growth has been associated with the conversion from a colonizing to an invasive stage. The Eed1 (Epithelial Escape and Dissemination 1) protein is necessary for the maintenance of hyphal growth after a tightly regulated process has initiated the yeast-to-hyphal transition. The production of Quorum Sensing Molecules (QSM) is a mechanism modulating morphology in C. albicans populations observed In a cell density-dependent manner. The QSM farnesol inhibits germ tube formation through the repression of the cAMP- PKA signaling pathway [2], and recently, it has been shown that it can modulate morphology in preformed hyphal cells to induce their transition into yeast growth [3]. Based on the observation that morphology of an EED1 homozygous mutant strain (eed1?) was strongly affected by cell density, a putative role of EED1 in quorum sensing mechanisms has been proposed. To contribute to the elucidation of the exact role of EED1 in C. albicans filamentation, sequential deletion mutants of the gene were evaluated in vitro under different hypha-inducing conditions to i) assess the contribution of the different regions of the gene in its function and ii) study the potential role of EED1 in the response of C. albicans to quorum sensing with a focus on farnesol

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