Assembly of the Candida albicans genome into sixteen supercontigs aligned on the eight chromosomes

For Assembly 20 of the Candida albicans genome, the sequence of each of the eight chromosomes was determined, revealing new insights into gene family creation and dispersion, subtelomere organization, and chromosome evolution

A Human-Curated Annotation of the Candida albicans Genome

Recent sequencing and assembly of the genome for the fungal pathogen Candida albicans used simple automated procedures for the identification of putative genes. We have reviewed the entire assembly, both by hand and with additional bioinformatic resources, to accurately map and describe 6,354 genes and to identify 246 genes whose original database entries contained sequencing errors (or possibly mutations) that affect their reading frame. Comparison with other fungal genomes permitted the identification of numerous fungus-specific genes that might be targeted for antifungal therapy. We also observed that, compared to other fungi, the protein-coding sequences in the C. albicans genome are especially rich in short sequence repeats. Finally, our improved annotation permitted a detailed analysis of several multigene families, and comparative genomic studies showed that C. albicans has a far greater catabolic range, encoding respiratory Complex 1, several novel oxidoreductases and ketone body degrading enzymes, malonyl-CoA and enoyl-CoA carriers, several novel amino acid degrading enzymes, a variety of secreted catabolic lipases and proteases, and numerous transporters to assimilate the resulting nutrients. The results of these efforts will ensure that the Candida research community has uniform and comprehensive genomic information for medical research as well as for future diagnostic and therapeutic applications

A.S. Černjaev. - Šest' let s Gorbačevym — po dnevnikovym zapisjam (Six années avec Gorbatchev - d'après mon journal de bord)

Dignard Daniel. A.S. Černjaev. - Šest' let s Gorbačevym — po dnevnikovym zapisjam (Six années avec Gorbatchev - d'après mon journal de bord). In: Revue d'études comparatives Est-Ouest, vol. 26, 1995, n°1. pp. 182-183

A.S. Černjaev. - Šest' let s Gorbačevym — po dnevnikovym zapisjam (Six années avec Gorbatchev - d'après mon journal de bord)

Dignard Daniel. A.S. Černjaev. - Šest' let s Gorbačevym — po dnevnikovym zapisjam (Six années avec Gorbatchev - d'après mon journal de bord). In: Revue d'études comparatives Est-Ouest, vol. 26, 1995, n°1. pp. 182-183

SST2, a Regulator of G-Protein Signaling for the Candida albicans Mating Response Pathway

Candida albicans contains a functional mating response pathway that is similar to the well-studied system of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have characterized a regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) homolog in C. albicans with sequence similarity to the SST2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Disruption of this gene, which had been designated SST2, causes an opaque MTLa/MTLa derivative of strain SC5314 to show hypersensitivity to the C. albicans α-factor. This hypersensitivity generates an enhanced cell cycle arrest detected in halo assays but reduces the overall mating efficiency of the cells. Transcriptional profiling of the pheromone-regulated gene expression in the sst2 mutant shows a pattern of gene induction similar to that observed in wild-type cells, but the responsiveness is heightened. This involvement of an RGS in the sensitivity to pheromone is consistent with the prediction that the mating response pathway in C. albicans requires the activation of a heterotrimeric G protein

Heterotrimeric G-Protein Subunit Function in Candida albicans: both the α and β Subunits of the Pheromone Response G Protein Are Required for Mating▿

A pheromone-mediated signaling pathway that couples seven-transmembrane-domain (7-TMD) receptors to a mitogen-activated protein kinase module controls Candida albicans mating. 7-TMD receptors are typically connected to heterotrimeric G proteins whose activation regulates downstream effectors. Two Gα subunits in C. albicans have been identified previously, both of which have been implicated in aspects of pheromone response. Cag1p was found to complement the mating pathway function of the pheromone receptor-coupled Gα subunit in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Gpa2p was shown to have a role in the regulation of cyclic AMP signaling in C. albicans and to repress pheromone-mediated arrest. Here, we show that the disruption of CAG1 prevented mating, inactivated pheromone-mediated arrest and morphological changes, and blocked pheromone-mediated gene expression changes in opaque cells of C. albicans and that the overproduction of CAG1 suppressed the hyperactive cell cycle arrest exhibited by sst2 mutant cells. Because the disruption of the STE4 homolog constituting the only C. albicans gene for a heterotrimeric Gβ subunit also blocked mating and pheromone response, it appears that in this fungal pathogen the Gα and Gβ subunits do not act antagonistically but, instead, are both required for the transmission of the mating signal

A conserved Gbeta binding (GBB) sequence motif in Ste20p/PAK family protein kinases

NRC publication: Ye

A conserved Gbeta binding (GBB) sequence motif in Ste20p/PAK family protein kinases

NRC publication: Ye