Dimorphism and pathogenicity of the opportunistic Ascomycota Candida albicans Chapter uri icon

abstract

  • Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that belongs to theSaccharomycetaceae family of ascomycota fungi. C. albicans is responsible for local and systemicinfections, mainly in immunocompromised patients. Inside the host, it has the ability to form biofilms,to adapt to different environmental pressures and to switch between yeast and filamentous forms. Themolecular mechanisms behind dimorphic transition in C. albicans and its relation to pathogenesis arescientific highlights, and many efforts have been done to understand and identify key regulators in thisprocess. In the present chapter, we review many important regulators of yeast-to-hypha transition in C.albicans, including transcription factors, signaling mediated by cAMP and MAPK pathways, pHdependent morphological transitions and the role of important growth regulators such as polyamines.Even so information on new molecules is still needed to fully understand the mechanisms governingdimorphism in C. albicans. © 2012 Bentham Science Publishers. All rights reserved.

publication date

  • 2012-01-01