title: Critical role for CaFEN1 and CaFEN12 of Candida albicans in cell wall integrity and biofilm formation
creator: Alfatah, Md.
creator: Bari, Vinay K.
creator: Nahar, Anubhav S.
creator: Bijlani, Swati
creator: Ganesan, K.
subject: QR Microbiology
description: Sphingolipids are involved in several cellular functions, including maintenance of cell wall integrity. To gain insight into the role of individual genes of sphingolipid biosynthetic pathway, we have screened Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains deleted in these genes for sensitivity to cell wall perturbing agents calcofluor white and congo red. Only deletants of FEN1 and SUR4 genes were found to be sensitive to both these agents. Candida albicans strains deleted in their orthologs, CaFEN1 and CaFEN12, respectively, also showed comparable phenotypes, and a strain deleted for both these genes was extremely sensitive to cell wall perturbing agents. Deletion of these genes was reported earlier to sensitise cells to amphotericin B (AmB), which is a polyene drug that kills the cells mainly by binding and sequestering ergosterol from the plasma membrane. Here we show that their AmB sensitivity is likely due to their cell wall defect. Further, we show that double deletant of C. albicans is defective in hyphae formation as well as biofilm development. Together this study reveals that deletion of FEN1 and SUR4 orthologs of C. albicans leads to impaired cell wall integrity and biofilm formation, which in turn sensitise cells to AmB.
publisher: Nature Publishing Group
date: 2017
type: Article
type: PeerReviewed
relation: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep40281
identifier:   Alfatah, Md. and Bari, Vinay K. and Nahar, Anubhav S. and Bijlani, Swati and Ganesan, K.  (2017) Critical role for CaFEN1 and CaFEN12 of Candida albicans in cell wall integrity and biofilm formation.  Scientific Reports, 7.   ISSN 2045-2322     
relation: http://crdd.osdd.net/open/1932/