Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen and the major cause of human fungal infections. It is a commensal organism that is found in the majority of immunocompetent individuals; however, it causes superficial mucosal infections and life-threatening systemic infections particularly in those who are immunocompromised. The morphology of this fungus changes from yeast to filamentous forms, and this dimorphic transition is linked to its virulence. The long-term goals of this project are to understand the molecular mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis. The immediate goals are to investigate the homeodomain transcription factor Grf10, which is important for cells to undergo the dimorphic transition, by investigating its co-regulators and regulated genes. Co-regulators will be identified using protein interaction assays and biochemical purification, and regulated genes will be investigated by examining RNA levels. The results of these experiments will increase our understanding of the molecular pathways necessary for filamentation of Candida albicans, an important fungal pathogen, and may provide new strategies for therapeutic targets.
Candida albicans is a significant human health threat, primarily affecting those who are immunocompromised. This proposal investigates the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in virulence and metabolism that are important for pathogenesis. Understanding the role of transcription factors in pathogenesis will allow us new insights into this process and provide potentially new targets for drugs that will block this process.
| Wangsanut, Tanaporn; Tobin, Joshua M; Rolfes, Ronda J (2018) Functional Mapping of Transcription Factor Grf10 That Regulates Adenine-Responsive and Filamentation Genes in Candida albicans. mSphere 3: |
| Wangsanut, Tanaporn; Ghosh, Anup K; Metzger, Peter G et al. (2017) Grf10 and Bas1 Regulate Transcription of Adenylate and One-Carbon Biosynthesis Genes and Affect Virulence in the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans. mSphere 2: |
