The Candida albicans Cdk8-dependent phosphoproteome reveals repression of hyphal growth through a Flo8-dependent pathway.

Ssn3, also known as Cdk8, is a member of the four protein Cdk8 submodule within the multi-subunit Mediator complex involved in the co-regulation of transcription. In Candida albicans, the loss of Ssn3 kinase activity affects multiple phenotypes including cellular morphology, metabolism, nutrient acquisition, immune cell interactions, and drug resistance. In these studies, we generated a strain in which Ssn3 was replaced with a functional variant of Ssn3 that can be rapidly and selectively inhibited by the ATP analog 3-MB-PP1.