Transcriptomics in human blood incubation reveals the importance of oxidative stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae clinical strains.

Background: In recent years an increasing number of yeast infections in humans have been related to certain clinical isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some clinical strains showed in vivo and in vitro virulence traits and were able to cause death in mice whereas other clinical strains were avirulent.

Results: In this work, we studied the transcriptional profiles of two S.

Role of pH-regulated antigen 1 of Candida albicans in the fungal recognition and antifungal response of human neutrophils.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human-pathogenic fungus, which can cause superficial but also life-threatening invasive infections. The pH-regulated antigen 1 (Pra1) of C. albicans is a surface-associated and secreted protein highly expressed in the hyphal form.

The Candida albicans-specific gene EED1 encodes a key regulator of hyphal extension.

The extension of germ tubes into elongated hyphae by Candida albicans is essential for damage of host cells. The C. albicans-specific gene EED1 plays a crucial role in this extension and maintenance of filamentous growth.

Proteolytic cleavage of covalently linked cell wall proteins by Candida albicans Sap9 and Sap10.

The cell wall of the human-pathogenic fungus Candida albicans is a robust but also dynamic structure which mediates adaptation to changing environmental conditions during infection. Sap9 and Sap10 are cell surface-associated proteases which function in C. albicans cell wall integrity and interaction with human epithelial cells and neutrophils.

Interaction of pathogenic yeasts with phagocytes: survival, persistence and escape.

Pathogenic yeasts, either from the environment or the normal flora, have to face phagocytic cells that constitute the first line of defence during infection. In order to evade or counteract attack by phagocytes, pathogenic yeasts have acquired a repertoire of strategies to survive, colonize and infect the host. In this review we focus on the interaction of yeasts, such as Candida, Histoplasma or Cryptococcus species, with macrophages or neutrophils.

Candida glabrata tryptophan-based pigment production via the Ehrlich pathway.

Pigments contribute to the pathogenicity of many fungi, mainly by protecting fungal cells from host defence activities. Here, we have dissected the biosynthetic pathway of a tryptophan-derived pigment of the human pathogen Candida glabrata, identified key genes involved in pigment production and have begun to elucidate the possible biological function of the pigment. Using transcriptional analyses and a transposon insertion library, we have identified genes associated with pigment production.

The glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protease Sap9 modulates the interaction of Candida albicans with human neutrophils.

Human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) play a major role in the immune defense against invasive Candida albicans infection. This fungal pathogen produces a set of aspartic proteases that directly contributes to virulence properties such as adhesion, tissue invasion, and immune evasion. We show here that, in contrast to other secreted proteases, the cell surface-associated isoform Sap9 has a major impact on the recognition of C.