Abstract
We have previously characterized Pir32, a Candia albicans cell wall protein that we found to be involved in filamentation, virulence, chitin deposition, and resistance to oxidative stress. Other than defining the cell shape, the cell wall is critical for the interaction with the surrounding environment and the point of contact and interaction with the host surface. In this study, we applied tandem mass spectrometry combined with bioinformatics to investigate cell wall proteome changes in a pir32 null strain. A total of 16 and 25 proteins were identified exclusively in the null mutant strains grown under non-filamentous and filamentous conditions. These proteins included members of the PGA family with various functions, lipase and the protease involved in virulence, superoxide dismutases required for resisting oxidative stress, alongside proteins required for cell wall remodeling and synthesis such as Ssr1, Xog1, Dfg5 and Dcw1. In addition proteins needed for filamentation like Cdc42, Ssu81 and Ucf1, and other virulence proteins such as Als3, Rbt5, and Csa2 were also detected. The detection of these proteins in the mutant and their lack of detection in the wild type can explain the differential phenotypes previously observed.
Highlights
Candida albicans is normally found in many homeotherms as a benign commensal organism residing asymptomatically on mucosal surfaces and on the skin [1]
These proteins were identified by analyzing the MS/MS data acquired by MALDI TOF/TOF using MASCOT
When peptide sequences were not assigned to any protein, the obtained sequences were identified by blasting on the Candida genome database
Summary
Candida albicans is normally found in many homeotherms as a benign commensal organism residing asymptomatically on mucosal surfaces and on the skin [1]. Following an ecological shift or disturbance in the microbial flora, C. albicans becomes an opportunistic pathogen. Factors causing such disturbance include the uptake of broad-spectrum antibiotics, hormonal imbalances, malnutrition, and excessive carbohydrates intake [2]. Chemotherapy, xerostomia, organ transplantation, endocrine disorders, or HIV infection are at risk of developing a C. albicans infection ranging from local to systemic candidiasis [1, 3]. C. albicans has been reported to cause 250
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