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Candida Pathogenicity Mechanisms
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Candida Pathogenicity Mechanisms

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogenesis and Disease Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2023) | Viewed by 30647

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jia-Ching Shieh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City 40201, Taiwan
2. Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City 40201, Taiwan
3. Immunology Research Center, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City 40201, Taiwan
Interests: Candida albicans; morphological plasticity; microbial molecular biology; epigenetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The polymorphic fungus Candida albicans is a member of the commensal microflora. C. albicans usually resides in individuals as harmless commensal life. However, C. albicans can cause superficial to life-threatening systemic infections. The pathogenesis of C. albicans is contributed to by multiple factors. The critical C. albicans molecules are those that facilitate the yeast-to-hypha transition, phenotypic switching, secretion of hydrolases, contact sensing, adhesion to host cells, biofilm formation, and assorted fitness attributes. The crucial host molecules are pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize C. albicans through its highly conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in addition to molecules of PRP-coupled antifungal innate immunity and inflammasomes. Other pathogenic Candida species present pathogenic features common or unique to C. albicans. Understanding the Candida pathogenicity mechanisms is key to tackling a Candida infection.

This SI intends to present new data on the pathogenicity mechanisms of Candida albicans and other pathogenic Candida species. Original articles and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Jia-Ching Shieh
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Candida
  • pathogenesis
  • yeast-to-hypha transition
  • phenotypic switching
  • secretion of hydrolases
  • contact sensing
  • adhesion to host cells
  • biofilm formation
  • pattern recognition receptors
  • antifungal innate immunity
  • inflammasomes

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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20 pages, 4800 KiB  
Article
Escherichia coli, but Not Staphylococcus aureus, Functions as a Chelating Agent That Exhibits Antifungal Activity against the Pathogenic Yeast Candida albicans
by Swagata Bose, Durg Vijai Singh, Tapan Kumar Adhya and Narottam Acharya
J. Fungi 2023, 9(3), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9030286 - 22 Feb 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4399
Abstract
Humans are colonized by diverse populations of microbes. Infections by Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, are a result of imbalances in the gut microbial ecosystem and are due to the suppressed immunity of the host. Here, we explored the potential [...] Read more.
Humans are colonized by diverse populations of microbes. Infections by Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, are a result of imbalances in the gut microbial ecosystem and are due to the suppressed immunity of the host. Here, we explored the potential effects of the polymicrobial interactions of C. albicans with Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive bacterium, and Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacterium, in dual and triple in vitro culture systems on their respective growth, morphology, and biofilms. We found that S. aureus promoted the fungal growth and hyphal transition of C. albicans through cell-to-cell contacts; contrarily, both the cell and cell-free culture filtrate of E. coli inhibited fungal growth. A yet to be identified secretory metabolite of E. coli functionally mimicked EDTA and EGTA to exhibit antifungal activity. These findings suggested that E. coli, but not S. aureus, functions as a chelating agent and that E. coli plays a dominant role in regulating excessive growth and, potentially, the commensalism of C. albicans. Using animal models of systemic candidiasis, we found that the E. coli cell-free filtrate suppressed the virulence of C. albicans. In general, this study unraveled a significant antimicrobial activity and a potential role in the nutritional immunity of E. coli, and further determining the underlying processes behind the E. coli–C. albicans interaction could provide critical information in understanding the pathogenicity of C. albicans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Candida Pathogenicity Mechanisms)
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17 pages, 2436 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Defensin-like Protein 1 for Its Anti-Biofilm and Anti-Virulence Properties for the Development of Novel Antifungal Drug against Candida auris
by Majid Rasool Kamli, Jamal S. M. Sabir, Maqsood Ahmad Malik and Aijaz Ahmad
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1298; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121298 - 14 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2490
Abstract
Candida auris has emerged as a pan-resistant pathogenic yeast among immunocompromised patients worldwide. As this pathogen is involved in biofilm-associated infections with serious medical manifestations due to the collective expression of pathogenic attributes and factors associated with drug resistance, successful treatment becomes a [...] Read more.
Candida auris has emerged as a pan-resistant pathogenic yeast among immunocompromised patients worldwide. As this pathogen is involved in biofilm-associated infections with serious medical manifestations due to the collective expression of pathogenic attributes and factors associated with drug resistance, successful treatment becomes a major concern. In the present study, we investigated the candidicidal activity of a plant defensin peptide named defensin-like protein 1 (D-lp1) against twenty-five clinical strains of C. auris. Furthermore, following the standard protocols, the D-lp1 was analyzed for its anti-biofilm and anti-virulence properties. The impact of these peptides on membrane integrity was also evaluated. For cytotoxicity determination, a hemolytic assay was conducted using horse blood. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values ranged from 0.047–0.78 mg/mL and 0.095–1.56 mg/mL, respectively. D-lp1 at sub-inhibitory concentrations potentially abrogated both biofilm formation and 24-h mature biofilms. Similarly, the peptide severely impacted virulence attributes in the clinical strain of C. auris. For the insight mechanism, D-lp1 displayed a strong impact on the cell membrane integrity of the test pathogen. It is important to note that D-lp1 at sub-inhibitory concentrations displayed minimal hemolytic activity against horse blood cells. Therefore, it is highly useful to correlate the anti-Candida property of D-lp1 along with anti-biofilm and anti-virulent properties against C. auris, with the aim of discovering an alternative strategy for combating serious biofilm-associated infections caused by C. auris. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Candida Pathogenicity Mechanisms)
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14 pages, 1784 KiB  
Article
The Role of Sfp1 in Candida albicans Cell Wall Maintenance
by Che-Kang Chang, Min-Chi Yang, Hsueh-Fen Chen, Yi-Ling Liao and Chung-Yu Lan
J. Fungi 2022, 8(11), 1196; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8111196 - 13 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3338
Abstract
The cell wall is the first interface for Candida albicans interaction with the surrounding environment and the host cells. Therefore, maintenance of cell wall integrity (CWI) is crucial for C. albicans survival and host-pathogen interaction. In response to environmental stresses, C. albicans undergoes [...] Read more.
The cell wall is the first interface for Candida albicans interaction with the surrounding environment and the host cells. Therefore, maintenance of cell wall integrity (CWI) is crucial for C. albicans survival and host-pathogen interaction. In response to environmental stresses, C. albicans undergoes cell wall remodeling controlled by multiple signaling pathways and transcription regulators. Here, we explored the role of the transcription factor Sfp1 in CWI. A deletion of the SFP1 gene not only caused changes in cell wall properties, cell wall composition and structure but also modulated expression of cell wall biosynthesis and remodeling genes. In addition, Cas5 is a known transcription regulator for C. albicans CWI and cell wall stress response. Interestingly, our results indicated that Sfp1 negatively controls the CAS5 gene expression by binding to its promoter element. Together, this study provides new insights into the regulation of C. albicans CWI and stress response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Candida Pathogenicity Mechanisms)
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8 pages, 1689 KiB  
Case Report
An Unconventional Oral Candidiasis in an Immunocompetent Patient
by Alessandra Fusco, Maria Contaldo, Vittoria Savio, Adone Baroni, Giuseppe A. Ferraro, Dario Di Stasio, Alberta Lucchese, Adriana Chiaromonte, Giovanna Donnarumma and Rosario Serpico
J. Fungi 2023, 9(3), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9030295 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 19591
Abstract
Oral candidiasis (OC) is an opportunistic fungal infection of the oral mucosae, sustained by Candida albicans or other non-albican Candida species (NAC), usually eradicated by conventional antifungals of the classes of azoles, polyenes, or derivative from echinocandins. OC usually occurs under predisposing local [...] Read more.
Oral candidiasis (OC) is an opportunistic fungal infection of the oral mucosae, sustained by Candida albicans or other non-albican Candida species (NAC), usually eradicated by conventional antifungals of the classes of azoles, polyenes, or derivative from echinocandins. OC usually occurs under predisposing local or systemic factors. C. lusitaniae is an opportunistic strain that is rarely responsible for human infection and occurs mainly in severe immunocompromised states. The present work reported an unconventional case of OC in an otherwise healthy immunocompetent woman sustained by C. lusitaniae and a multi-resistant strain of C. albicans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Candida Pathogenicity Mechanisms)
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