Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A developmental program for Candida commensalism

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature Genetics

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Candida albicans is a frequent pathogen of immunologically compromised individuals, but it is an even more common commensal of healthy humans, where it resides in the gut in a benign state. A new study shows that a specific commensal form of the fungus is induced in the gut through a developmental program that downregulates virulence factors and induces metabolic functions, enabling it to thrive on the nutrients that are available in the large intestine without damaging its host.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: The various cell types of C. albicans, each with different roles in growth and disease in the human host.

References

  1. Pande, K., Chen, C. & Noble, S.M. Nat. Genet. 45, 1088–1091 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Brown, G.D. et al. Sci.Transl. Med. 4, 165rv13 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Miller, M.G. & Johnson, A.D. Cell 110, 293–302 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Gow, N.A.R. & Hube, B. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 15, 406–412 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neil A.R. Gow is in the Aberdeen Fungal Group, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.,

    Neil A R Gow

Authors
  1. Neil A R Gow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neil A R Gow.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing financial interests.

Source data

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gow, N. A developmental program for Candida commensalism. Nat Genet 45, 967–968 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.2737

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.2737

  • Springer Nature America, Inc.

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation