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A MAP kinase pathway is implicated in the pseudohyphal induction by hydrogen peroxide in Candica albicans

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Molecules and Cells

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) functions as a ubiquitous intracellular messenger besides as an oxidative stress molecule. This dual role is based on the distinct cellular responses against different concentrations of H2O2. Previously, we demonstrated that both low (> 1 mM) and high (4–10 mM) doses of exogenous H2O2 induce filamentous growth with distinct cell morphology and growth rate in Candida albicans, suggesting the different transcription response. In this study, we revealed that the sub-toxic and toxic levels of H2O2 indeed induced pseudohyphae, but not true hyphae. Supporting this, several hyphae-specific genes that are expressed in true hyphae induced by serum were not detected in either sub-toxic or toxic H2O2 condition. A DNA microarray analysis was conducted to reveal the transcription profiles in cells treated with sub-toxic and toxic conditions of H2O2. Under the sub-toxic condition, a small number of genes involved in cell proliferation and metabolism were up-regulated, whereas a large number of genes were up-regulated in the toxic condition where the genes required for growth and proliferation were selectively restricted. For pseudohyphal induction by sub-toxic H2O2, Cek1 MAPK activating the transcription factor Cph1 was shown to be important. The absence of expression of several hyphae-specific genes known to be downstream targets of Cph1-signaling pathway for true hyphae formation suggests that the Cek1-mediated signaling pathway is not solely responsible for pseudohyphal formation by subtoxic H2O2 and, but instead, complex networking pathway may exists by the activation of different regulators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 120-750, Korea

    Kavitha Srinivasa, Jihyun Kim & Wonja Choi

  2. Microbial Resources Research Center, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 120-750, Korea

    Subog Yee & Wonja Choi

  3. Institute for Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, 442-749, Korea

    Wankee Kim

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  1. Kavitha Srinivasa
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  2. Jihyun Kim
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  4. Wankee Kim
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  5. Wonja Choi
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Correspondence to Wankee Kim or Wonja Choi.

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Srinivasa, K., Kim, J., Yee, S. et al. A MAP kinase pathway is implicated in the pseudohyphal induction by hydrogen peroxide in Candica albicans . Mol Cells 33, 183–193 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10059-012-2244-y

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