The impact of ORF19.36.1 in the pathobiology of Candida albicans

Glaucia Sayuri Arita; Qinxi Ma; Ian Leaves; Arnab Pradhan; Emer Hickey; Ivy Dambuza; Attila Bebes; Pollyanna Cristina Vincenzi Conrado; Camila Barros Galinari; Flávio Augusto Vicente Seixas; Érika Seki Kioshima; Patrícia de Souza Bonfim-Mendonça; Terezinha Inez Estivalet Svidzinski; Alistair J P Brown

doi:10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106437

The impact of ORF19.36.1 in the pathobiology of Candida albicans

Microb Pathog. 2023 Dec:185:106437. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106437. Epub 2023 Oct 31.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, Laboratory of Medical Mycology, State University of Maringa, T20 Building, Room 203, Colombo Avenue, 5790 - Zone 7, Maringá, PR, 87020-900, Brazil.
² Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
³ Centre for Cytomics, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
⁴ Department of Technology, State University of Maringa, Ângelo Moreira da Fonseca Avenue, 1800 - Danielle Park, Umuarama, PR, 87506-370, Brazil.
⁵ Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, Laboratory of Medical Mycology, State University of Maringa, T20 Building, Room 203, Colombo Avenue, 5790 - Zone 7, Maringá, PR, 87020-900, Brazil. Electronic address: tiesvidzinski@uem.br.

PMID: 37913825
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106437

Abstract

Background: Our previous proteomics data obtained from Candida albicans recovered after serial passage in a murine model of systemic infection revealed that Orf19.36.1 expression correlates with the virulence of the fungus. Therefore, the impact of ORF19.36.1 upon virulence was tested in this study.

Materials & methods: CRISPR-Cas9 technology was used to construct homozygous C. albicans orf19.36.1 null mutants and the phenotypes of these mutants examined in vitro (filamentation, invasion, adhesion, biofilm formation, hydrolase activities) and in vivo assays.

Results: The deletion of ORF19.36.1 did not significantly impact the phenotypes examined or the virulence of C. albicans in two infection models.

Conclusion: These results suggest that, although Orf19.36.1 expression correlates with virulence, this protein is not essential for C. albicans pathobiology.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; Gene deletion; Pathogenicity; Phenotype; Systemic candidiasis; Virulence.

MeSH terms

Animals
Candida albicans*
Candidiasis* / microbiology
Fungal Proteins* / genetics
Fungal Proteins* / metabolism
Mice
Virulence / genetics

Substances

Fungal Proteins