Evidence for the presence of pir-like proteins in Candida albicans

Pir proteins are unique proteins with internal repeat sequences that are reported to be present in the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They are covalently attached to the cell wall and can be released by mild alkali treatment. In this study the biotinylated cell wall preparations from Candida albicans and S. cerevisiae were extracted by alkali and beta-1,3 glucanase and analyzed in parallel. Among the four bands detected by streptavidin, two proteins were recognized by the antibody to the S. cerevisiae Pir protein Hsp150. The antibody also detected a high molecular mass protein secreted in the growth medium of C. albicans. Using S. cerevisiae HSP150/PIR2 gene as a probe, Southern and Northern hybridizations were performed with DNA and RNA of C. albicans. Hybridization with DNA digested with different restriction enzymes showed more than one hybridized fragment. An increased level of mRNA was found in heat shocked cells (37 degrees C for 45 min compared to 25 degrees C). Hybridization of ScHSP150 gene to mRNAs from cells grown in different media was also determined. Two transcripts of size approximately 3.5 kb and 2.0 kb were detected in mRNAs from cells grown in defined medium with glucose as carbon source or in the same medium supplemented with hemoglobin. The lower transcript of size 2.0 kb was absent in cells grown in medium with galactose as carbon source. A single band was also observed when cells were grown in rich medium. Together these results demonstrated the existence of beta1,3 glucan linked proteins in C. albicans, which are related to Pir family proteins of S. cerevisiae.