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Identification and functional characterization of Candida albicans CDC4
Jia-Ching Shieh1, Anne White, Yu-Che Cheng
1Department of Life Sciences, Chung Shan Medical University, No. 110, Sec. 1, Janguo N. Road, Taichung City, Taiwan, 40242, ROC. jcs@csmu.edu.tw
Journal of Biomedical Science
|October 18, 2005
Summary
The Candida albicans CDC4 gene complements mitotic defects in yeast but not meiotic ones. CaCDC4 is nonessential and critical for filamentous growth in C. albicans.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Yeast Genetics
- Cell Cycle Regulation
Background:
- The CDC4 gene is essential for cell cycle progression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, regulating both mitosis and meiosis.
- Homologues of CDC4 are found in various organisms, suggesting conserved functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize the CDC4 homologue from the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans (CaCDC4).
- To investigate the functional conservation and divergence of CaCDC4 compared to its S. cerevisiae counterpart, particularly in mitosis and meiosis.
Main Methods:
- Functional complementation of an S. cerevisiae cdc4-3 mutation using CaCDC4 expressed from its native promoter.
- Sequence analysis to identify conserved domains (F-box and WD-40 motifs).
- Testing CaCDC4's ability to rescue meiotic deficiencies in S. cerevisiae.
Main Results:
- CaCDC4 successfully complemented the mitotic defects of the S. cerevisiae cdc4-3 mutant.
- The predicted CaCDC4 protein shares 37% identity with S. cerevisiae Cdc4, with conserved F-box and WD-40 motifs crucial for mitosis.
- CaCDC4 failed to rescue meiotic deficiencies in S. cerevisiae, indicating functional divergence in meiosis.
- C. albicans CDC4 is nonessential and plays a critical role in filamentous growth in C. albicans.
Conclusions:
- CaCDC4 shares conserved functions with S. cerevisiae Cdc4 in mitosis, mediated by F-box and WD-40 domains.
- Significant functional divergence exists between CaCDC4 and S. cerevisiae Cdc4 regarding meiotic roles.
- CaCDC4 is nonessential for viability in C. albicans but is critical for its filamentous growth, highlighting a unique role in this pathogenic yeast.