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Related Concept Videos

Candidiasis01:20

Candidiasis

Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by opportunistic species of Candida. It can affect various anatomical sites, including the skin, oral cavity, nails, and genitourinary tract. Among its forms, vaginal candidiasis is the most common type of mucosal infection. It typically results from the overgrowth of Candida albicans in the vaginal mucosa. Under normal conditions, C. albicans exists as a commensal organism within the vaginal microbiota, regulated by the dominance of lactobacilli, which...
Yeast Signaling01:28

Yeast Signaling

Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Visualization of Candida albicans in the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract Using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization
10:08

Visualization of Candida albicans in the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract Using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization

Published on: November 5, 2019

Why does Candida albicans switch?

David R Soll1

  • 1Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. david-soll@uiowa.edu

FEMS Yeast Research
|September 12, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Candida albicans opaque cells signal white cells to form biofilms, protecting pheromones essential for mating. This unique process differs from other fungi, linking switching, mating, and pathogenesis.

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Bio-energetics Investigation of Candida albicans Using Real-time Extracellular Flux Analysis

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Visualization of Candida albicans in the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract Using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization
10:08

Visualization of Candida albicans in the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract Using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization

Published on: November 5, 2019

An Ex vivo Assay to Study Candida albicans Hyphal Morphogenesis in the Gastrointestinal Tract
07:42

An Ex vivo Assay to Study Candida albicans Hyphal Morphogenesis in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Published on: July 1, 2020

Bio-energetics Investigation of Candida albicans Using Real-time Extracellular Flux Analysis
08:48

Bio-energetics Investigation of Candida albicans Using Real-time Extracellular Flux Analysis

Published on: March 19, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Mycology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • White-opaque switching in Candida albicans, discovered in 1987, is crucial for its mating process.
  • Unlike other hemiascomycetes, C. albicans requires this switch for mating, a phenomenon not fully understood.
  • Opaque cells release pheromones that induce white cells to form biofilms, aiding mating.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the hypothesis that biofilms facilitate C. albicans mating by protecting pheromone gradients.
  • To investigate the regulation and evolution of the pheromone response in C. albicans.
  • To examine the relationship between pheromone-enhanced white cell biofilms and asexual biofilms.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing discoveries and observations on white-opaque switching and mating in C. albicans.
  • Analysis of pheromone signaling pathways and biofilm formation mechanisms.
  • Comparative analysis with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other hemiascomycetes.

Main Results:

  • Opaque cells signal white cells to form biofilms, which protect pheromone gradients necessary for chemotropism and cell fusion.
  • This mechanism explains the unique mating requirement in C. albicans compared to other fungi.
  • Ancillary questions regarding pheromone response regulation, evolution, and biofilm types were raised.

Conclusions:

  • The formation of pheromone-enhanced biofilms by white cells is a key adaptation facilitating mating in Candida albicans.
  • Understanding this process provides insights into the complex interplay between switching, mating, and pathogenesis in C. albicans.
  • This research highlights a unique biological strategy in C. albicans not observed in related fungal species.