Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
08:48
Bio-energetics Investigation of Candida albicans Using Real-time Extracellular Flux Analysis
Published on: March 19, 2019
Candida albicans iron acquisition within the host.
Ricardo S Almeida1, Duncan Wilson, Bernhard Hube
1Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
FEMS Yeast Research
|October 1, 2009
Summary
Candida albicans acquires essential iron from the host using specialized factors and pathways. This review details how the opportunistic pathogen exploits host iron sources, impacting its pathogenicity.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Microbial Pathogenesis
- Nutritional Immunology
Background:
- Candida albicans is a commensal and opportunistic fungal pathogen.
- Iron is essential for fungal survival, persistence, and virulence.
- The host environment is typically iron-limited, necessitating iron acquisition mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the strategies employed by Candida albicans for iron acquisition from host reservoirs.
- To elucidate the impact of these iron acquisition strategies on C. albicans pathogenicity.
- To compare C. albicans iron acquisition mechanisms with those of other pathogenic microorganisms.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of known and proposed iron acquisition strategies.
- Analysis of C. albicans' interaction with host iron-binding proteins.
- Comparative analysis of iron acquisition mechanisms across different pathogens.
Main Results:
- C. albicans utilizes diverse factors and pathways to acquire iron.
- Key host iron sources include hemoglobin, transferrin, lactoferrin, and ferritin.
- Exploitation of host iron is crucial for C. albicans' virulence and pathogenicity.
Conclusions:
- Candida albicans possesses sophisticated mechanisms to overcome host iron limitation.
- Understanding these strategies is vital for developing novel antifungal therapies.
- Iron acquisition is a critical determinant of C. albicans' success as a pathogen.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Candidiasis
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...
01:24Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Microbial activity plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and manganese, especially at the redox gradients characteristic of stratified aquatic environments. These cycles are driven by microbial transformations between oxidized and reduced forms of the metals, allowing organisms to exploit them for metabolic energy and structural purposes.Iron Cycling Across Redox GradientsIn neutral, oxygen-rich surface waters, iron is predominantly found in its oxidized, insoluble ferric...
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
01:28The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin
Essential proteins such as insulin or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and micronutrients such as iron enter a eukaryotic cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, the early endosomes fuse with the vesicles containing such receptor-ligand complexes and play a vital role in sorting the incoming ligands and receptors. While the ligands are either degraded inside the vesicle or released into the cytosol, their receptors are returned to the plasma membrane for further rounds of...