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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

An Ex vivo Assay to Study Candida albicans Hyphal Morphogenesis in the Gastrointestinal Tract
Published on: July 1, 2020
Dosage-dependent roles of the Cwt1 transcription factor for cell wall architecture, morphogenesis, drug sensitivity
Inmaculada Moreno1, María Martinez-Esparza, Leslie Carolina Laforet
1GMCA Research Group, Departamento de Microbiología y Ecología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Avenida Vicente Andrés Estellés s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
Abstract:
The Cwt1 transcription factor is involved in cell wall architecture of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. We demonstrate here that deficiency of Cwt1 leads to decreased beta1,6-glucan in the cell wall, while mannoproteins are increased in the cell wall of exponentially growing cells and are released into the medium of stationary phase cells. Hyphal morphogenesis of cwt1 mutants is reduced on the surfaces of some inducing media. Unexpectedly, the CWT1/cwt1 heterozygous strains shows some stronger in vitro phenotypes compared to the homozygous mutant. The heterozygous but not the homozygous strain is also strongly impaired for its virulence in a mouse model of systemic infection. We suggest that an intermediate dosage of Cwt1 affects phenotypes profoundly, while its complete absence may elicit compensatory responses of C. albicans.
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