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Candida parapsilosis fat storage-inducing transmembrane (FIT) protein 2 regulates lipid droplet formation and impacts

Long N Nguyen1, Zsuzsanna Hamari, Bert Kadereit

  • 1Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA.

Microbes and Infection
|March 15, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Neutral lipid storage in lipid droplets is crucial for pathogenic fungi like Candida parapsilosis. Disrupting FIT2 genes reduces lipid droplets, impacting fungal growth, stress resistance, and virulence.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Mycology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Neutral lipid storage in lipid droplets (LDs) is vital in many species.
  • The role of LDs in pathogenic fungi remains understudied.
  • Candida parapsilosis is an emerging fungal pathogen with significant clinical implications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of Fat storage-Inducing Transmembrane (FIT) protein 2 in Candida parapsilosis.
  • To determine the role of LDs in the biology and pathogenicity of Candida parapsilosis.

Main Methods:

  • Gene disruption of FIT2 in Candida parapsilosis.
  • Analysis of lipid droplet formation and lipid content.
  • Assessment of fungal growth, stress response, and virulence in murine models.

Main Results:

  • FIT2 gene disruption significantly reduced LD formation and triacylglycerol accumulation.
  • FIT2 disruptants showed reduced growth in rich medium when de novo fatty acid synthesis was inhibited.
  • FIT2 deletion mutants exhibited increased sensitivity to oxidative stress and were attenuated in murine infection models.

Conclusions:

  • LDs, regulated by FIT2, play a critical role in Candida parapsilosis proliferation, stress adaptation, and virulence.
  • Targeting LD biogenesis could be a potential strategy against Candida parapsilosis infections.

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