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Clarifying and Imaging Candida albicans Biofilms
Published on: March 6, 2020
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Cranberry-derived proanthocyanidins induce a differential transcriptomic response within Candida albicans urinary
Anitha Sundararajan1, Hallie S Rane2, Thiruvarangan Ramaraj1
1National Center for Genome Resources, Santa Fe, NM, United States of America.
Plos One
|August 9, 2018
Summary
Cranberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) were found to inhibit Candida albicans urinary biofilm formation by downregulating genes essential for iron acquisition and adhesion. This discovery offers a novel strategy for preventing hospital-acquired urinary tract infections.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Candida albicans causes hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs), often linked to catheter biofilms.
- Current antifungal treatments like azoles, echinocandins, and amphotericin B have limitations against these biofilms or in urinary tract settings.
- Novel strategies are crucial for preventing Candida UTIs, particularly those associated with urinary catheter biofilms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional pathways involved in Candida albicans urinary biofilm development.
- To understand how cranberry-derived proanthocyanidins (PACs) inhibit C. albicans biofilm formation.
- To analyze the transcriptome of C. albicans in artificial urine with and without PACs.
Main Methods:
- Cultivation of C. albicans biofilm and planktonic cells in artificial urine with or without PACs.
- Genome-wide gene expression analysis using RNA sequencing.
- Differential gene expression analysis with DESeq2 and pathway analysis with Cytoscape.
Main Results:
- Urinary biofilms showed significant upregulation of genes related to filamentation, adhesion, and drug transport, and downregulation of metabolic and nutrient response genes compared to planktonic cells.
- PAC treatment led to significant changes in 557 genes within urinary biofilms.
- Genes downregulated by PACs were primarily involved in iron starvation and adhesion pathways.
Conclusions:
- Urinary biofilms exhibit unique gene expression profiles compared to biofilms in other environments.
- Cranberry-derived PACs effectively interfere with the expression of key iron acquisition and adhesion genes in C. albicans urinary biofilms.
- PACs represent a promising natural compound for preventing Candida-associated urinary tract infections.
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