Amino acid substitutions in specific proteins correlate with farnesol unresponsiveness in Candida albicans

The quorum-sensing molecule farnesol, in opportunistic yeast Candida albicans, modulates its dimorphic switch between yeast and hyphal forms, and biofilm formation. Although there is an increasing interest in farnesol as a potential antifungal drug, the molecular mechanism by which C. albicans responds to this molecule is still not fully understood.

A comparative genomic analysis between C. albicans strains that are naturally unresponsive to 30 µM of farnesol on TYE plates at 37 °C versus responsive strains uncovered new molecular determinants involved in the response to farnesol. While no signature gene was identified, amino acid changes in specific proteins were shown to correlate with the unresponsiveness to farnesol, particularly with substitutions in proteins known to be involved in the farnesol response. Although amino acid changes occur primarily in disordered regions of proteins, some amino acid changes were also found in known domains. Finally, the genomic investigation of intermediate-response strains showed that the non-response to farnesol occurs gradually following the successive accumulation of amino acid changes at specific positions.

It is known that large genomic changes, such as recombinations and gene flow (losses and gains), can cause major phenotypic changes in pathogens. However, it is still not well known or documented how more subtle changes, such as amino acid substitutions, play a role in the adaptation of pathogens. The present study shows that amino acid changes can modulate C. albicans yeast's response to farnesol. This study also improves our understanding of the network of proteins involved in the response to farnesol, and of the involvement of amino acid substitutions in cellular behavior.