Morphogenesis-independent regulation of actin transcript levels in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans

The transcript level of the Candida albicans ACT1 gene (encoding actin) is strongly regulated during induction of hyphal morphogenesis. ACT1 mRNA declines rapidly during starvation pretreatment and quickly recovers in media inducing morphogenesis. The C. albicans URA3 and LEU2 mRNAs, as well as an ACT1 promoter/LAC4 fusion, are regulated similarly. The regulation of ACT1/LAC4 and unaltered mRNA stabilities suggest transcriptional regulation during morphogenesis. However, by individually testing morphogenesis induction parameters, it is shown that starvation and growth phase, but not hyphal formation, are responsible for ACT1 transcript regulation; this conclusion is confirmed by analyses of morphological mutants and by inhibition of hyphal development. Thus, the specific morphogenesis-induction conditions, but not morphogenesis per se, affect transcript levels in C. albicans.