White-opaque switching in Candida albicans
Curr Opin Microbiol, 12 (6):
650-4 (December 2009)Lohse, Matthew B Johnson, Alexander D AI49187/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United
States Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S.
Gov't Review England Current opinion in microbiology Curr Opin Microbiol.
2009 Dec;12(6):650-4. Epub 2009 Oct 23..Abstract
The human commensal yeast Candida albicans undergoes an epigenetic
switch between two distinct types of cells, referred to as white
and opaque. These two cell types differ in many respects, including
their cell and colony morphologies, their metabolic states, their
mating behaviors, their preferred niches in the host, and their interactions
with the host immune system. Each of the two cell types is heritable
for many generations and switching between them appears stochastic;
however, environmental cues can significantly alter the frequency
of switching. We review recent work on white-opaque switching, including
the establishment of the transcriptional circuit underlying this
switch, the identification of environmental signals that affect switching
rates, newly discovered differences between the two types of cells,
and the involvement of white-opaque switching in biofilm formation.
We also review recent speculation on the evolution and adaptive value
of white-opaque switching.