Pseudohyphal growth of the emerging pathogen Candida auris is triggered by genotoxic stress through the S phase checkpoint [article]

Gustavo Bravo Ruiz, Zoe K. Ross, Neil A. R. Gow, Alexander Lorenz
2019 biorxiv/medrxiv   pre-print
The morphogenetic switching between yeast cells and filaments (true hyphae and pseudohyphae) is a key cellular feature required for full virulence in many polymorphic fungal pathogens, such as Candida albicans. In the recently emerged yeast pathogen Candida auris, occasional elongation of cells has been reported. However, environmental conditions and genetic triggers for filament formation have remained elusive. Here, we report that induction of DNA damage and perturbation of replication forks
more » ... y treatment with genotoxins, such as hydroxyurea, methyl methanesulfonate, and the clinically relevant fungistatic 5-fluorocytosine, causes filamentation in C. auris. The filaments formed were characteristic of pseudohyphae and not parallel-sided true hyphae. Pseudohyphal growth is apparently signalled through the S phase checkpoint and, interestingly, is Tup1-independent in C. auris. Intriguingly, the morphogenetic switching capability is strain-specific in C. auris, highlighting the heterogenous nature of the species as a whole.
doi:10.1101/832931 fatcat:mlemhhpx4jailnudnlfo2eynzq