20817114
not annotated - annotated - LINNAEUS only
Activation of the heat shock transcription factor Hsf1 is essential for the full virulence of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans.
The evolutionarily conserved heat shock transcription factor Hsf1 plays a central role in thermal adaptation in the major fungal pathogen of humans, Candida albicans. Hsf1 becomes hyperphosphorylated in response to heat shock and activates the transcription of genes with heat shock elements (HSEs) in their promoters, these genes contributing to thermal adaptation. However, the relevance of Hsf1 activation to C. albicans virulence is not clear as this pathogen is thought to be obligately associated with warm blooded animals, and this issue has not been tested because HSF1 is essential for viability in C. albicans. In this study, we demonstrate that the HSE regulon is active in C. albicans cells infecting the kidney. We also show the CE2 region of Hsf1 is required for activation and that the phosphorylation of specific residues in this domain contributes to Hsf1 activation. C. albicans HSF1 mutants that lack this CE2 region are viable. However, they are unable to activate HSE-containing genes in response to heat shock, and they are thermosensitive. Using this HSF1 CE2 deletion mutant we demonstrate that Hsf1 activation, and hence thermal adaptation, contributes significantly to the virulence of C. albicans.
Ann file
T1 Species 114 130 Candida albicans
N1 Reference T1 Taxonomy:5476
T2 Species 275 281 humans
N2 Reference T2 Taxonomy:9606
T3 Species 283 299 Candida albicans
N3 Reference T3 Taxonomy:5476
T4 Species 546 557 C. albicans
N4 Reference T4 Taxonomy:5476
T5 Species 742 753 C. albicans
N5 Reference T5 Taxonomy:5476
T6 Species 819 830 C. albicans
N6 Reference T6 Taxonomy:5476
T7 Species 1019 1030 C. albicans
N7 Reference T7 Taxonomy:5476
T8 Species 1346 1357 C. albicans
N8 Reference T8 Taxonomy:5476