The Role of Septin CDC3 in Cell Wall Integrity in Candida albicans
Advisor Information
Jill Blankenship
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
7-3-2014 9:00 AM
End Date
7-3-2014 12:00 PM
Abstract
Candida albicans is a common commensal yeast found within the majority of the population. It is the most common cause of vaginal yeast infections in women and diaper rash among infants and can cause serious systemic disease in immunocompromised patients, patients with indwelling medical devices, and patients taking broad spectrum antibiotics. There has not been a significant decrease in the mortality rates of these susceptible patients in the last twenty years, while the susceptible population continues to grow. Previous work in the Blankenship lab has demonstrated that septins, highly-conserved GTP-binding proteins found at sites of cell separation, play a significant role in C. albicans response to the antifungal drug caspofungin (Blankenship et al 2010). Cdc3, one of the seven septin proteins found in C. albicans, serves as an anchor for the other septins and is an essential protein in this organism. My project has involved generating a construct to make a clean deletion of one copy of CDC3. The strain that we have created will be used as a starting point in investigations to identify regions of Cdc3 important for antifungal drug susceptibility and pathogenesis.
The Role of Septin CDC3 in Cell Wall Integrity in Candida albicans
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Candida albicans is a common commensal yeast found within the majority of the population. It is the most common cause of vaginal yeast infections in women and diaper rash among infants and can cause serious systemic disease in immunocompromised patients, patients with indwelling medical devices, and patients taking broad spectrum antibiotics. There has not been a significant decrease in the mortality rates of these susceptible patients in the last twenty years, while the susceptible population continues to grow. Previous work in the Blankenship lab has demonstrated that septins, highly-conserved GTP-binding proteins found at sites of cell separation, play a significant role in C. albicans response to the antifungal drug caspofungin (Blankenship et al 2010). Cdc3, one of the seven septin proteins found in C. albicans, serves as an anchor for the other septins and is an essential protein in this organism. My project has involved generating a construct to make a clean deletion of one copy of CDC3. The strain that we have created will be used as a starting point in investigations to identify regions of Cdc3 important for antifungal drug susceptibility and pathogenesis.