The Genetics of Filamentation and Pathogenesis in Divergent Clinical C. albicans Isolates
Advisor Information
Jill Blankenship
Location
MBSC Ballroom - Poster #302 - U
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-3-2022 10:45 AM
End Date
4-3-2022 12:00 PM
Abstract
Abstract
C. albicans is a pathogenic yeast that lives on mucosal surfaces such as the human gastrointestinal tract and mouth (Hallen-Adams and Suhr, 2017). When C. albicans proliferates, it can cause disease ranging from cutaneous infections to lethal, systematic disease. Unique biological features, particularly its ability to filament, allows for this to occur. Filamentation is the growth feature of certain bacteria and yeast in which cells continue to elongate and then divide (Jaimes-Lizcano, Hunn, and Papadopoulos, 2014). This has long been agreed to be a major contributor to the pathogenicity found in C. albicans (Tsui, et al. 2016). Here, the effect of different environmental conditions on filamentation were tested. Cells were examined in liquid and solid filamentation assays that were developed for C. albicans research using the standard research strain used in almost all C. albicans work around the world. There is quite a bit of genetic divergence in strains that cause systemic disease, which is known to impact antifungal drug sensitivity. However, little is known about how well the standard strain models filamentation across clinical strains. We found that these divergent, clinical C. albicans strains from systemic infections vary, somewhat, in their ability to filament in liquid conditions but are largely unable to produce filaments in the standard solid filamentation assays used in the field.
Scheduling Link
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The Genetics of Filamentation and Pathogenesis in Divergent Clinical C. albicans Isolates
MBSC Ballroom - Poster #302 - U
Abstract
C. albicans is a pathogenic yeast that lives on mucosal surfaces such as the human gastrointestinal tract and mouth (Hallen-Adams and Suhr, 2017). When C. albicans proliferates, it can cause disease ranging from cutaneous infections to lethal, systematic disease. Unique biological features, particularly its ability to filament, allows for this to occur. Filamentation is the growth feature of certain bacteria and yeast in which cells continue to elongate and then divide (Jaimes-Lizcano, Hunn, and Papadopoulos, 2014). This has long been agreed to be a major contributor to the pathogenicity found in C. albicans (Tsui, et al. 2016). Here, the effect of different environmental conditions on filamentation were tested. Cells were examined in liquid and solid filamentation assays that were developed for C. albicans research using the standard research strain used in almost all C. albicans work around the world. There is quite a bit of genetic divergence in strains that cause systemic disease, which is known to impact antifungal drug sensitivity. However, little is known about how well the standard strain models filamentation across clinical strains. We found that these divergent, clinical C. albicans strains from systemic infections vary, somewhat, in their ability to filament in liquid conditions but are largely unable to produce filaments in the standard solid filamentation assays used in the field.
Additional Information (Optional)
John West (johnwest@unomaha.edu) and Akram Almansob (aalmansob@unomaha.edu) are contributors, but will not be presenting with me.