Interactions of Both Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic CUG Clade <i>Candida</i> Species with Macrophages Share a Conserved Transcriptional Landscape
Andrew W. Pountain, John R. Collette, W. M. Farrell, Michael Lorenz
Abstract
infection, we compared the transcriptional responses of C. albicans and related species to phagocytosis by macrophages, to understand the basis of variation in pathogenesis. This response, including the metabolic remodeling required for virulence in C. albicans, was strikingly conserved across the virulence spectrum. Macrophage responses to different species were also highly similar. This study indicates that important elements of host-pathogen interactions in C. albicans are not driven by adaptation to the mammalian host and improves our understanding of pathogenicity in opportunistic fungal species that are understudied but collectively impose a significant threat of their own.