Methionine is required for cAMP-PKA mediated morphogenesis and virulence of Candida albicans

What is it about?

Candida albicans is the most common human opportunistic fungal pathogen. It causes many types of infections, some of which are deadly. This species is present in most healthy individuals as a commensal organism, mostly in the yeast form. Under certain conditions (altered microbiome, weakened immune system) it can cause disease and this is mostly associated with a change in morphology from yeast cells to hyphal cells as this form is used to penetrate tissues and escape from macrophages. Understanding the external signals that trigger this morphogenesis is important. We show that the amino acid methionine is important for this process. Methionine is taken up by the cell through the high affinity transporter Mup1 and subsequently incorporated into S-adenosylmethionine, which is then used for the synthesis of the polyamines. This process is essential for the activation of the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway resulting in the induction of morphogenesis, biofilm formation and virulence.

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