1978-2006 C albicans: Structural Changes (Chitin, Lipids) Associated with Germ Tube, Mycelia, and Di-morphism - Long

1978-2006 C albicans: Structural Changes (Chitin, Lipids) Associated with Germ Tube, Mycelia, and Di-morphism.

Research Article excerpts. Click link to read more.
1978 Ultrastructural investigations of the formation
of Candida albicans germ tubes and septa
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/358432

>>Germ tubes, blastospores and pseudomycelia
of Candida albicans were studied
under the electron microscope.

>>Both germ tube and blastospore formation
begin with comparable changes
in the cell wall of the mother cell.

>>The major part of the germ tube wall
consists of the fourth of the five layers
forming the C. albicans cell wall.

>>Germ tubes are precursors of mycelia …
Septa and septal pores can be demonstrated in later phases.
Pseudomycelia can be clearly discerned
by means of transmission electron microscopy.

1983 Cell wall composition and protoplast regeneration
in Candida albicans.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6360042

>>The transition of blastospores to the mycelial phase
in Candida albicans was induced…

>>Glucan was the most abundant polymer in the wall
in the two morphogenetic forms
>>but the amount of chitin was higher in the mycelial form
than in blastospores.

>>After a few hours chitin was the most abundant polymer
found in the aberrant wall of the regenerating protoplast.

1983 An analysis of the metabolism and
cell wall composition of Candida albicans
during germ-tube formation
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/m83-233

>>The uptake of nutrients
(glucose, glutamine, and N-acetylglucosamine),
the intracellular concentrations of metabolites
(glucose-6-phosphate, cyclic AMP,
amino acids, trehalose, and glycogen) and
cell wall composition were studied in Candida albicans.

>>These analyses were carried out
with exponential-phase,
stationary-phase, and
starved yeast cells, and
during germ-tube formation.

>>Germ tubes formed during a 3-h incubation
of starved yeast cells (0.8 X 10(8) cells/mL)
at 37 degrees C during which time
the nutrients glucose plus glutamine
or N-acetylglucosamine (2.5 mM of each)
were completely utilized.

>>Control incubations with these nutrients
at 28 degrees C did not form germ tubes

>>The overall cell wall composition
of yeast cells and germ tube forming cells were similar:
lipid (2%, w/w);
protein (3-6%), and
carbohydrate (77-85%).

>>Analysis of the insoluble glucan fraction
from cells labelled with [14C]glucose
during germ-tube formation
showed that the chitin content
of the cell wall increased from 0.6% to 2.7% (w/w).

1986 Dimorphism-associated Variations in the Lipid Composition of Candida albicans
http://mic.sgmjournals.org/content/132/8/2367.short

>>The main objective of the present work
was to characterize and compare the lipids and
their constituent fatty acids
of yeast and mycelial forms
of C. albicans grown in the same cultures.

>>Apparently some mycelial forms
were producing blastospores (e.g. after 18 h) and
some blastospores were germinating again
into mycelia (e.g. after 96 h)
without any significant change in the total biomass.

>>At both phases of growth
the apolar and polar lipid fractions
from the mycelial forms
contained higher levels
of polyunsaturated fatty acids (18:2 and 18:3)
but lower levels of oleic acid (18:1)
than the corresponding fractions from the yeast forms.

1990 Variation in lipid and sterol contents in Candida albicans white and opaque phenotypes
http://www.springerlink.com/content/n173387646671h32/

>>In the white-opaque transition,
cells of Candida albicans strain WO-1
switch reversibly and at high frequency
between phases which differ
both in colony and cellular phenotype.

>>The lipid and sterol contents
of the two phases were compared.
White cells were higher in lipid and sterol contents
in both mid-exponential and stationary phase cultures.

>>White and opaque cells
varied in their fatty acid composition.
The former had higher proportions
of palmitoleic (16:1) and stearic (18:0)
but lower proportions of linoleic (18:2) fatty acids
than opaque cells.

>>Our results suggest that the lipid composition
(particularly sterol and polyunsaturated fatty acids)
of the opaque phenotype
resembles that of mycelial cultures.

1992 Phospholipid composition
and subcellular distribution
in yeast and mycelial forms of Candida albicans
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02681219280000461

>>Lipids were found
to constitute 3•9% and 4•7% of the dry weight
of yeast and mycelial forms
of Candida albicans, respectively.

>>Myristic acid and palmitic acid
were the predominant fatty acids
in the yeast form while
the mycelial form contained
palmitic, palmitoleic and oleic acid
as major fatty acids.

2006 Comparison of polar lipids
from yeast and mycelial forms
of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16367813

>>The aim of the present study
was to compare polar lipids
of yeast and mycelial forms
of both Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis.

>>For both species, it is concluded
that both fatty acid and
phospholipid molecular species compositions
differ according to whether the cells
are in the yeast or mycelial form.