Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 15 June 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202106.0386.v1 Review From Jekyll to Hyde: The yeast-hyphal transition of Candida albicans Eve Wai Ling Chow 1, Li Mei Pang 2 and Yue Wang 1,3* 1 Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673;
[email protected] 2 National Dental Research Institute Singapore (NDRIS), National Dental Centre Singapore, 5 Second Hospi- tal Ave, Singapore 168938;
[email protected] 3 Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medi- cal Drive, Singapore 117597 * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen of humans, accounting for 15% of nosocomial infections with an estimated attributable mortality of 47%. C. albicans is usually a benign member of the human microbiome in healthy people. Under constant exposure to highly dynamic environmen- tal cues in diverse host niches, C. albicans has successfully evolved to adapt to both commensal and pathogenic lifestyles. The ability of C. albicans to undergo a reversible morphological transition from yeast to filamentous forms is a well-established virulent trait. Over the past few decades, a signifi- cant amount of research has been carried out to understand the underlying regulatory mechanisms, signaling pathways, and transcription factors that govern the C. albicans yeast-to-hyphal transition. This review will summarize our current understanding of well-elucidated signal transduction path- ways that activate C. albicans hyphal morphogenesis in response to various environmental cues and the cell cycle machinery involved in the subsequent regulation and maintenance of hyphal morpho- genesis.