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Role of Aif1 in regulation of cell death under environmental stress in Candida albicans
Author(s) -
Ma Feiyang,
Zhang Yueqi,
Wang Yuzhou,
Wan Yajuan,
Miao Yunheng,
Ma Tianyu,
Yu Qilin,
Li Mingchun
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
yeast
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.923
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1097-0061
pISSN - 0749-503X
DOI - 10.1002/yea.3167
Subject(s) - candida albicans , biology , apoptosis , corpus albicans , mitochondrion , apoptosis inducing factor , programmed cell death , mutant , chromosomal translocation , virulence factor , reactive oxygen species , virulence , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene , caspase
Apoptosis‐inducing factor (AIF) is a conserved flavoprotein localized in the mitochondria, inducing apoptosis after translocation into the nucleus. However, its role in the important fungal pathogen, Candida albicans , remains to be investigated. In this study, we find that the C . albicans AIF protein Aif1, similar to its homologues in other organisms, is localized at the mitochondria and translocated into the nucleus under apoptosis‐inducing conditions. Moreover, deletion of AIF1 causes attenuated apoptosis in this pathogen under apoptosis‐inducing conditions, such as the treatment of 2 m m H 2 O 2 , 10 m m acetic acid or 0.08 mg/l caspofungin, and its overexpression enhances this process. Interestingly, treatment with high levels of these agents leads to reversed sensitivity of aif1 Δ/Δ and the overexpression strain AIF1ov . In addition, the virulence of C . albicans is not affected by deletion or overexpression of AIF1 . Hence, C . albicans Aif1, as a mitochondria‐localized protein, plays a dual role in the regulation of cell death under different concentrations of the stress‐caused agents. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.