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Aquaporin in Candida : characterization of a functional water channel protein
Author(s) -
Carbrey Jennifer M.,
Cormack Brendan P.,
Agre Peter
Publication year - 2001
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.782
Subject(s) - candida albicans , biology , saccharomyces cerevisiae , aquaporin , xenopus , systemic candidiasis , yeast , corpus albicans , virulence , null cell , cell , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , cell culture , genetics , gene
Abstract The Candida albicans genome database contains one ORF with homology to aquaporins, AQY1 . Xenopus oocytes injected with cRNA encoding C. albicans Aqy1p displayed a coefficient of water permeability ( P f ) that was equivalent to the P f for oocytes injected with the cRNA of S. cerevisiae Aqy1p. In addition, as seen in Saccharomyces for Aqy1p and Aqy2p, deletion of AQY1 in C. albicans resulted in cells that were less sensitive than wild‐type to osmotic shock. In Saccharomyces , aquaporin null cells also have a cell surface that is more hydrophobic. However, unlike Saccharomyces , there was no effect on the cell surface hydrophobicity, flocculation or cell aggregation in aqy1 null C. albicans cells. Perhaps as a result, there was no difference between the virulence of C. albicans wild‐type and aqy1 null strains in a murine model for systemic candidiasis. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.