Endoplasmic reticulum alpha-glycosidases of Candida albicans are required for N glycosylation, cell wall integrity, and normal host-fungus interaction

Eukaryot Cell. 2007 Dec;6(12):2184-93. doi: 10.1128/EC.00350-07. Epub 2007 Oct 12.

Abstract

The cell surface of Candida albicans is enriched in highly glycosylated mannoproteins that are involved in the interaction with the host tissues. N glycosylation is a posttranslational modification that is initiated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where the Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2) N-glycan is processed by alpha-glucosidases I and II and alpha1,2-mannosidase to generate Man(8)GlcNAc(2). This N-oligosaccharide is then elaborated in the Golgi to form N-glycans with highly branched outer chains rich in mannose. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, CWH41, ROT2, and MNS1 encode for alpha-glucosidase I, alpha-glucosidase II catalytic subunit, and alpha1,2-mannosidase, respectively. We disrupted the C. albicans CWH41, ROT2, and MNS1 homologs to determine the importance of N-oligosaccharide processing on the N-glycan outer-chain elongation and the host-fungus interaction. Yeast cells of Cacwh41Delta, Carot2Delta, and Camns1Delta null mutants tended to aggregate, displayed reduced growth rates, had a lower content of cell wall phosphomannan and other changes in cell wall composition, underglycosylated beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase, and had a constitutively activated PKC-Mkc1 cell wall integrity pathway. They were also attenuated in virulence in a murine model of systemic infection and stimulated an altered pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine profile from human monocytes. Therefore, N-oligosaccharide processing by ER glycosidases is required for cell wall integrity and for host-fungus interactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Candida albicans / enzymology*
  • Cell Wall / metabolism
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / enzymology*
  • Female
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / metabolism
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / physiology*
  • Glycosylation
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Models, Biological
  • Monocytes / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / enzymology*
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Glycoside Hydrolases