Morphogenesis in Candida albicans: How to stay focused

Abstract

Morphogenesis, such as the transition from budding to filamentous growth in Candida albicans, is a fundamental process that is of general interest both because of its cell biology and for its implication in host-pathogen interactions. Condition-specific transcriptome analyses and large-scale gene deletion or inactivation studies, together with forward and reverse genetic approaches, have uncovered a number of components involved in the regulation of the cellular reorganization that takes place in C. albicans during morphogenesis. This chapter will summarize the main components involved in cellular morphogenesis and provide an update of our knowledge of the regulatory steps that control the initiation and maintenance of polarized growth during C. albicans hyphal formation. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.