Strain variation in the Candida albicans iron limitation response

Abstract

A key virulence factor of Candida albicans is the ability to maintain iron homeostasis in the host where iron is scarce. We focused on a central iron regulator, SEF1 . We found that iron regulator Sef1 is required for growth, cell wall integrity, and genome integrity during iron limitation. The novel aspect of this work is the characterization of strain variation in a circuit that is required for survival in the host and the connection of iron acquisition to genome integrity in C. albicans .