Receptor-mediated elevation of adenylate cyclase by luteinizing hormone in Candida albicans

Abstract

Human luteinizing hormone (hLH) and the GTP analogue guanosine 5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate stimulated morphogenesis in the dimorphic fungal pathogen Candida albicans. hLH bound specifically to subcellular fractions from C. albicans and stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in C. albicans microsomes. We provide the first demonstration of guanine-nucleotide-binding protein (G-proteins) in C. albicans, and propose that the stimulation of C. albicans morphogenesis by hLH is mediated by a receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system involving G-proteins.