Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1987 Dec;169(12):5579–5588. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.12.5579-5588.1987

Unique phenotype of opaque cells in the white-opaque transition of Candida albicans.

J M Anderson 1, D R Soll 1
PMCID: PMC213989  PMID: 3316187

Abstract

Select strains of Candida albicans switch reversibly and at extremely high frequency between a white and an opaque colony-forming phenotype, which has been referred to as the white-opaque transition. Cells in the white phase exhibit a cellular phenotype indistinguishable from that of most standard strains of C. albicans, but cells in the opaque phase exhibit an unusually large, elongate cellular shape. In comparing the white and opaque cellular phenotypes, the following findings are demonstrated. (i) The surface of the cell wall of maturing opaque cells when viewed by scanning electron microscopy exhibits a unique pimpled, or punctate, pattern not observed in white cells or standard strains of C. albicans. (ii) The dynamics of actin localization which accompanies opaque-cell growth first follows the pattern of budding cells during early opaque-bud growth and then the pattern of hypha-forming cells during late opaque-bud growth. (iii) A hypha-specific cell surface antigen is also expressed on the surface of opaque budding cells. (iv) An opaque-specific surface antigen is distributed in a punctate pattern.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

5581Image
on p.5581
5583Image
on p.5583
5584Image
on p.5584
5586Image
on p.5586

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson J. M., Soll D. R. Differences in actin localization during bud and hypha formation in the yeast Candida albicans. J Gen Microbiol. 1986 Jul;132(7):2035–2047. doi: 10.1099/00221287-132-7-2035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson J. M., Soll D. R. Effects of zinc on stationary-phase phenotype and macromolecular synthesis accompanying outgrowth of Candida albicans. Infect Immun. 1984 Oct;46(1):13–21. doi: 10.1128/iai.46.1.13-21.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bedell G. W., Soll D. R. Effects of low concentrations of zinc on the growth and dimorphism of Candida albicans: evidence for zinc-resistant and -sensitive pathways for mycelium formation. Infect Immun. 1979 Oct;26(1):348–354. doi: 10.1128/iai.26.1.348-354.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bedell G. W., Werth A., Soll D. R. The regulation of nuclear migration and division during synchronous bud formation in released stationary phase cultures of the yeast Candida albicans. Exp Cell Res. 1980 May;127(1):103–113. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(80)90418-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Buffo J., Herman M. A., Soll D. R. A characterization of pH-regulated dimorphism in Candida albicans. Mycopathologia. 1984 Mar 15;85(1-2):21–30. doi: 10.1007/BF00436698. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. FREIFELDER D. Bud position in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Bacteriol. 1960 Oct;80:567–568. doi: 10.1128/jb.80.4.567-568.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Finney R., Langtimm C. J., Soll D. R. The programs of protein synthesis accompanying the establishment of alternative phenotypes in Candida albicans. Mycopathologia. 1985 Jul;91(1):3–15. doi: 10.1007/BF00437280. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Herman M. A., Soll D. R. A comparison of volume growth during bud and mycelium formation in Candida albicans: a single cell analysis. J Gen Microbiol. 1984 Sep;130(9):2219–2228. doi: 10.1099/00221287-130-9-2219. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lee K. L., Buckley H. R., Campbell C. C. An amino acid liquid synthetic medium for the development of mycelial and yeast forms of Candida Albicans. Sabouraudia. 1975 Jul;13(2):148–153. doi: 10.1080/00362177585190271. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Slutsky B., Buffo J., Soll D. R. High-frequency switching of colony morphology in Candida albicans. Science. 1985 Nov 8;230(4726):666–669. doi: 10.1126/science.3901258. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Slutsky B., Staebell M., Anderson J., Risen L., Pfaller M., Soll D. R. "White-opaque transition": a second high-frequency switching system in Candida albicans. J Bacteriol. 1987 Jan;169(1):189–197. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.1.189-197.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Smail E. H., Jones J. M. Demonstration and solubilization of antigens expressed primarily on the surfaces of Candida albicans germ tubes. Infect Immun. 1984 Jul;45(1):74–81. doi: 10.1128/iai.45.1.74-81.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Soll D. R., Bedell G. W., Brummel M. Zinc and regulation of growth and phenotype in the infectious yeast Candida albicans. Infect Immun. 1981 Jun;32(3):1139–1147. doi: 10.1128/iai.32.3.1139-1147.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Soll D. R., Bedell G., Thiel J., Brummel M. The dependency of nuclear division on volume in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans. Exp Cell Res. 1981 May;133(1):55–62. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(81)90356-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Soll D. R., Herman M. A. Growth and the inducibility of mycelium formation in Candida albicans: a single-cell analysis using a perfusion chamber. J Gen Microbiol. 1983 Sep;129(9):2809–2824. doi: 10.1099/00221287-129-9-2809. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Soll D. R., Langtimm C. J., McDowell J., Hicks J., Galask R. High-frequency switching in Candida strains isolated from vaginitis patients. J Clin Microbiol. 1987 Sep;25(9):1611–1622. doi: 10.1128/jcm.25.9.1611-1622.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Soll D. R., Mitchell L. H. Filament ring formation in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans. J Cell Biol. 1983 Feb;96(2):486–493. doi: 10.1083/jcb.96.2.486. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Soll D. R., Stasi M., Bedell G. The regulation of nuclear migration and division during pseudo-mycelium outgrowth in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans. Exp Cell Res. 1978 Oct 1;116(1):207–215. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(78)90077-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Soll D. R. The regulation of cellular differentiation in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans. Bioessays. 1986 Jul;5(1):5–11. doi: 10.1002/bies.950050103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Soll D. R. The role of zinc in Candida dimorphism. Curr Top Med Mycol. 1985;1:258–285. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4613-9547-8_10. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Staebell M., Soll D. R. Temporal and spatial differences in cell wall expansion during bud and mycelium formation in Candida albicans. J Gen Microbiol. 1985 Jun;131(6):1467–1480. doi: 10.1099/00221287-131-6-1467. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sundstrom P. M., Kenny G. E. Characterization of antigens specific to the surface of germ tubes of Candida albicans by immunofluorescence. Infect Immun. 1984 Mar;43(3):850–855. doi: 10.1128/iai.43.3.850-855.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sundstrom P. M., Kenny G. E. Enzymatic release of germ tube-specific antigens from cell walls of Candida albicans. Infect Immun. 1985 Sep;49(3):609–614. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.3.609-614.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES