Changes in the mRNA expression of glycolysis-related enzymes of Candida albicans during inhibition of intramitochondrial catabolism under anaerobic condition

by Ken Okabayashi, Hitomi Ogawa, Yuto Hirai, Kureha Nagata, Yukiko Sato, Takanori Narita, Kazuo Satoh, Koichi Makimura

Candida albicans can cause two major types of infections: superficial infection and systemic candidiasis. C. albicans infects diverse host niches, owing to a wide range of virulence factors and attributes, such as morphological transitions and phenotypic switching. C. albicans uses glycolysis, followed by alcoholic fermentation or mitochondrial respiration to rapidly generate ATP under aerobic conditions. In this study, we quantified the mRNA expression of several glycolysis-related enzymes associated with the initial phase of environmental changes using two strains: a type strain, NBRC 1385, and a strain from a patient with auto-brewery syndrome, LSEM 550. Additionally, we analyzed the regulation of a rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis, phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1). Our results showed that the mRNA expression of enzymes in the middle and last stages of glycolysis and alcoholic fermentation increased, and that of mitochondrial respiration enzymes decreased under short-term anaerobic conditions. Carbonyl cyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) administration showed similar results under anaerobic conditions. Moreover, PFK1 maintained its regulatory effect under different conditions; no significant change was observed in its mRNA expression. Our results suggest that C. albicans obtains energy via carbohydrate catabolism in the early phase of environmental change and survives in various parts of the host.