Constitutive ALS3 expression in Candida albicans has differential effects on yeast-locked tet-NRG1 and brg1Δ strains.

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans produces numerous surface proteins involved in adhesion. Many of these adhesins are specific to different morphological forms. Strains that are unable to form hyphae are generally impaired in their ability to adhere to surfaces and to form biofilms. To better understand the function of one of these adhesins, Als3p, in the context of yeast-locked strains, we expressed ALS3 in strains with altered expression of one of two genes that are part of a regulatory circuit, BRG1 and NRG1. The mutant BRG1 and NRG1 strains we examined were phenotypically similar. We observed that ALS3 expression improved the adhesion of both strains to glass but that only one had altered biofilm forming ability, which was decreased.