Transcriptomic analysis reveals suppression of the filamentation-associated virulence program in Candida albicans
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: The ability of Candida albicans to undergo yeast-to-hypha transition is a key determinant of its virulence andrepresents an attractive target for anti-virulence strategies. In our previous work, we synthesized and characterizeda candidate compound structurally related to 2-heptyl-4-quinolone (HHQ), which inhibits filamentation.Here, we aimed to elucidate its mechanism of action using transcriptomic profiling and functional validation.RNA-seq analysis was performed in RPMI medium, a condition that supports filamentation, enabling assessmentof compound effects on the hypha-associated transcriptional program. Differential gene expression analysiswas conducted by comparing treated samples to untreated controls. In addition, the compound’s activitywas compared to that of HHQ, a reference molecule from the same structural class.Transcriptomic data revealed significant downregulation of hypha-associated genes, including ECE1 and ALS3,indicating suppression of the filamentation-associated transcriptional program. Functional validation using anECE1 reporter strain confirmed a marked reduction in ECE1 expression, accompanied by inhibition of filamentationat the phenotypic level. Notably, both transcriptional and phenotypic effects of the tested compoundwere more pronounced than those observed with HHQ.Together, these findings indicate that the compound exerts a targeted anti-virulence effect by suppressing keyregulatory pathways associated with filamentation in C. albicans. This study highlights the value of integratingtranscriptomic analysis with functional assays to characterize novel anti-virulence agents.
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7208801506