Candida albicans Isolates 529L and CHN1 Exhibit Stable Colonization of the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract

Liam D. McDonough, Animesh A. Mishra, Nicholas Tosini, Pallavi Kakade, Swathi Penumutchu, Shen Huan Liang, Corrine Maufrais, Bing Zhai, Ying Taur, Peter Belenky, Richard J. Bennett, Tobias M. Hohl, Andrew Y. Koh, Iuliana V. Ene

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Candida albicans is a pathobiont that colonizes multiple niches in the body including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract but is also responsible for both mucosal and systemic infections. Despite its prevalence as a human commensal, the murine GI tract is generally refractory to colonization with the C. albicans reference isolate SC5314. Here, we identify two C. albicans isolates, 529L and CHN1, that stably colonize the murine GI tract in three different animal facilities under conditions where SC5314 is lost from this niche. Analysis of the bacterial microbiota did not show notable differences among mice colonized with the three C. albicans strains. We compared the genotypes and phenotypes of these three strains and identified thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and multiple phenotypic differences, including their ability to grow and filament in response to nutritional cues. Despite striking filamentation differences under laboratory conditions, however, analysis of cell morphology in the GI tract revealed that the three isolates exhibited similar filamentation properties in this in vivo niche. Notably, we found that SC5314 is more sensitive to the antimicrobial peptide CRAMP, and the use of CRAMP-deficient mice modestly increased the ability of SC5314 to colonize the GI tract relative to CHN1 and 529L. These studies provide new insights into how strain-specific differences impact C. albicans traits in the host and advance CHN1 and 529L as relevant strains to study C. albicans pathobiology in its natural host niche.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere02878-21
JournalmBio
Volume12
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2021

Keywords

  • Fungal biology
  • Gastrointestinal colonization
  • Microbiome
  • Strain diversity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Virology

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