Tyrosol is a quorum-sensing molecule in <i>Candida albicans</i>

TLDR

Candida albicans exhibits a growth lag when diluted into fresh minimal medium, and germ‑tube formation is regulated by quorum‑sensing molecules such as farnesol. Tyrosol, continuously released during growth, abolishes the growth lag and promotes germ‑tube formation, establishing it as an autoregulatory quorum‑sensing molecule in Candida albicans.

Abstract

The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans shows a significant lag in growth when diluted into fresh minimal medium. This lag is abolished by the addition of conditioned medium from a high-density culture. The active component of conditioned medium is tyrosol, which is released into the medium continuously during growth. Under conditions permissive for germ-tube formation, tyrosol stimulates the formation of these filamentous protrusions. Because germ-tube formation is inhibited by farnesol, another quorum-sensing molecule, this process must be under complex positive and negative control by environmental conditions. The identification of tyrosol as an autoregulatory molecule has important implications on the dynamics of growth and morphogenesis in Candida .