The <scp><i>WOR</i></scp><i>1</i> 5′ untranslated region regulates white‐opaque switching in <scp><i>C</i></scp><i>andida albicans</i> by reducing translational efficiency

Abstract

The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans undergoes white-opaque phenotypic switching, which enhances its adaptation to host niches. Switching is controlled by a transcriptional regulatory network of interlocking feedback loops acting on the transcription of WOR1, the master regulator of white-opaque switching, but regulation of the network on the translational level is not yet explored. Here, we show that the long 5' untranslated region of WOR1 regulates the white-opaque phenotype. Deletion of the WOR1 5' UTR promotes white-to-opaque switching and stabilizes the opaque state. The WOR1 5' UTR reduces translational efficiency and the association of the transcript with polysomes. Reduced polysome association was observed for additional key regulators of cell fate and morphology with long 5' UTR as well. Overall, we find a novel regulatory step of white-opaque switching at the translational level. This translational regulation is implicated for many key regulators of cell fate and morphology in C. albicans.