2026-03-20 フランス国立科学研究センター（CNRS）
Right: ovoid and filamentous “Candida albicans”. To the right: a macrophage (an immune defence cell) being destroyed by three “Candida”.Dennis Kunkel / Science Photo Library ; Kevin Mackenzie, University of Aberdeen / Wellcome Collection CC BY 4.0
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/blocking-off-highway-to-infections
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02205-2
リボソーム生合成の阻害による細胞質内混雑の減少は、カンジダ・アルビカンスの糸状成長を誘発する可能性がある Decreased cytoplasmic crowding via inhibition of ribosome biogenesis can trigger Candida albicans filamentous growth
Antonio Serrano,Charles Puerner,Louis Chevalier,Emily Plumb,Johannes Elferich,Stephen Diggs,Ludwig Roman Sinn,Nikolaus Grigorieff,Markus Ralser,Morgan Delarue,Martine Bassilana & Robert Alan Arkowitz
Nature Microbiology Published:10 December 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-025-02205-2
Abstract
The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans undergoes a morphological transition from a budding yeast to a filamentous form, which is associated with pathogenesis. Various cues mediate this transition including intracellular reorganization. The cytoplasm is densely packed with proteins including large macromolecular complexes, such as ribosomes, and hence, molecular crowding can impact a range of cellular processes. However, the relationship between cytoplasmic molecular crowding and morphological growth states is unclear. Using a fluorescent microrheological probe and single particle tracking, we observed a striking decrease in molecular crowding during filamentous growth in C. albicans. On the basis of simulations, proteomics and structural data from in situ cryogenic electron microscopy, we show that the reduction in crowding is due to a decrease in ribosome concentration that results in part from an inhibition of ribosome biogenesis, combined with an increase in cytoplasmic volume, leading to a dilution of ribosomes. Filamentation was enhanced in a mutant defective in ribosome biogenesis, while translation was not affected, suggesting that inhibition of ribosome biogenesis is a trigger for C. albicans morphogenesis. Overall, we show that filamentous growth is associated with reduced cytoplasmic crowding via changes in ribosome concentration, suggesting that combination therapies in which ribosome biogenesis is also targeted may be advantageous.
