The Role of Calcium Channels in Facultative Fungi

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Gelli of the University of California at Davis, to study how fungal cells use calcium channels to proliferate and survive within the host environment. Like all eukaryotic cells, fungal cells translate changes in their environment into physiological responses and adaptations through cell signaling events. Dr. Gelli proposes that calcium channels in fungal cells initiate a calcium-dependent signaling pathway by responding to particular host environmental conditions. Once activated the calcium-dependent signaling cascade promotes fungal proliferation, growth and cellular morphogenesis. The ultimate goal is to understand how calcium channels function within signaling pathways to promote fungal proliferation and growth within the host. It is anticipated that this research will provide the knowledge to alter channel function or regulation as a means to prevent fungal proliferation and ultimately prevent fungal survival. The facultative fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans will be used as the model organism in this research since this fungus offers a particularly unique opportunity to examine the role of calcium channels in stimulus-response coupling in the fungal-host relationship. Since C. neoformans is phylogenetically at the junction between some of the most destructive plant pathogens (such as smuts or rusts), and economically important food sources (mushrooms) within the Basidiomycota, the proposed research will impact the field of agriculture. Also since calcium channels in fungi have never been characterized at the level of detail proposed here, it is anticipated that this project will likely produce the first mechanistic insight in calcium channel activity in the entire fungal kingdom. This kind of insight will be useful to all researchers who study calcium channels in other fungi and in animals. In addition, the development of robust procedures for applying electrophysiology to fungal cells will benefit these same researchers. Additionally, Dr. Gelli is involved in an outreach program to attract high school students into the laboratory. This will be a great opportunity to get many of these students involved so that they can see first hand the various aspects of fungal physiology.