Functional Genomic Analysis of Candida albicans Adherence Reveals a Key Role for the Arp2/3 Complex in Cell Wall Remodelling and Biofilm Formation

Fungal biofilms are complex, structured communities that can form on surfaces such as catheters and other indwelling medical devices. Biofilms are of particular concern with Candida albicans, one of the leading opportunistic fungal pathogens of humans. C. albicans biofilms include yeast and filamentous cells that are surrounded by an extracellular matrix, and they are intrinsically resistant to antifungal drugs such that resolving biofilm infections often requires surgery to remove the contaminated device. C. albicans biofilms form through a regulated process of adhesion to surfaces, filamentation, maturation, and ultimately dispersion. To uncover new strategies to block the initial stages of biofilm formation, we utilized a functional genomic approach to identify genes that modulate C. albicans adherence. We screened a library of 1,481 double barcoded doxycycline-repressible conditional gene expression strains covering ~25% of the C. albicans genome. We identified five genes for which transcriptional repression impaired adherence, including: ARC18, PMT1, MNN9, SPT7, and orf19.831. The most severe adherence defect was observed upon transcriptional repression of ARC18, which encodes a member of the Arp2/3 complex that is involved in regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis. Depletion of components of the Arp2/3 complex not only impaired adherence, but also caused reduced biofilm formation, increased cell surface hydrophobicity, and increased exposure of cell wall chitin and β-glucans. Reduced function of the Arp2/3 complex led to impaired cell wall integrity and activation of Rho1-mediated cell wall stress responses, thereby causing cell wall remodelling and reduced adherence. Thus, we identify important functional relationships between cell wall stress responses and a novel mechanism that controls adherence and biofilm formation, thereby illuminating novel strategies to cripple a leading fungal pathogen of humans.