ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses involvement of lipids in fungal dimorphism in Candida albicans in comparison to Sporothrix schenckii. Fungal dimorphism, an important factor in determining pathogenicity, is categorized into three types: temperature-dependent, temperature as well as nutrition-dependent and nutrition-dependent. Sterols are one of the major lipid constituents of fungal plasma membranes also observed in other eukaryotic cells. Therefore, analysis of the membrane phospholipid composition of the yeast and mycelial cells should shed light on the mechanism of dimorphism and virulence. The major phospholipids of C. albicans and S. shenckii are phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamin, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol in both the yeast and mycelial forms. Phospholipids are the major components of cell membranes. To investigate phospholipid biosynthesis during the yeast to mycelial conversion, a procedure has been developed for induction of the transformation in C. albicans. The principal function of fatty acids is to modulate the physical state of the membrane.