Research advances of iron homeostasis regulatory networks in Candida albicans

Abstract:

Iron is an essential element that is required for the growth and normal metabolism in most organisms. However, despite its much abundance in the Earth’s crust, the bioavailable form of iron is very poor. To obtain iron in the environment, Candida albicans, as a common opportunistic human fugal pathogen, has evolved the iron regulatory networks to respond to the fluctuations in iron availability, which is associated with the adaptation to the hostile environment. As well as our study, this paper reviews the research advances of iron regulatory networks in recent years, focusing on the iron acquisition and regulatory strategies exhibited by C. albicans when it responds to iron deprivation. This review also provides an insight into the mechanisms that how cells sense, transport, store and utilize iron.