Comparison of phospholipase and proteinase activity in Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis

Abstract

Although the production of virulence enzymes by Candida albicans has been extensively explored, little attention has been given to the virulence factors of C. dubliniensis. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate phospholipase activity (Pz value) and secretory aspartyl proteinase production of C. dubliniensis and compare it with C. albicans. None of the 87 C. dubliniensis isolates tested, produced phosholipases whereas, in contrast all the 52 (100%) C. albicans isolates tested demonstrated varying degree of phospholipase activity (Pz value: 0.37-0.74), with 35 (67.3%) of them eliciting a higher phospholipase activity (Pz values between 0.37 and 0.50). Only 32% of the C. dubliniensis isolates exhibited moderate activity (score of 1+) of secretory aspartyl proteinase whereas a vast majority (68%) of them were non-proteolytic. On the contrary, a strong proteinase activity (score of 2+) was observed for 79% of C. albicans while the remaining 21% isolates showed moderate proteinase activity (score of 1+). As phospholipases and aspartyl proteinases of C. albicans are considered important virulence factors, the absence or lowered expression of these enzymes in C. dubliniensis may indicate the less virulent nature of this novel yeast species when compared with C. albicans.

Efficacy of Pluchea dioscoridis leaf extract against pathogenic Candida albicans

“…Furthermore, P. dioscoridis extract decreased the ability of Candida to produce these enzymes, which was in agreement with the results reported by Ibrahim et al [44]. The virulence of Candida species is attributed not to a single factor but to a combination of several factors [45], including proteinase, phospholipase [46], and hemolysin production [47]. These data suggest that the capacity of C. albicans to produce these enzymes must have a role in its pathogenic potential.…”

Differences in exoenzyme production and adherence ability of Candida spp. isolates from catheter, blood and oral cavity

“…There are several studies related to virulence factors of Candida species. According to some authors, secreted aspartic proteinases and phospholipase are produced at high rates in C. albicans, while non-albicans Candida species usually present low rates of these enzymes 10,11,14,17 . KOGA-ITO et al 16 showed an increased proteinase and phospholipase production among the C. albicans strains isolated from oral candidiasis patients when compared to those ones isolated from control individuals.…”

Potential Targets for Antifungal Drug Discovery Based on Growth and Virulence in Candida albicans

“…A number of studies have suggested that the absence or decreased expression of these hydrolytic enzymes may lead to reduced virulence of Candida species, and these enzymes have been shown to contribute to C. albicans morphological transition, colonization, cytotoxicity, and penetration of the host (67,68). Evidence from one study strongly suggested that the invasive C. albicans strains exhibited significantly stronger extracellular phospholipase activity than the noninvasive strains (69).…”

“…Moreover, the lipase inhibitor ebelactone B and the proteinase inhibitor pepstatin A were also reported to reduce the damage to human tissues caused by Candida species (74,75). A greater effort in understanding the roles of the hydrolytic enzymes in fungal pathogens is needed, although it is clear that hydrolytic enzymes play an important role in the pathogenicity of several Candida species (67,68).…”