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Vol. 18, Issue 3, 965-975, March 2007
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*Graduate Program in Genetics and Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5222
Submitted October 19, 2006;
Revised December 5, 2006;
Accepted December 20, 2006
Monitoring Editor: Daniel Lew
The sugar N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) plays an important role in nutrient sensing and cellular regulation in a wide range of organisms from bacteria to humans. In the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, GlcNAc induces a morphological transition from budding to hyphal growth. Proteomic comparison of plasma membrane proteins from buds and from hyphae induced by GlcNAc identified a novel hyphal protein (Ngt1) with similarity to the major facilitator superfamily of transporters. An Ngt1-GFP fusion was detected in the plasma membrane after induction with GlcNAc, but not other related sugars. Ngt1-GFP was also induced by macrophage phagocytosis, suggesting a role for the GlcNAc response in signaling entry into phagolysosomes. NGT1 is needed for efficient GlcNAc uptake and for the ability to induce hyphae at low GlcNAc concentrations. High concentrations of GlcNAc could bypass the need for NGT1 to induce hyphae, indicating that elevated intracellular levels of GlcNAc induce hyphal formation. Expression of NGT1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoted GlcNAc uptake, indicating that Ngt1 acts directly as a GlcNAc transporter. Transport mediated by Ngt1 was specific, as other sugars could not compete for the uptake of GlcNAc. Thus, Ngt1 represents the first eukaryotic GlcNAc transporter to be discovered. The presence of NGT1 homologues in the genome sequences of a wide range of eukaryotes from yeast to mammals suggests that they may also function in the cellular processes regulated by GlcNAc, including those that underlie important diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
The online version of this article contains supplemental material at MBC Online (http://www.molbiolcell.org).
Address correspondence to: James B. Konopka (james.konopka{at}sunysb.edu)
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  J. Wendland, Y. Schaub, and A. Walther N-Acetylglucosamine Utilization by Saccharomyces cerevisiae Based on Expression of Candida albicans NAG Genes Appl. Envir. Microbiol., September 15, 2009; 75(18): 5840 - 5845. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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 J. Sabina and V. Brown Glucose Sensing Network in Candida albicans: a Sweet Spot for Fungal Morphogenesis Eukaryot. Cell, September 1, 2009; 8(9): 1314 - 1320. [Full Text] [PDF]
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 F. J. Alvarez, L. M. Douglas, A. Rosebrock, and J. B. Konopka The Sur7 Protein Regulates Plasma Membrane Organization and Prevents Intracellular Cell Wall Growth in Candida albicans Mol. Biol. Cell, December 1, 2008; 19(12): 5214 - 5225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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O. Nasution, K. Srinivasa, M. Kim, Y.-J. Kim, W. Kim, W. Jeong, and W. Choi Hydrogen Peroxide Induces Hyphal Differentiation in Candida albicans Eukaryot. Cell, November 1, 2008; 7(11): 2008 - 2011. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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