Identification of Candida albicans traits that sustain its commensal dwelling in the mammalian gut

Goal: We employed RNA-seq to identify targets of regulation of five Candida albicans transcription regulators (Try4, Zfu2 and Zcf8). These regulators were identifyed through a genetic screen in a gnotobiotic mouse model of Candida albicans gut colonization. Results: We found that the five regulators comprise a complex transcriptional network (>500 targets of regulation) that partitions in two sub-networks. One sub-network is formed by Rtg1 and Rtg3. The other comprises the regulators Try4, Zfu2 and Zcf8. Comparison of the transcriptome of Candida albicans wild-type reference strain vs. five transcription regulator deletion mutants. One growth condition, two biological replicates per sample. RNA-seq data generated with Illumina HiSeq2500.