Integrative Phosphoproteomic and Proteomic Analysis of Candida albicans Exposed to Oxidative Stress

Candida albicans is an
opportunistic
pathogen, which has recently been included in the high-priority list
of pathogenic fungi by the World Health Organization (WHO). The scarce
arsenal available to treat such invasive fungal infections makes the
discovery of new antifungal targets an important task. This study
utilizes DDA-MS technology to investigate both the phosphoproteomics
and proteomics of C. albicans during
its late-stage response to oxidative stress induced by H2O2, aiming to identify key proteins involved. Phosphorylation,
as an important post-translational modification, plays a crucial role
in the ability of C. albicans to survive
oxidative stress. Our study enabled the identification and quantification
of important changes in both protein abundance and phosphorylation
events across multiple proteins following a 200 min 10 mM H2O2 treatment. The use of the DDA-MS approach allowed for
the identification of new actors in the response to oxidative stress.
Novel phosphorylation sites were identified in kinases and transcription
factors. Regarding protein kinases, Cdc5-reduced phosphorylation may
mediate a transient G2 cell cycle arrest, while Kis1the regulatory
β-subunit of Snf1 kinasemight play a role in ROS scavenging
following oxidative stress. In terms of transcription factors, Gzf3-decreased
phosphorylation was essential for cell survival and ROS detoxification
after oxidative stress.