Identification of a mating type-like locus in the asexual pathogenic yeast Candida albicans

Candida albicans, the most prevalent fungal pathogen in humans, is thought to lack a sexual cycle. A set of C. albicans genes has been identified that corresponds to the master sexual cycle regulators a1, alpha 1, and alpha 2 of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mating-type (MAT) Locus. The C. albicans genes are arranged in a way that suggests that these genes are part of a mating type-like Locus that is similar to the mating-type Loci of other fungi. In addition to the transcriptional regulators a1, alpha 1, and alpha 2, the C. albicans mating type-like Locus contains several genes not seen in other fungal MAT Loci, including those encoding proteins similar to poly(A) polymerases, oxysterol binding proteins, and phosphatidylinositol kinases.