Starve, stress, and mate: Activation of the CCAAT-Binding complex overrides sterility of mating-type heterozygous Candida albicans

CBC hyperactivation in mating-type heterozygous Candida albicans (MTLa/) diploids completely overrides the a1-2 sterility repressor, enabling mating-competence and a robust white-to-opaque switch.

• Why it matters: Genetic sterility in MTLa/ diploids blocks sexual reproduction, yet environmental stress can unlock mating; the regulatory mechanism linking stress to this override was unclear.
• What they did: Using ChIP-SICAP proteomic mapping and RNA-Seq, the study defined Hap5-centered CBC regulatory networks and tested how CBC activation interacts with Hap43 and Cap1 at chromatin.
• The result: The CBC-driven transition is antagonized by Hap43, but strictly depends on chromatin-level physical interaction with Cap1, coupling glucose/iron limitation and oxidative stress to reproductive programming.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.