Differential roles of a family of flavodoxin-like proteins that promote resistance to quinone-mediated oxidative stress in Candida albicans

Survival of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans within a mammalian host relies on its ability to resist oxidative stress. The four flavodoxin-like proteins (Pst1, Pst2, Pst3, and Ycp4) that reside on the inner surface of the C. albicans plasma membrane represent a recently discovered antioxidant mechanism that is essential for virulence. Flavodoxin-like proteins combat oxidative stress by promoting a two-electron reduction of quinone molecules, which prevents the formation of toxic semiquinone radicals. Previous studies indicated that Pst3 played a major role in promoting resistance to the small quinone molecules p-benzoquinone and menadione. Analysis of additional quinones confirmed this role for Pst3. To better define their function, antibodies were raised against each of the four flavodoxin-like proteins and used to quantify protein levels. Interestingly, the basal level of flavodoxin-like proteins differed, with Pst3 and Ycp4 being the most abundant. However, after induction with p-benzoquinone, Pst1 and Pst3 were the most highly induced, resulting in Pst3 becoming the most abundant. Constitutive expression of the flavodoxin-like protein genes from a TDH3 promoter resulted in similar protein levels and showed that Pst1 and Pst3 were better at protecting C. albicans against p-benzoquinone than Pst2 or Ycp4. In contrast, Pst1 and Ycp4 provided better protection against oxidative damage induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Thus, both the functional properties and the relative abundance contribute to the distinct roles of the flavodoxin-like proteins in resisting oxidative stress. These results further define how C. albicans combats the host immune response and survives in an environment rich in oxidative stress.