Phenotypic switching in the yeast Candida albicans can be controlled by a SIR2 gene.

Phenotypic switching in the yeast Candida albicans can be controlled by a SIR2 gene


(a) Yeast colonies that are homozygous positive for the SIR2 gene (SIR2/SIR2) have a uniform colony morphology, while those that lack completely SIR2 (homozygous negative - sir2/sir2) have variant colony morphologies.


(b) Several different colony types are possible for cells of the sir2/sir2 phenotype. Many of the seven colony types shown here can arise from a single colony of one of the other morphologies, indicating that the phenotypic switching is heritable.


(c) Filamentous growth is enhanced for sir2/sir2 cells overSIR2/SIR2, which suggests that there may be common ground between the mechanisms of phenotypic switching and dimorphism in Candida albicans.

From: How Candida albicans switches phenotype - and back again

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