{"doi":"10.1371/journal.ppat.1012752","title":"Is metabolic generalism the Breakfast of Champions for pathogenic Candida species?","abstract":null,"journal":"PLOS Pathogens","year":2024,"id":641993,"datarank":0.16479184330021646,"base_score":1.0986122886681096,"endowment":1.0986122886681096,"self_citation_contribution":0.16479184330021646,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.16479184330021646,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":2,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1669526,"name":"Jane Usher","orcid":"0000-0002-0604-291X","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1669525,"name":"Delma S. Childers","orcid":"0000-0003-2869-7332","position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Is metabolic generalism the Breakfast of Champions for pathogenic Candida species?","abstract":"Metabolic generalism\" refers to the ability of an organism to utilise a wide range of nutrients and flexibly adapt to dynamic environmental conditions.For Candida spp., this versatility is crucial for their survival and virulence in diverse host niches [1], allowing them to thrive.In contrast, metabolic specialists follow a strict hierarchy of carbon source utilisation.While this hierarchy does not preclude specialists from potentially utilising a wide range of nutrients, it could delay switching to alternative carbon sources during transitions between host niches.In this Pearl, we will explore major metabolic themes supporting Candida species pathogenesis and highlight how the metabolic specialist, Candida glabrata, provides insights into what metabolic determinants really matter for survival in the host. 1:AU : Pleaseconfirmthatallheadinglevelsarerepresentedcorrectly: Common and uncommon metabolic themes in human fungal pathogens versus other fungiA recent large-scale metabolic analysis of 853 fungal strains from diverse phylogenies suggests that only ~10% of yeasts are metabolic specialists [2].Within that grouping, only C. glabrata, which has recently been renamed to Nakaseomyces glabratus, is a human pathogen.This places C. glabrata in a unique position that runs counterintuitive to the Candida albicans paradigm that dynamic host microenvironments require rapid pathogen adaptation facilitated by metabolic generalism [3].Limited data are available on C. glabrata metabolic adaptation within the host, leaving much to be learned about the metabolic factors necessary for its pathogenesis.Interestingly, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and C. albicans were classified as \"Normal\" in this metabolic analysis, narrowly missing the specialist and generalist classifications we would classically assign to each species.We are considering S. cerevisiae and C. albicans as examples of metabolic specialists and generalists for the purposes of this article.Candida species have evolved metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms to thrive in the human host environment, demonstrating remarkable resource range and adaptability.C. albicans is well-known for its metabolic flexibility and ability to metabolize a broad range of carbon sources including N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a monosaccharide derived from host glycoproteins and glycolipids.C. glabrata also exhibits significant adaptability to the host environment, albeit through different mechanisms due to its divergent evolutionary background.C. glabrata does not rely on GlcNAc as a primary carbon source but has instead developed alternative metabolic strategies to survive in nutrient-limited conditions.For instance, C. glabrata can efficiently utilise non-fermentable carbon sources such as glycerol, fatty acids, and amino acids, especially when glucose is scarce.This metabolic versatility allows C. glabrata to prosper in exigent host environments, such as the bloodstream, where glucose levels are high compared to most host niches (approximately 0.1%) [4], and low oxygen niches where","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":1.0986122886681096,"endowment":1.0986122886681096,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"39661646","pmcid":"PMC11633977","openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W4405281074","authors":[],"funders":[{"funder_name":"Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council","grant_id":"BB/W009625/1","title":"Combatting resistance to combinatorial stress and macrophage killing in Candida glabrata."},{"funder_name":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology","grant_id":"MR/N006364/2","title":"MRC Centre for Medical Mycology"},{"funder_name":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology","grant_id":"MR/V033417/1","title":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology"},{"funder_name":"Academy of Medical Sciences","grant_id":"SBF006\\1128","title":null}],"total_grants":4,"fwci":0.5987,"citation_percentile":0.68564454,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[{"year":2025,"count":1},{"year":2026,"count":1}],"oa_status":"gold","license":"cc-by","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1012752&type=printable","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1012752&type=printable","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012752","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012752","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39661646","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/11633977","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2164/24762","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://doaj.org/article/16719a2ccce544c7918fe1ba5c23bf5d","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11633977/pdf/ppat.1012752.pdf","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC11633977","host_type":"Europe_PMC"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC11633977?pdf=render","host_type":"Europe_PMC"},{"url":"http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012752","host_type":""},{"url":"https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012752","host_type":""}],"fields_of_study":["Antifungal resistance and susceptibility","Fungal Infections and Studies","Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment","0301 basic medicine","03 medical and health sciences"],"mesh_terms":[],"keywords":["Biology","Microbiology","570","MR/N006364/2","QH301-705.5","R","610","R Medicine","RC581-607","MR/V033417/1","Medical Research Council (MRC)","Pearls","Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)","BB/W009625/1","Immunologic diseases. 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