A Comparison of Volume Growth during Bud and Mycelium Formation in Candida albicans: a Single Cell Analysis

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Abstract
When stationary phase cells of the dimorphic yeast C. albicans are diluted into fresh medium at pH 4.5 (low pH), they synchronously form ellipsoidal buds, but, when diluted into the same medium at pH 6.7 (high pH), they synchronously form elongate mycelia. Using a perfusion chamber to monitor single cells, the rates of volume growth between budding and mycelium-forming cells were compared. After release from stationary phase into medium of low or high pH, each original sphere grows in volume to the time of initial evagination, but does not grow subsequently. Successive budding on the original mother cell occurs without interruption resulting in continuous volume growth; an interruption in volume growth of the initial bud (B1) occurs before it in turn evaginates. The rate of volume growth of the 1st bud at low pH is identical to the rate of volume growth of the mycelium at high pH even though the surface to volume ratios are quite different. The last result is unexpected and is considered in relation to cell wall deposition.