Clathrin- and Arp2/3-Independent Endocytosis in the Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is conserved among eukaryotes and has been extensively analyzed at a molecular level. Here, we present an analysis of CME in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans that shows the same modular structure as those in other fungi and mammalian cells. Intriguingly, C. albicans is perfectly viable in the absence of Arp2/3, an essential component of CME in other systems. In C. albicans, Arp2/3 function remains essential for CME as all 15 proteins tested that participate in CME, including clathrin, lose their characteristic dynamics observed in wild-type (WT) cells. However, since arp2/3 cells are still able to endocytose lipids and fluid-phase markers, but not the Ste2 and Mup1 plasma membrane proteins, there must be an alternate clathrin-independent pathway we term Arp2/3-independent endocytosis (AIE). Characterization of AIE shows that endocytosis in arp2 mutants relies on actin cables and other Arp2/3-independent actin structures, as inhibition of actin functions prevented cargo uptake in arp2/3 mutants. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that arp2/3 mutants still formed invaginating tubules, cell structures whose proper functions are believed to heavily rely on Arp2/3. Finally, Prk1 and Sjl2, two proteins involved in patch disassembly during CME, were not correctly localized to sites of endocytosis in arp2 mutants, implying a role of Arp2/3 in CME patch disassembly. Overall, C. albicans contains an alternative endocytic pathway (AIE) that relies on actin cable function to permit clathrin-independent endocytosis (CIE) and provides a system to further explore alternate endocytic routes that likely exist in fungal species.