Protein kinase A signaling regulates immune evasion by shaving and concealing fungal β-1,3-glucan

Candida albicans, a common fungal pathogen, uses a clever strategy to hide from the immune system by masking a molecule on its surface that would normally trigger an immune response. Researchers used both computer modeling and laboratory experiments to show that this hiding strategy involves two main processes: the fungus grows and exposes the molecule, while simultaneously using enzymes to shave it away. They found that a cellular signaling pathway called PKA is essential for activating these shaving enzymes in response to lactate, a signal from the host environment.