The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Vps34p of the human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans is a multifunctional protein that interacts with the putative vacuolar H+ -ATPase subunit Vma7p.

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Vps34p of Candida albicans participates in protein transport and in virulence. In order to characterize the functional link between these two activities we searched for proteins interacting with C. albicans Vps34p and demonstrate physical interaction of Vps34p with the subunit of the vacuolar H+ -ATPase Vma7p. The interaction initially observed in a yeast two-hybrid system was confirmed in vitro with recombinant proteins. Functional assays show that the Vps34p protein is necessary for vacuolar acidification and growth at alkaline pH. In addition, the vps34 null mutant of C. albicans shows defective autophagocytosis. The relevance of these functions for virulence of C. albicans is discussed.