University of California-San Francisco · Microbiology & ImmunologyCandida Adaptation Research Lab
Alexander D Johnson · San Francisco, California
Research Focus
Dr. Alexander D Johnson's lab at UCSF focuses on understanding the genetic mechanisms of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, particularly how it can switch between two different cell types to thrive in various environments within the human body. This research is crucial because Candida albicans can cause serious infections, especially in people with weakened immune systems. By studying the white-opaque switching mechanism, the lab aims to uncover how this process helps the fungus adapt and survive in its host.
Candida albicanswhite-opaque switchingfungal pathogensgenetic regulationepigenetics
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying white-opaque switching in Candida albicans.
AIM 02Explore the stability of the two cell types produced by Candida albicans.
AIM 03Examine the implications of white-opaque switching for Candida albicans virulence.
AIM 04Understand how Candida albicans adapts to different environments in the human host.
Skills the Lab Values
Gene regulation assaysFluorescence microscopyMicrofluidics techniquesCell cultureYeast geneticsHistone modification analysis
Output against the department
Publications240top 25% of dept.120th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations34ktop 8% of dept.40th of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.