Candida albicans as a Biochemical Computer: Cross-Kingdom Signaling, Parasexual Reproduction, and Genetic Foundations of a Unique Fungal Symbiont

This work presents a systems-level synthesis of existing literature to frame Candida albicans as a functional biochemical computer operating through cross-kingdom signaling within the human host biome. Drawing on established scientific findings in fungal signaling, parasexual reproduction, lipid-mediated communication, and host–pathogen interaction, the paper integrates these components into a unified model of adaptive, non-neural information processing. Rather than introducing new experimental data, this study reorganizes known mechanisms into a coherent framework that explains how C. albicans can sense, respond to, and modulate its environment across multiple biological scales at a scale not yet established…