Candida
Minireview | Therapeutics and PreventionCombined Antifungal Resistance and Biofilm Tolerance: the Global Threat of Candida aurisThe enigmatic yeast Candida auris has emerged over the last decade and rapidly penetrated our consciousness. The global threat from this multidrug-resistant yeast has generated a call to arms from within the medical mycology community. Over the past decade, our understanding of how this yeast has spread globally, its clinical importance, and how it tolerates and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTitrating Gene Function in the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans through Poly-Adenosine Tract InsertionInvestigating a protein’s functional importance at the whole-organism level usually involves altering its expression level or its specific activity and observing the consequences with respect to physiology or phenotype. Several approaches designed to partially or completely abolish the function of a gene, including its deletion from the genome and the use of systems that facilitate conditional expression, have been widely applied....
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPlasmid-Based CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing in Multiple Candida SpeciesCandida species are a major cause of infection worldwide. The species associated with infection vary with geographical location and with patient population. Infection with Candida tropicalis is particularly common in South America and Asia, and Candida parapsilosis infections are more...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Synthetic BiologyA CRISPR Interference Platform for Efficient Genetic Repression in Candida albicansFungal pathogens are an increasingly important cause of human disease and mortality, and Candida albicans is among the most common causes of fungal disease. Studying this important fungal pathogen requires a comprehensive genetic toolkit to establish how different genetic factors play roles in the biology and virulence of this pathogen. Here, we developed a CRISPR-...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionTranscriptome Assembly and Profiling of Candida auris Reveals Novel Insights into Biofilm-Mediated ResistanceFungal infections represent an important cause of human morbidity and mortality, particularly if the fungi adhere to and grow on both biological and inanimate surfaces as communities of cells (biofilms). Recently, a previously unrecognized yeast, Candida auris, has emerged globally that has led to widespread concern due to the difficulty in treating it with existing...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyNew CRISPR Mutagenesis Strategies Reveal Variation in Repair Mechanisms among FungiCRISPR-mediated genome engineering technologies have revolutionized genetic studies in a wide range of organisms. Here we describe new vectors and guide sequences for CRISPR mutagenesis in the important human fungal pathogens C. albicans and C. glabrata, as well as in the related yeasts...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDal81 Regulates Expression of Arginine Metabolism Genes in Candida parapsilosisUtilization of nitrogen by fungi is controlled by nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). Expression of many genes is switched off during growth on nonpreferred nitrogen sources. Gene expression is regulated through a combination of activation and repression. Nitrogen regulation has been studied best in the model yeast...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyUse of RNA-Protein Complexes for Genome Editing in Non-albicans Candida SpeciesExisting CRISPR-Cas9 genome modification systems for use in Candida albicans, which rely on constructs to endogenously express the Cas9 protein and guide RNA, do not work efficiently in other Candida species due to inefficient promoter activity. Here, we present an expression-free method that uses RNA-protein complexes and demonstrate its use in three ...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyUpregulation of the Adhesin Gene EPA1 Mediated by PDR1 in Candida glabrata Leads to Enhanced Host ColonizationCandida glabrata is an important fungal pathogen in human diseases and is also rapidly acquiring drug resistance. Drug resistance can be mediated by the transcriptional activator PDR1, and this results in the upregulation of multidrug transporters. Intriguingly, this resistance mechanism is associated in...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyManipulation of Host Diet To Reduce Gastrointestinal Colonization by the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida albicansCandida albicans, the most common human fungal pathogen, can cause infections with a mortality rate of ~40%. C. albicans is part of the normal gut flora, but when a patient’s immune system is compromised, it can leave the gut and cause infections. By reducing the amount of...