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Chromatin-Mediated Regulation of Genome Plasticity in Human Fungal Pathogens

Buscaino, Alessia (2019) Chromatin-Mediated Regulation of Genome Plasticity in Human Fungal Pathogens. Review of: Chromatin-Mediated Regulation of Genome Plasticity in Human Fungal Pathogens by UNSPECIFIED. Genes, 10 (11). Article Number 855. ISSN 2073-4425. E-ISSN 2073-4425. (doi:10.3390/genes10110855) (KAR id:77988)

Abstract

Human fungal pathogens, such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans, are a public health problem, causing millions of infections and killing almost half a million people annually. The ability of these pathogens to colonise almost every organ in the human body and cause life-threating infections relies on their capacity to adapt and thrive in diverse hostile host-niche environments. Stress-induced genome instability is a key adaptive strategy used by human fungal pathogens as it increases genetic diversity, thereby allowing selection of genotype(s) better adapted to a new environment. Heterochromatin represses gene expression and deleterious recombination and could play a key role in modulating genome stability in response to environmental changes. However, very little is known about heterochromatin structure and function in human fungal pathogens. In this review, I use our knowledge of heterochromatin structure and function in fungal model systems as a road map to review the role of heterochromatin in regulating genome plasticity in the most common human fungal pathogens: Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.3390/genes10110855
Uncontrolled keywords: epigenetics; genome stability; heterochromatin; human fungal pathogens; chromatin modifications
Subjects: Q Science
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Biosciences
Funders: [37325] UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User: Alessia Buscaino
Date Deposited: 28 Oct 2019 16:46 UTC
Last Modified: 04 Mar 2024 15:56 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/77988 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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