mSphere of Influence: Considering Complex Mutational Processes That Shape Microbial Virulence

Abstract

ABSTRACT Matt Anderson works in the field of genetics and infectious disease, with a focus on the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how two papers, “Gene Flow Contributes to Diversification of the Major Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans” (J. Ropars, C. Maufrais, D. Diogo, M. Marcet-Houben, A. Perin, et al., Nat Commun 9:2253, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04787-4) and “Selection of Candida albicans Trisomy during Oropharyngeal Infection Results in a Commensal-Like Phenotype” (A. Forche, N. V. Solis, M. Swidergall, R. Thomas, A. Guyer, et al., PLoS Genet 15:e1008137, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008137), made an impact on him by incorporating less commonly investigated mechanisms of genome evolution into the context of microbial adaptation.

Keywords

• Candida albicans
• adaptation
• loss of heterozygosity
• ploidy
• trisomy