Phenotypic switching in Candida albicans is controlled by a SIR2 gene.
We report the cloning of a gene from the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans with sequence and functional similarity to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SIR2 gene. Deletion of the gene in C. albicans produces a dramatic phenotype: variant colony morphologies arise at frequencies as high as 1 in 10. The morphologies resemble those described previously as part of a phenotypic switching system proposed to contribute to pathogenesis. Deletion of SIR2 also produces a high frequency of karyotypic changes. These and other results are consistent with a model whereby Sir2 controls phenotypic switching and chromosome stability in C.albicans by organizing chromatin structure.[1]References
- Phenotypic switching in Candida albicans is controlled by a SIR2 gene. Pérez-Martín, J., Uría, J.A., Johnson, A.D. EMBO J. (1999) [Pubmed]
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