Functional profiling of human fungal pathogen genomes.
Fungal infections are challenging to diagnose and often difficult to treat, with only a handful of drug classes existing. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which pathogenic fungi cause human disease is imperative. Here, we discuss how the development and use of genome-scale genetic resources, such as whole-genome knockout collections, can address this unmet need. Using work in Saccharomcyes cerevisiae as a guide, studies of Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans have shown how the challenges of large-scale gene deletion can be overcome, and how such collections can be effectively used to obtain insights into mechanisms of pathogenesis. We conclude that, with concerted efforts, full genome-wide functional analysis of human fungal pathogen genomes is within reach.
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158.
Alexi I
AI
Goranov
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158.
Hiten D
HD
Madhani
D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D017353:Gene Deletion; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*