Genome of Malassezia arunalokei and Its Distribution on Facial Skin.

is a fungal genus found on the skin of humans and warm-blooded animals, with 18 species reported to date. In this study, we sequenced and annotated the genome of Malassezia arunalokei, which is the most recently identified species, and compared it with Malassezia restricta, the predominant isolate from human skin. Additionally, we reanalyzed previously reported mycobiome data sets with a species-level resolution to investigate distribution within the mycobiota of human facial skin.

Oxidative Stress Causes Vacuolar Fragmentation in the Human Fungal Pathogen .

Vacuoles are dynamic cellular organelles, and their morphology is altered by various stimuli or stresses. Vacuoles play an important role in the physiology and virulence of many fungal pathogens. For example, a mutant deficient in vacuolar functions showed significantly reduced expression of virulence factors such as capsule and melanin synthesis and was avirulent in a mouse model of cryptococcosis.

A Transcriptional Regulatory Map of Iron Homeostasis Reveals a New Control Circuit for Capsule Formation in .

Iron is essential for the growth of the human fungal pathogen within the vertebrate host, and iron sensing contributes to the elaboration of key virulence factors, including the formation of the polysaccharide capsule. employs sophisticated iron acquisition and utilization systems governed by the transcription factors Cir1 and HapX. However, the details of the transcriptional regulatory networks that are governed by these transcription factors and connections to virulence remain to be defined.