Research Keyword: protein domains

Clinical and Genomic Insights into Antifungal Resistance in Aspergillus Isolates from Thailand

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Researchers in Thailand identified a dangerous fungal infection caused by Aspergillus fumigatus that is resistant to azole antifungal drugs. This is the first time this specific drug-resistant strain has been found in a patient sample in Thailand, though it had been previously detected in environmental samples. The study used genetic testing to understand how the fungus developed resistance and found that it has altered genes that help it survive the antifungal medications commonly used to treat infections.

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Dermatophytes adaptation to the human host exemplified by Microsporum canis

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Researchers studied how fungi that normally infect cats and dogs are adapting to infect humans. By comparing the genes of zoophilic (animal-loving) and anthropophilic (human-loving) Microsporum species, they found that human-adapted strains have developed specific proteins that help them survive in the acidic environment of human skin. These fungi have evolved special enzymes for breaking down keratin and tolerating the lipid-rich, acidic conditions of human skin better than their animal-loving relatives.

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Convergent evolution links molybdenum insertase domains with organism-specific sequences

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Scientists discovered that fungi have uniquely evolved a special way to make molybdenum cofactor, a molecule essential for life. When researchers tried to swap the fungal version with versions from plants or animals, the fungi couldn’t survive properly. A specific 20-amino acid section turned out to be critical for the fungus to use nitrate as food. This finding shows that evolution has created highly specialized solutions for the same biological problem in different organisms.

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