Candida albicans is a common fungal pathogen of humans, but genetic interaction analysis has been limited in this diploid organism. To overcome the technical restrictions, Shapiro, Chavez et al. developed a CRISPR–Cas9-based gene drive array (GDA) platform that can efficiently generate homozygous double-gene deletion mutants, and they present the first large-scale genetic epistasis analysis in this fungal pathogen. The authors generated double-gene deletion libraries, targeting antifungal efflux pumps and biofilm adhesion factors to determine how drug pumps and cellular adhesins interact to govern tolerance to xenobiotics and biofilm formation, respectively, in C. albicans. The authors anticipate that the GDA platform can be adapted to study other clinically relevant fungal pathogens.
References
Shapiro, R. S., Chavez, A. et al. A CRISPR–Cas9-based gene drive platform for genetic interaction analysis in Candida albicans. Nat. Microbiol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41564-017-0043-0 (2017)
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Du Toit, A. Expanding the genetic toolbox for fungi. Nat Rev Microbiol 15, 709 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2017.141
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2017.141