Abstract
The human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans can undergo transitions between budding and filamentous forms, as well as another morphogenetic process termed phenotypic switching. Phenotypic switching occurs spontaneously in the absence of environmental signals and can give rise to several different colony morphologies. The molecular mechanism of phenotypic switching in C. albicans is not well understood. The role of genomic rearrangements has been the primary focus of molecular switching models. Recently, however, epigenetic mechanisms have been considered, based on observations of heritable genetic changes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Many of these epigenetic changes are controlled by the SIR2 (silent information regulator) gene. It now appears that epigenetic mechanisms might play a role in regulating morphogenesis in C. albicans1 Perez-Martin J. et al. Phenotypic switching in Candida albicans is controlled by a SIR2 gene. EMBO J. 1999; 18: 2580-2592 Crossref PubMed Scopus (112) Google Scholar .
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