Thoughts on the evolution of Core Environmental Responses in yeasts

Publication date: Available online 16 January 2020Source: Fungal BiologyAuthor(s): Alistair J.P. Brown, Daniel E. Larcombe, Arnab PradhanAbstractThe model yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, display Core Environmental Responses (CERs) that include the induction of a core set of stress genes in response to diverse environmental stresses. CERs underlie the phenomenon of stress cross-protection, whereby exposure to one type of stress can provide protection against subsequent exposure to a second type of stress. CERs have probably arisen through the accumulation, over evolutionary time, of protective anticipatory responses (“adaptive prediction”). CERs have been observed in other evolutionarily divergent fungi but, interestingly, not in the pathogenic yeast, Candida albicans. We argue that this is because we have not looked in the right place. In response to specific host inputs, C. albicans does activate anticipatory responses that protect it against impending attack from the immune system. Therefore, we suggest that C. albicans has evolved a CER that reflects the environmental challenges it faces in host niches.Graphical abstractDomesticated yeasts such as S. cerevisiae display Core Environmental Responses that have evolved to provide protective anticipatory responses that confer cross-protection against diverse environmental stresses. The pathogenic yeast, C. albicans, does not appear to display stress cross-protection, but does display anticipa...

Source: Fungal Biology - January 17, 2020 Category: Biology Source Type: research