Gene flow contributes to diversification of the major fungal pathogen Candida albicans

Jeanne Ropars, Corinne Maufrais, Dorothée Diogo, Marina Marcet-Houben, Aurélie Perin, Natacha Sertour, Kevin Mosca, Emmanuelle Permal, Guillaume Laval, Christiane Bouchier, Laurence Ma, Katja Schwartz, Kerstin Voelz, Robin C. May, Julie Poulain, Christophe Battail, Patrick Wincker, Andrew M. Borman, Anuradha Chowdhary, Shangrong Fan, Soo Hyun Kim, Patrice Pape, Orazio Romeo, Jong Hee Shin, Toni Gabaldon, Gavin Sherlock, Marie-Elisabeth Bougnoux and Christophe d’Enfert ()
Additional contact information
Jeanne Ropars: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Corinne Maufrais: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Dorothée Diogo: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Marina Marcet-Houben: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Aurélie Perin: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Natacha Sertour: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Kevin Mosca: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Emmanuelle Permal: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Guillaume Laval: Center for Bioinformatics, BioStatistics and Integrative Biology (C3BI), USR 3756 IP CNRS, Institut Pasteur
Christiane Bouchier: Biomics Pole, CITECH, Institut Pasteur
Laurence Ma: Biomics Pole, CITECH, Institut Pasteur
Katja Schwartz: Stanford University Medical School
Kerstin Voelz: School of Biosciences and Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham
Robin C. May: School of Biosciences and Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham
Julie Poulain: CEA, Genoscope, Institut de biologie François Jacob
Christophe Battail: CEA, Genoscope, Institut de biologie François Jacob
Patrick Wincker: CEA, Genoscope, Institut de biologie François Jacob
Andrew M. Borman: UK National Mycology Reference Laboratory, Public Health England
Anuradha Chowdhary: Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi
Shangrong Fan: Peking University Shenzhen Hospital
Soo Hyun Kim: Chonnam National University Medical School
Patrice Pape: EA1155 – IICiMed, Institut de Recherche en Santé 2, Université de Nantes
Orazio Romeo: University of Messina
Jong Hee Shin: Chonnam National University Medical School
Toni Gabaldon: Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology
Gavin Sherlock: Stanford University Medical School
Marie-Elisabeth Bougnoux: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA
Christophe d’Enfert: Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit, Institut Pasteur, INRA

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Elucidating population structure and levels of genetic diversity and recombination is necessary to understand the evolution and adaptation of species. Candida albicans is the second most frequent agent of human fungal infections worldwide, causing high-mortality rates. Here we present the genomic sequences of 182 C. albicans isolates collected worldwide, including commensal isolates, as well as ones responsible for superficial and invasive infections, constituting the largest dataset to date for this major fungal pathogen. Although, C. albicans shows a predominantly clonal population structure, we find evidence of gene flow between previously known and newly identified genetic clusters, supporting the occurrence of (para)sexuality in nature. A highly clonal lineage, which experimentally shows reduced fitness, has undergone pseudogenization in genes required for virulence and morphogenesis, which may explain its niche restriction. Candida albicans thus takes advantage of both clonality and gene flow to diversify.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04787-4

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