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Theelen B, Christinaki AC, Dawson TL, Boekhout T, Kouvelis VN. Comparative analysis of Malassezia furfur mitogenomes and the development of a mitochondria-based typing approach. FEMS Yeast Res 2021; 21:6375414. [PMID: 34562093 PMCID: PMC8510979 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foab051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Malassezia furfur is a yeast species belonging to Malasseziomycetes, Ustilaginomycotina and Basidiomycota that is found on healthy warm-blooded animal skin, but also involved in various skin disorders like seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff and pityriasis versicolor. Moreover, Malassezia are associated with bloodstream infections, Crohn's disease and pancreatic carcinoma. Recent advances in Malassezia genomics and genetics have focused on the nuclear genome. In this work, we present the M. furfur mitochondrial (mt) genetic heterogenicity with full analysis of 14 novel and six available M. furfur mt genomes. The mitogenome analysis reveals a mt gene content typical for fungi, including identification of variable mt regions suitable for intra-species discrimination. Three of them, namely the trnK–atp6 and cox3–nad3 intergenic regions and intron 2 of the cob gene, were selected for primer design to identify strain differences. Malassezia furfur strains belonging to known genetic variable clusters, based on AFLP and nuclear loci, were assessed for their mt variation using PCR amplification and sequencing. The results suggest that these mt regions are excellent molecular markers for the typing of M. furfur strains and may provide added value to nuclear regions when assessing evolutionary relationships at the intraspecies level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Theelen
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anastasia C Christinaki
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens 15701, Greece
| | - Thomas L Dawson
- Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A∗STAR), Skin Research Institute of Singapore (SRIS), 11 Mandalay Rd, #17-01, Singapore 308232, Singapore.,Center for Cell Death, Injury and Regeneration, Departments of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, 280 Calhoun St, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Teun Boekhout
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vassili N Kouvelis
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens 15701, Greece
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Park M, Park S, Jung WH. Skin Commensal Fungus Malassezia and Its Lipases. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 31:637-644. [PMID: 33526754 PMCID: PMC9705927 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2012.12048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Malassezia is the most abundant genus in the fungal microflora found on human skin, and it is associated with various skin diseases. Among the 18 different species of Malassezia that have been identified to date, M. restricta and M. globosa are the most predominant fungal species found on human skin. Several studies have suggested a possible link between Malassezia and skin disorders. However, our knowledge on the physiology and pathogenesis of Malassezia in human body is still limited. Malassezia is unable to synthesize fatty acids; hence, it uptakes external fatty acids as a nutrient source for survival, a characteristic compensated by the secretion of lipases and degradation of sebum to produce and uptake external fatty acids. Although it has been reported that the activity of secreted lipases may contribute to pathogenesis of Malassezia, majority of the data were indirect evidences; therefore, enzymes' role in the pathogenesis of Malassezia infections is still largely unknown. This review focuses on the recent advances on Malassezia in the context of an emerging interest for lipases and summarizes the existing knowledge on Malassezia, diseases associated with the fungus, and the role of the reported lipases in its physiology and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minji Park
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungmin Park
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Hee Jung
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 17546, Republic of Korea,Corresponding author Phone: +82-31-670-3068 Fax: +82-31-675-1381 E-mail:
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