Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i>
The proper balance of gene expression is essential for cellular health, organismal development, and maintaining homeostasis. In response to complex internal and external signals, the cell needs to modulate gene expression to maintain proteostasis and establish cellular identity within its niche. On...
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/2/276 |
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| author | Sarah Asfare Reem Eldabagh Khizar Siddiqui Bharvi Patel Diellza Kaba Julie Mullane Umar Siddiqui James T. Arnone |
| author_facet | Sarah Asfare Reem Eldabagh Khizar Siddiqui Bharvi Patel Diellza Kaba Julie Mullane Umar Siddiqui James T. Arnone |
| author_sort | Sarah Asfare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The proper balance of gene expression is essential for cellular health, organismal development, and maintaining homeostasis. In response to complex internal and external signals, the cell needs to modulate gene expression to maintain proteostasis and establish cellular identity within its niche. On a genome level, single-celled prokaryotic microbes display clustering of co-expressed genes that are regulated as a polycistronic RNA. This phenomenon is largely absent from eukaryotic microbes, although there is extensive clustering of co-expressed genes as functional pairs spread throughout the genome in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. While initial analysis demonstrated conservation of clustering in divergent fungal lineages, a comprehensive analysis has yet to be performed. Here we report on the prevalence, conservation, and significance of the functional clustering of co-regulated genes within the opportunistic human pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i>. Our analysis reveals that there is extensive clustering within this organism—although the identity of the gene pairs is unique compared with those found in <i>S. cerevisiae</i>—indicating that this genomic arrangement evolved after these microbes diverged evolutionarily, rather than being the result of an ancestral arrangement. We report a clustered arrangement in gene families that participate in diverse molecular functions and are not the result of a divergent orientation with a shared promoter. This arrangement coordinates the transcription of the clustered genes to their neighboring genes, with the clusters congregating to genomic loci that are conducive to transcriptional regulation at a distance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:21:40Z |
| format | Article |
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| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:21:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-91268b2aa6f94dff93cd5aead0366dab2023-12-03T15:08:36ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072021-01-019227610.3390/microorganisms9020276Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i>Sarah Asfare0Reem Eldabagh1Khizar Siddiqui2Bharvi Patel3Diellza Kaba4Julie Mullane5Umar Siddiqui6James T. Arnone7Department of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USADepartment of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USADepartment of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USADepartment of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USADepartment of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USADepartment of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USADepartment of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USADepartment of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USAThe proper balance of gene expression is essential for cellular health, organismal development, and maintaining homeostasis. In response to complex internal and external signals, the cell needs to modulate gene expression to maintain proteostasis and establish cellular identity within its niche. On a genome level, single-celled prokaryotic microbes display clustering of co-expressed genes that are regulated as a polycistronic RNA. This phenomenon is largely absent from eukaryotic microbes, although there is extensive clustering of co-expressed genes as functional pairs spread throughout the genome in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. While initial analysis demonstrated conservation of clustering in divergent fungal lineages, a comprehensive analysis has yet to be performed. Here we report on the prevalence, conservation, and significance of the functional clustering of co-regulated genes within the opportunistic human pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i>. Our analysis reveals that there is extensive clustering within this organism—although the identity of the gene pairs is unique compared with those found in <i>S. cerevisiae</i>—indicating that this genomic arrangement evolved after these microbes diverged evolutionarily, rather than being the result of an ancestral arrangement. We report a clustered arrangement in gene families that participate in diverse molecular functions and are not the result of a divergent orientation with a shared promoter. This arrangement coordinates the transcription of the clustered genes to their neighboring genes, with the clusters congregating to genomic loci that are conducive to transcriptional regulation at a distance.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/2/276<i>Candida albicans</i>functional clusteringgenomic organizationgene regulationadjacent gene co-expressionstress response |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Asfare Reem Eldabagh Khizar Siddiqui Bharvi Patel Diellza Kaba Julie Mullane Umar Siddiqui James T. Arnone Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i> Microorganisms <i>Candida albicans</i> functional clustering genomic organization gene regulation adjacent gene co-expression stress response |
| title | Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i> |
| title_full | Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i> |
| title_fullStr | Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i> |
| title_short | Systematic Analysis of Functionally Related Gene Clusters in the Opportunistic Pathogen, <i>Candida albicans</i> |
| title_sort | systematic analysis of functionally related gene clusters in the opportunistic pathogen i candida albicans i |
| topic | <i>Candida albicans</i> functional clustering genomic organization gene regulation adjacent gene co-expression stress response |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/2/276 |
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