Biology subjects

Hurto, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Hurto, R..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Defining the Candidozyma auris pan-genome and essentiality

Candidozyma auris is a multi-drug resistant fungal pathogen that causes hospital outbreaks, but genetic variation and gene function in this organism remain undercharacterized. Here, we performed pangenome analysis on 695 genetically representative isolates of C. auris and found that only 2.6% of gene families varied in their presence, mainly consisting of gene loss events or clade-specific genes, highlighting the clonal nature of these strains. Using microbial genome-wide association, we identified two loci associated with altered keratinocyte adherence, including genes with unknown function. To look broadly at gene function, we developed a genome-scale insertional mutagenesis approach and identified 614 high-confidence essential genes. Nearly one-third of these genes exhibited divergent essentiality compared to the model yeasts Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Together, this study highlights organism-specific biology and provides a comprehensive resource for identifying species-specific determinants of virulence and targets for antifungal drug development.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2025

Conserved Heterochromatin-like Structures with Local Regulators Mediate the Iron Stress Response in Mycobacteria

Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of dynamic heterochromatin-like regions in bacterial gene regulation, particularly for adaptation to changing environments. Here, we have measured the dynamic regulatory protein-DNA landscape of the tuberculosis vaccine strain, M. bovis BCG Pasteur, under the pathogenically-relevant condition of iron starvation. Our results capture for the first time the overall protein occupancy landscape of the genome of M. bovis BCG, identifying extended protein occupancy domains likely composed of diverse sets of nucleoid-associated proteins and transcription factors. Importantly, we find chromatin-directed regulation of stress-responsive genes like siderophores. Furthermore, through comparison with the free-living M. smegmatis, we identified a specific class of extended protein occupancy domains that are associated with conserved genomic regions across the two organisms, whereas regions with low protein occupancy often lack conservation. Our findings thus comprehensively reveal the contributions of both local regulators and chromatin structure to gene regulation and evolution in mycobacteria.

microbiology↗