See also our first discussion on how White–Brown switching in Candida auris may relate to strain variation and climate change: journals.plos.org/plospathogen... — and listen to the chat on @profvrr as well: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHq...

Excited to share the beautiful biology uncovered in our latest #Candida #auris study! 🌱🧬 Check out the paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... and listen to the AI DeepDive podcast for more insights: 😜https://youtu.be/4NlM7_uqOLw?si=4t21kDaObgce01M3
@cp-cellreports.bsky.social @cellpress.bsky.social

We conducted in-depth genetic analysis and generated multiple mutants to establish a regulatory model involving Wor1, Msn4, Crz5, Rca1, and Efg1—revealing distinct regulatory logic compared to Candida albicans. 6/n

Importantly, most derivative clones show reduced switching frequency and altered coloration vs. the original strain. Stress and antifungal assays reveal broad variation. Notably, the Brown morphotype shows higher mutation rates and reduced fitness in vitro and in vivo. 5/n

This striking colony diversity emerges even among derivative clones from a single clinical strain after 2 weeks of switching. While mutation accumulation may play a role, high-frequency morphotypes suggest possible epigenetic regulation or multistage switching. 4/n

Switching behavior varies significantly across clinical strains, both in colony coloration and switching frequency, potentially reflecting differences in genetic background. BUT interestingly .... 3/n

doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... 🎉 We screened 120 + clinical strains across all five clades and discovered high-frequency phenotypic switching. Beyond classic white‑opaque switching, multiple morphotypes with diverse colony colors emerge—likely driving clinical variability. 2/n

* A new pipeline for SNP calling from RNA-seq data
* A gene swapping experiment to confirm FUR1's role in 5FC resistance
* New genetic variants in FUR1, FCY2 defines 5FC resistance.
4/4
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

It resulted in a small paper, but it was a lot of fun to witness the rapid microevolution of C. auris and its potential role in establishing pan-drug resistance. 3/4

After conducting a MIC experiment, I performed serial spotting on flucytosine gradient plates. The Candida auris strain quickly developed resistance to 5FC in 1-2 passages. 2/4

We hope this helps explain to clinicians why C. auris treatment often fails, how it shows such diverse phenotypes, and why it evolves so fast during antifungal therapy. We’re hoping to share the full experimental story soon, if everything goes smoothly.