Gene expression and regulation

Fungal pathogens have to adapt to changing environments as infection develops in the host. Analysis of gene expression can provide valuable information to aid our understanding of how the fungus responds to a variety of specific interactions with the host. Gene expression studies can identify disease-associated fungal mechanisms and their regulation and this has the potential to facilitate the design of novel diagnostics and antifungal therapies. Here, we review the current gene expression technologies that have been applied to study fungal pathogens and summarise the transcriptional responses of a number of pathogenic fungi to different pathogenesis-related conditions such as interactions with macrophages, changing pH and temperature, morphogenesis and exposure to antifungal drugs or reactive nitrogen species. Some common responses emerge when different fungal species are subjected to the same stresses but there are interesting differences too, reflecting the different survival strategies that have emerged in divergent fungal species as they have evolved.