Candida albicans is a common cause of yeast infections in people, ranging from diaper rash to oral candidiasis. Because these infections often recur and sometimes grow resistant to treatment, scientists continue to sift through the genetic code of C. albicans for better therapeutic targets to control the organism. In the May 2006 issue of the journal Molecular Microbiology, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grantees and colleagues seem to have identified an excellent target. It’s called the SET1 gene and its protein product, which methylates the histone proteins of DNA. The scientists reported that they could generate antibody responses against a unique region of the SET1 protein that allowed them to distinguish patients with invasive candidiasis from normal samples. They also determined that the SET1 protein contributes to a range of biological processes that are relevant to the onset of candidiasis, and in experiments with mice, they found the protein is essential for C. albicans to reach full virulence. This marks the first study of histone methylation in C. albicans.
(Source: nidcr.nih.gov, Science News in Brief, Accessed May 31, 2006)
