At
Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Cheryl Nickerson and her team
have been investigating the intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial
pathogens. Specifically the team reports their recent work examining
spaceflight-induced responses in, and infectious disease potential of, the
fungal pathogen, Candida albicans.
The
new study reports the differential regulation of 452 genes in
spaceflight-cultured C. albicans, compared to fungal cells cultured under
otherwise identical ground-based conditions. The expression of a wide variety
of functionally diverse gene families was altered, including those regulating
cell aggregation and budding, biofilm formation and resistance to
pathogenesis-related stresses and antifungal drugs.
Therefore,
the pathogen in its transformed state poses a significant infectious disease
risk.
For
further details, refer to the following paper:
Posted by Tim Sandle
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