Fungal sexual cycle

The availability of the complete genome of the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans makes possible a thorough investigation of its biology. In the March 13 Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Tzung et al. describe a comparison of the C. albicans genome with that of the related yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in an attempt to identify genes that are specifically related to the sexual cycle, namely the processes of meiosis and sporulation (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001, 98:3249-3253). By screening with 500 genes implicated in sexual differentiation, Tzung et al. identified C. albicans homologs of genes involved in the initiation of meiosis, chromosomal recombination and the formation of synaptonemal complexes. Comparison with genomes from other organisms identified additional genes implicated in meiosis.