Role of Non-coding RNAs in Fungal Pathogenesis and Antifungal Drug Responses

Purpose of Review Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), constitute a significant part of eukaryotic genomes; however, their roles in fungi are just starting to emerge. ncRNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression in response to va...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current clinical microbiology reports 2020-12, Vol.7 (4), p.133-141
Main Author: Dhingra, Sourabh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antifungal agents
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Chromatin remodeling
Drug resistance
Environmental conditions
Fungi
Gene expression
Gene silencing
Genomes
Genomics
Histones
Medical Microbiology
Mycology (R Cramer
Non-coding RNA
Pathogenesis
Pathogens
Post-transcription
RNA-mediated interference
Roles
Section Editor
Topical Collection on Mycology
Virulence
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Summary:Purpose of Review Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), constitute a significant part of eukaryotic genomes; however, their roles in fungi are just starting to emerge. ncRNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression in response to varying environmental conditions (like stress) and response to chemicals, including antifungal drugs. In this review, I highlighted recent studies focusing on the functional roles of ncRNAs in pathogenic fungi. Recent Findings Emerging evidence suggests sRNAs (small RNAs) and lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs) play an important role in fungal pathogenesis and antifungal drug response. Their roles include posttranscriptional gene silencing, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling. Fungal pathogens utilize RNA interference (RNAi) mechanisms to regulate pathogenesis-related genes and can also transfer sRNAs inside the host to suppress host immunity genes to increase virulence. Hosts can also transfer sRNAs to induce RNAi in fungal pathogens to reduce virulence. Additionally, sRNAs and lncRNAs also regulate gene expression in response to antifungal drugs increasing resistance (and possibly tolerance) to drugs. Summary Herein, I discuss what is known about ncRNAs in fungal pathogenesis and antifungal drug responses. Advancements in genomic technologies will help identify the ncRNA repertoire in fungal pathogens, and functional studies will elucidate their mechanisms. This will advance our understanding of host-fungal interactions and potentially help develop better treatment strategies.
ISSN:2196-5471
2196-5471
DOI:10.1007/s40588-020-00151-7