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Genomics and Pathophysiology: Dandruff as a Paradigm

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Malassezia and the Skin

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The recent sequencing of the genomes of dandruff-associated basidiomycetous yeasts, Malassezia globosa and Malassezia restricta, disclosed that the M. globosa genome is among the smallest for a free-living fungus. M. globosa produces a similar set of secreted hydrolases as the human pathogen Candida albicans. Although phylogenetically more closely related to the plant pathogen Ustilago maydis, M. globosa produces a different set of secreted hydrolases, which is a likely adaptation to the host niche and may be involved in pathogenicity. M. globosa is apparently missing several enzymes in fatty acid metabolism, including fatty acid synthase, Δ9 desaturase, and Δ2,3 enoyl CoA isomerase. The two former enzymes are apparently missing also in another skin microbe, Corynebacterium jeikeium. M. globosa has six lipase genes in each of two lipase families, which, compared with the lipases from a related fungus U. maydis, had undergone duplications since divergence from the Ustilago-containing lineage. There is also evidence for duplication of other M. globosa genes for secreted enzymes such as aspartyl proteases, phospholipases C, and acid sphingomyelinases. The M. globosa genome encodes proteins similar to all Malassezia allergens, the coding sequences of which have been isolated, and genes associated with mating, although mating has not yet been observed in Malassezia.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the coauthors of our genome and proteome analysis publication [1] as well as all the individuals acknowledged in that publication. We especially highlight our appreciation to Pamela Trotter for her insights into lipid metabolism. We thank Julie Baker for the electron micrographs and Holly Krigbaum for the dandruff photograph.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Miami Valley Innovation Center, The Procter & Gamble Co, Cincinnati, OH, 45253-8707, USA

    Charles W. Saunders

Authors
  1. Jun Xu
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  2. Teun Boekhout
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  3. Yvonne DeAngelis
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  4. Tom Dawson
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  5. Charles W. Saunders
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charles W. Saunders .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584, CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Teun Boekhout PhD

  2. Department of Dermatology and Andrology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Gaffykstrasse 14, 35385, Giessen, Germany

    Peter Mayser MD

  3. INSERM, 5 rue de la Huchette, 61400, Mauves sur Huisne, France

    Eveline Guého-Kellermann PhD

  4. Mycology Laboratory, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 11527, Greece

    Aristea Velegraki PhD (Professor) (Professor)

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Xu, J., Boekhout, T., DeAngelis, Y., Dawson, T., Saunders, C.W. (2010). Genomics and Pathophysiology: Dandruff as a Paradigm. In: Boekhout, T., Mayser, P., Guého-Kellermann, E., Velegraki, A. (eds) Malassezia and the Skin. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03616-3_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03616-3_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-03615-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-03616-3

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