Genomic Landscape Underlying Biofilm Formation Diversity in Nakaseomyces glabratus Clinical Isolates.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
- 2iBB - Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal.
- 3MISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal.
- 4Medical Mycology Research Center (MMRC), Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Abstract
Biofilm formation is a key determinant of persistence and pathogenicity in fungal infections, yet the genetic basis underlying its variability among clinical isolates remains poorly understood. In this study, a collection of 95 N. glabratus clinical isolates was analyzed in terms of biofilm formation capacity, revealing large phenotypic diversity. Interestingly, urinary tract associated isolates were found to produce, on average, twice as much biofilm as the remaining isolates. A more in-depth analysis was carried out focusing on a selection of three of the lowest biofilm producing and four of the highest biofilm producing isolates. Higher total biofilm mass was found to consistently correlate with higher metabolic activity and carbohydrate extracellular matrix content, while no correlation with virulence against the Galleria mellonella infection model could be detected. Whole-genome sequencing of these high and low biofilm producing strains led to a list of 184 genes whose mutation may underlie biofilm formation variability. Deletion of 24 of these genes, identified BST1, EST3, LSM7, AMS1 and ZCF21 as previously uncharacterized contributors to biofilm formation, whose disruption results in a measurable reduction in biofilm biomass. Altogether, the obtained knowledge suggests within-host positive selection in the urinary tract, for N. glabratus specialization towards biofilm growth. The identification of new effectors of biofilm formation is consistent with the existence of a multi-layered network that connects transcriptional regulation and cell surface architecture in biofilm development.
Related
- NMR Analysis of Complex Formation Underlying the Precipitation of Rosmarinic Acid with Protoberberine Derivatives
- Mapping the Functional Landscape and Viral Diversity of 2A Peptides
- Single-nucleus RNA sequencing in ischemic cardiomyopathy reveals common transcriptional profile underlying end-stage heart failure
- Late-diagnosed Nonclassical 21-hydroxylase Deficiency in Two Elderly Men with Adrenal Incidentalomas: Clinical Clues to the Underlying Diagnosis
- Ligand-dependent G protein dynamics underlying opioid efficacy.
BibTeX
@article{costa2026genomic,
title = {{Genomic Landscape Underlying Biofilm Formation Diversity in Nakaseomyces glabratus Clinical Isolates.}},
author = {Inês Vieira Costa and Maria Zolotareva and Mafalda Cavalheiro and Dalila Mil-Homens and Isabel M Miranda and Kaname Sasamoto and Arsénio Fialho and Acácio G Rodrigues and Hiroji Chibana and Miguel Cacho Teixeira},
journal = {MicrobiologyOpen},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/mbo3.70444},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904866},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Genomic Landscape Underlying Biofilm Formation Diversity in Nakaseomyces glabratus Clinical Isolates.
AU - Inês Vieira Costa
AU - Maria Zolotareva
AU - Mafalda Cavalheiro
AU - Dalila Mil-Homens
AU - Isabel M Miranda
AU - Kaname Sasamoto
AU - Arsénio Fialho
AU - Acácio G Rodrigues
AU - Hiroji Chibana
AU - Miguel Cacho Teixeira
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - MicrobiologyOpen
DO - 10.1002/mbo3.70444
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904866
AB - Biofilm formation is a key determinant of persistence and pathogenicity in fungal infections, yet the genetic basis underlying its variability among clinical isolates remains poorly understood. In this study, a collection of 95 N. glabratus clinical isolates was analyzed in terms of biofilm formation capacity, revealing large phenotypic diversity. Interestingly, urinary tract associated isolates were found to produce, on average, twice as much biofilm as the remaining isolates. A more in-depth analysis was carried out focusing on a selection of three of the lowest biofilm producing and four of the highest biofilm producing isolates. Higher total biofilm mass was found to consistently correlate with higher metabolic activity and carbohydrate extracellular matrix content, while no correlation with virulence against the Galleria mellonella infection model could be detected. Whole-genome sequencing of these high and low biofilm producing strains led to a list of 184 genes whose mutation may underlie biofilm formation variability. Deletion of 24 of these genes, identified BST1, EST3, LSM7, AMS1 and ZCF21 as previously uncharacterized contributors to biofilm formation, whose disruption results in a measurable reduction in biofilm biomass. Altogether, the obtained knowledge suggests within-host positive selection in the urinary tract, for N. glabratus specialization towards biofilm growth. The identification of new effectors of biofilm formation is consistent with the existence of a multi-layered network that connects transcriptional regulation and cell surface architecture in biofilm development.
SN - 2045-8827
ER -