Fungi on the skin: dermatophytes and Malassezia.

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Several human skin diseases and disorders are associated with two groups of fungi, the dermatophytes and Malassezia. Although these skin-related problems are not generally life threatening, they are among the most common diseases and disorders of mankind. These fungi are phylogenetically divergent, with the dermatophytes within the Ascomycota and Malassezia within Basidiomycota. Genome analysis indicates that the adaptations to the skin environment are different in these two groups of fungi. Malassezia are dependent on host lipids and secrete lipases and phospholipases that likely release host fatty acids. The dermatophytes encode multiple enzymes with potential roles in modulating host interactions: polyketide synthases, nonribosomal peptide synthetases, LysM, proteases, kinases, and pseudokinases. These two fungal groups have maximized their interactions with the host using two very different mechanisms.

Year of Publication
2014
Journal
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med
Volume
4
Issue
8
Date Published
2014 Aug 01
ISSN
2157-1422
URL
DOI
10.1101/cshperspect.a019802
PubMed ID
25085959
PubMed Central ID
PMC4109575
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