The pangenome - key to new therapies

Image of spore carriers of the human pathogenic fungus A. fumigatus (Source: Grit Walther/Leibniz-HKI)

The pangenome - key to new therapies

Aspergillus fumigatus causes severe infections in humans. Latest bioinformatic analyses point the way to possible new therapeutic approaches by defining genes and signaling pathways in clinical and environmental isolates. This characterization of the genomic diversity (pangenome) of A. fumigatus allows moving away from a single reference genome that does not necessarily represent the species as a whole and better understand its pathogenic versatility, leading to a better management of these infections.

Original Publication

Barber AE, Sae-Ong T, Kang K, Seelbinder B, Li J, Walther G, Panagiotou G, Kurzai O  (2021) Aspergillus fumigatus pan-genome analysis identifies genetic variants associated with human infection. Nature Microbiology, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-00993-x.

See press release by Nora Brakhage and Michael Ramm (Leibniz-HKI)