Diploidy alters the path of fluconazole adaptation in Candida glabrata

Diploid Candida glabrata adapt to fluconazole with higher fitness and MICs, acquiring unique mutations and aneuploidies compared to haploids.

• Why it matters: Understanding how ploidy influences antifungal resistance pathways is crucial for developing effective treatments against this major pathogen.
• What they did: The study isolated a spontaneous diploid variant and performed experimental evolution under fluconazole, analyzing mutation patterns and fitness after approximately 200 generations.
• The result: Diploids showed an evolvability advantage, acquiring heterozygous mutations in PDR1, ERG11, ERG25, and aneuploidies, following distinct resistance routes from haploids under high fluconazole concentrations.