The genotoxic stress-inducible gene GEI1(Orf19.3109) is a repressor of virulence in Candida albicans.

GEI1 gene acts as a repressor of virulence in Candida albicans, with its deletion causing a 2- to 3-fold increase in extracellular protease secretion and hypervirulence.

• Why it matters: Understanding how pathogenic fungi regulate virulence during stress is crucial for developing targeted therapies, as stress responses often influence infection outcomes and pathogen survival.
• What they did: Researchers characterized GEI1, a genotoxic stress-inducible gene absent in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, using transcriptomic profiling and CRISPRi, revealing its role in repressing protease secretion and virulence.
• The result: Loss of GEI1 leads to hyperactivation of antioxidant defenses and protease secretion, resulting in increased virulence, which can be mitigated by repressing downstream effectors like SAP1, SAP3, SAP5, and ADH4.