Telomeres are long non-coding regions found at the ends of eukaryotic linear chromosomes. Although they have traditionally been associated with the protection of linear DNA ends to avoid gene losses during each round of DNA replication, recent studies have demonstrated that the role of these sequences and their adjacent regions go beyond just protecting chromosomal ends. Regions nearby to telomeric sequences have now been identified as having increased variability in the form of duplications and rearrangements that result in new functional abilities and biodiversity. Furthermore, unique fungal telomeric and chromatin structures have now extended clinical capabilities and understanding of pathogenicity levels. In this review, telomere structure, as well as functional implications, will be examined in opportunistic fungal pathogens, including Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Pneumocystis jirovecii.

Phospholipid biosynthetic genes encode enzymes responsible for phospholipid biosynthesis. They are coordin-ately regulated by the availability of phospholipid precursors through the inositol-sensitive upstream activating sequence (UAS _INO ). However, not all phospholipid genes are UAS _INO -containing genes and not all UAS _INO -containing genes have the same response to the phospholipid precursors. Therefore, the transcriptional regulation of phospholipid genes in response to the availability of phospholipid precursors is still unclear. Here, 22 out of 47 phospholipid biosynthetic genes were identified as UAS _INO -containing genes, including EKI1, EPT1, INM1, IPK2, KCS1, PAH1, and PIK1 which have never been reported before. We also showed, using qRT-PCR technique, that 12 UAS _INO -containing genes are down-regulated by 100 μM inositol in the wild type cells and up-regulated by 100 μM inositol in the ino2Δ cells. Therefore, it is possible that these genes are transcriptionally regulated by the UAS _INO through the negative response of Ino2p to inositol. One other UAS _INO -containing gene might be regulated by the positive response of Ino2p to 100 μM inositol. Surprisingly, we found 9 UAS _INO -containing genes are not dependent on the response of Ino2p to 100 μM inositol, indicating that they may be regulated by other pathway. Furthermore, we identified 9 and 3 non-UAS _INO -containing genes that are possibly regulated by the negative and positive response of Ino2p to 100 μM inositol, respectively. Therefore, these observations provide insight into the understanding of the co-regulated phospholipid biosynthetic genes expression.

Organic cultivation can improve soil fertility and biodiversity through the preservation of soil organic matter. Meanwhile, greenhouse cultivation can provide a controlled environment and therefore enables the management of every aspect of plant growth. In recent years, the combination of organic and greenhouse cultivation has slowly become a popular option in tropical regions to prevent the unpredictable impact of weather. Although it is known that organic cultivation significantly increases the density and species of microorganisms, the impact of soil microbiome on short-term vegetable growth under organic greenhouse cultivation is still not elucidated. In this study, we examined soil physiochemical properties as well as the rhizosphere microbiome from healthy and diseased mustard plants under organic greenhouse cultivation. Through next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, our results revealed that the rhizosphere microbiome structure of healthy mustard plants was significantly different from those of the diseased mustard plants under organic greenhouse cultivation. Our findings suggest that soil microbiome composition can influence the growth of the vegetable significantly. As such, we have shown the impact of soil microbiome on vegetable growth under organic greenhouse cultivation and provide a possible strategy for sustainable agriculture.