Anna Floyd Averette

An ancestral mitochondrial DNA insertion disrupts RNAi and enables persistence of a novel mycovirus in Cryptococcus neoformans

This study identifies a mycovirus, CnTV1, that persists in RNAi-deficient Cryptococcus neoformans isolates due to a NUMT insertion disrupting Ago1, and shows RNAi is critical for viral control.

Host skin lipids trigger MAT-dependent mating, pathogenic hyphal growth, and parasexual reproduction of Malassezia furfur

This study shows that Malassezia furfur hyphal growth depends on mating-type loci and is promoted by host skin lipids, linking parasexual reproduction to pathogenic traits.

Butyrolactol A potentiates caspofungin efficacy against resistant fungi via phospholipid flippase inhibition

The paper identifies butyrolactol A as a compound that enhances caspofungin efficacy against resistant fungi by inhibiting phospholipid flippase, thereby improving antifungal treatment.

Calcineurin controls the cytokinesis machinery during thermal stress in Cryptococcus deneoformans

This study identifies two mechanisms that bypass calcineurin function in Cryptococcus deneoformans during high-temperature growth, revealing its role in cytokinesis under thermal stress.

Structure-guided design, synthesis, and characterization of C22- and C32-modified FK520 analogs with enhanced activity against human pathogenic fungi

This paper designs and synthesizes C22- and C32-modified FK520 analogs with enhanced antifungal activity and reduced immunosuppression by leveraging structural insights from fungal and human CaN-FKBP12 complexes.

Amoeba Predation of Cryptococcus: A Quantitative and Population Genomic Evaluation of the Accidental Pathogen Hypothesis

The paper tests the accidental pathogen hypothesis by identifying a QTL linked to amoeba resistance and melanization in Cryptococcus species, finding no correlation with macrophage resistance or virulence.

Epistatic genetic interactions govern morphogenesis during sexual reproduction and infection in a global human fungal pathogen

This study identifies genetic interactions governing morphogenesis in Cryptococcus fungi using QTL analysis, revealing epistatic relationships between genes involved in signaling pathways.

Pleiotropy and Epistasis Within and Between Signaling Pathways Defines the Genetic Architecture of Fungal Virulence

This paper identifies genetic loci and pathways underlying virulence traits in Cryptococcus deneoformans using QTL mapping and finds that key signaling pathways contribute to phenotypic variation.

Cryptococcus neoformans recovered from olive trees (Olea europaea) in Turkey reveal allopatry with African and South American lineages

The paper isolates and genetically analyzes Cryptococcus neoformans from olive trees in Turkey, revealing a novel niche and geographic distribution patterns of fungal lineages.

Whole genome analysis illustrates global clonal population structure of the ubiquitous dermatophyte pathogen Trichophyton rubrum

The paper analyzes genome sequences of Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton interdigitale to show that T. rubrum is clonal with limited genetic variation and no evidence of sexual reproduction.