Candida albicans genome instability caused by host immune response

Here, we leveraged the genetic tractability of nematode hosts to investigate whether innate immune components, including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), induced host-associated C. albicans genome instability. C. albicans associated with immunocompetent hosts carried multiple large-scale genomic changes, including LOH and whole-chromosomal and segmental aneuploidies. In contrast, C. albicans associated with immunocompromised hosts deficient in AMPs or ROS production had reduced LOH frequencies and fewer, if any, additional genomic changes.