Systems biology approaches to understanding and predicting fungal virulence

Abstract

The identification of fungal virulence factors and novel targets for therapeutic intervention are hindered by the rapid adaptability of pathogenic fungi to their host. One of the major goals of systems biology (SysBio) is to investigate the molecular wiring and dynamics in biological networks, as well as to identify and predict emerging properties of systems. Recent advances in SysBio approaches have paved the way for deciphering host-pathogen interaction complexity and the identification of microbial virulence factors. In this chapter, we discuss SysBio-based methods and milestones in the investigation of fungal virulence, emphasizing computational and modeling-based approaches in the Candida and Saccharomyces genera. We describe the applicability of each method to specific experimental questions using numerous case examples, and critically discuss current gaps and pitfalls in the analysis of SysBio data sets.