Aneuploidy and Drug Resistance in Pathogenic Fungi

Genomic imbalance resulting from aneuploidy is detrimental to the proliferation of cells in conditions suitable for normal growth and differentiation [1], [2]. However, there is growing evidence that aneuploidy confers a significant growth advantage when cells undergo severe genetic or environmental perturbations [3]–[6]. For example, aneuploidy restored the ability to proliferate in yeast cells that carried an irreversible disruption in the key cytokinetic machinery [7], enabled them to overcome nutrient limitations [8], facilitated resistance to antifungal drugs in pathogenic fungi, and increased their virulence [4], [9], [10]–[12]. This review focuses on the emergence of aneuploidy that enables pathogenic fungi to resist antifungal drugs.