Fungal pathogen sheds gene silencing machinery and becomes more dangerous

For more than a decade, a rare but potentially deadly fungus called Cryptococcus deuterogatti has taken up residence in the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver Island. Researchers found that the pathogen shed over a dozen different genes as it evolved into a new, more virulent species. Surprisingly, most of these discarded genes play a part in RNA interference or RNAi, a process that preserves the integrity of the genome in fungi and other organisms.