DOI
10.1186/s12918-016-0268-1

Summary
Candida albicans is a fungal pathogen that colonizes the mammalian body as a benign commensal. This study is based on the observation that a major transcription factor (Efg1p) is differentially expressed in C. albicans cells is affected by the host immune status. In this study the authors used principles of evolutionary game theory to study the mechanism that governs dynamics of EFG1 expression during C. albicans colonization. Here they demonstrate that C. albicans overcomes the host defense strategy by modulating the activity of diverse fungal histone modifying enzymes that control EFG1 expression. Based on their modelling and experimental results the authors concluded that C. albicans cells sense the local environment of the GI tract and respond to differences by altering EFG1 expression to establish optimal survival strategies. They also demonstrated that the overall process is governed via modulation of epigenetic regulators of chromatin structure.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper deals with complexity because the gastrointestinal tract presents a complex system of interconnected bacterial and fungal inhabitants that affect the host. Here the game theory based mathematical modeling is used to understand the mechanisms that underlie the host-dependent differential gene expression observed in Candida albicans.

Point of Strength
The point of strength of this research lies in the use of the game theory mathematical modeling to understand the mechanism that governs dynamics of EFG1 expression during C. albicans colonization.