Epigenetics literally means heritable changes in gene expression without any modification in the DNA sequence. The field of epigenetics is revolutionising our understanding of basic fundamental principles behind the normal development and the diseased state of an individual. However, chromatin modifications during infection, wherein the pathogen interacts with its host, received comparatively little attention. Nevertheless, the role of epigenetics in the establishment of infectious diseases by breaching the host defense system is an emerging area of research. Epigenetic regulation impacts differentiation and expression of virulence attributes of a pathogen. For example, antigenic variations in parasites such as Giardia lamblia and Plasmodium falciparum are epigenetically determined. Similarly, chromatin modifying elements have been implicated in fungal morphogenesis and virulence. In particular, chromatin modifying enzymes including histone methyl transferases (KMTs), histone acetyl transferases (KATs), and histone deacetylases (KDACs) have been shown to epigenetically modulate pathogenicity of the human opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans. The significance of chromatin modifications has the potential for explaining the mechanistic basis for distinct lifestyles of the fungus. In this review, we summarize the existing body of evidence that emphasizes the importance of various chromatin modulations involved in providing phenotypic plasticity of the medically important fungal pathogen C. albicans.

表观遗传学的字面意思是基因表达的可遗传改变，而DNA序列没有任何修饰。表观遗传学领域正在彻底改变我们对个体正常发育和疾病状态背后的基本基本原理的理解。然而，在感染期间，其中病原体与其宿主相互作用的染色质修饰受到的关注相对较少。然而，表观遗传学通过突破宿主防御系统在传染病建立中的作用是一个新兴的研究领域。表观遗传调控影响病原体的毒力属性的分化和表达。例如，寄生虫（如贾第鞭毛虫（Giardia lamblia）和恶性疟原虫（Plasmodium falciparum））的抗原变异由表观遗传决定。类似地，染色质修饰元件也与真菌的形态发生和毒力有关。特别地，染色质修饰酶包括组蛋白甲基转移酶（KMTs），组蛋白乙酰基转移酶（KATs）和组蛋白脱乙酰基酶（KDACs）已被表观遗传调控人类机会病原体白色念珠菌的致病性。染色质修饰的重要性具有解释真菌不同生活方式的机制基础的潜力。在这篇综述中，我们总结了现有的证据，这些证据强调了在提供医学上重要的真菌病原体白色念珠菌的表型可塑性的过程中涉及各种染色质调节的重要性。