Differentially expressed genes associated with tryptophan‐dependent pigment synthesis in Malassezia furfur– a comparison with the recently published genome of Malassezia globosa

Malassezia (M.) furfur, a commensal organism found on the human skin, produces a wide range of pigments and fluorochromes when cultured with tryptophan as a sole nitrogen source. Some compounds of this pigment metabolism may provide an explanation for clinical characteristics of pityriasis versicolor (PV), a frequent skin disease in humans characterised by long‐lasting pigmentary changes. Malassezia globosa is currently regarded as the causative agent of PV, but tryptophan‐dependent pigment production has not yet been demonstrated in this species. In a previous study, we identified M. furfur genes that were differentially expressed 3 and 5 h, respectively, after induction of tryptophan‐dependent pigment production. The recent publication of the genome of M. globosa prompted us to check the M. furfur sequences for homologues in M. globosa. The 3‐h pool contained 79 sequences and the 5‐h pool contained 91 sequences. A translated vs. translated BLAST search resulted in 62 sequences (78%) of the 3‐h pool and 61 sequences (67%) of the 5‐h pool showing similarity to a sequence from M. globosa. It appears that M. globosa possesses homologues to most of the genes that are differentially expressed during pigment production in M. furfur.