Adaptive evolution of <i>Candida albicans</i> through modulating TOR signaling

Pathogens must be proficient at adapting to their surroundings to survive in the face of a changing microenvironment in the host and cause disease. This is particularly important for commensal-pathogenic organisms such as <i>C. albicans</i> as this fungus colonizes and infects mammalian hosts. Previous studies have focused on genome evolution such as aneuploidies, accumulation of point mutations, or loss of heterozygosity. Here, we demonstrate that <i>C. albicans</i> undergoes rapid adaptive evolution via modulating the TOR pathway. Alterations in TOR activity underlie some evolved traits with important consequences for both host adaptation and pathogenicity in <i>C. albicans</i>. Such mechanisms of adaptive evolution may be exploited by other organisms.