The Skin Commensal Yeast Malassezia globosa Thwarts Bacterial Biofilms to Benefit the Host

Malassezia are abundant, lipid-dependent, commensal yeasts in the skin microbiome that also have a pathogenic lifestyle associated with several common skin disorders. Malassezia genomes encode myriad lipases and proteases thought to mediate lipid utilization and pathogenesis. Li et al. report the biochemical characterization of a unique secreted aspartyl protease produced by Malassezia globosa, MgSAP1, and demonstrate its active role in hindering biofilm formation of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Because biofilms are an established virulence attribute of S. aureus, this study reveals a potential benefit to the host of the fungal aspartyl protease MgSAP1 and opens the door for the investigation of the roles of such molecules in microbial interactions and their possible effects on the host.