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Interaction between genetic background and the mating-type locus in Cryptococcus neoformans virulence potential.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Nielsen, K; Marra, RE; Hagen, F; Boekhout, T; Mitchell, TG; Cox, GM; Heitman, J
Published in: Genetics
November 2005

The study of quantitative traits provides a window on the interactions between multiple unlinked genetic loci. The interaction between hosts and pathogenic microbes, such as fungi, involves aspects of quantitative genetics for both partners in this dynamic equilibrium. One important pathogenic fungus is Cryptococcus neoformans, a basidiomycete yeast that can infect the human brain and whose mating system has two mating type alleles, a and alpha. The alpha mating-type allele has previously been linked to increased virulence potential. Here congenic C. neoformans strains were generated in the two well-characterized genetic backgrounds B3501alpha and NIH433a to examine the potential influence of genes outside of the mating-type locus on the virulence potential of mating type. The congenic nature of these new strain pairs was established by karyotyping, amplified fragment length polymorphism genotyping, and whole-genome molecular allele mapping (congenicity mapping). Virulence studies revealed that virulence was equivalent between the B3501 a and alpha congenic strains but the alpha strain was more virulent than its a counterpart in the NIH433 genetic background. These results demonstrate that genomic regions outside the mating type locus contribute to differences in virulence between a and alpha cells. The congenic strains described here provide a foundation upon which to elucidate at genetic and molecular levels how mating-type and other unlinked loci interact to enable microbial pathogenesis.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Genetics

DOI

ISSN

0016-6731

Publication Date

November 2005

Volume

171

Issue

3

Start / End Page

975 / 983

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Virulence
  • Mice, Inbred DBA
  • Mice
  • Genetic Markers
  • Genes, Mating Type, Fungal
  • Female
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cryptococcus neoformans
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Animals
 

Citation

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Nielsen, K., Marra, R. E., Hagen, F., Boekhout, T., Mitchell, T. G., Cox, G. M., & Heitman, J. (2005). Interaction between genetic background and the mating-type locus in Cryptococcus neoformans virulence potential. Genetics, 171(3), 975–983. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.105.045039
Nielsen, Kirsten, Robert E. Marra, Ferry Hagen, Teun Boekhout, Thomas G. Mitchell, Gary M. Cox, and Joseph Heitman. “Interaction between genetic background and the mating-type locus in Cryptococcus neoformans virulence potential.Genetics 171, no. 3 (November 2005): 975–83. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.105.045039.
Nielsen K, Marra RE, Hagen F, Boekhout T, Mitchell TG, Cox GM, et al. Interaction between genetic background and the mating-type locus in Cryptococcus neoformans virulence potential. Genetics. 2005 Nov;171(3):975–83.
Nielsen, Kirsten, et al. “Interaction between genetic background and the mating-type locus in Cryptococcus neoformans virulence potential.Genetics, vol. 171, no. 3, Nov. 2005, pp. 975–83. Pubmed, doi:10.1534/genetics.105.045039.
Nielsen K, Marra RE, Hagen F, Boekhout T, Mitchell TG, Cox GM, Heitman J. Interaction between genetic background and the mating-type locus in Cryptococcus neoformans virulence potential. Genetics. 2005 Nov;171(3):975–983.

Published In

Genetics

DOI

ISSN

0016-6731

Publication Date

November 2005

Volume

171

Issue

3

Start / End Page

975 / 983

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Virulence
  • Mice, Inbred DBA
  • Mice
  • Genetic Markers
  • Genes, Mating Type, Fungal
  • Female
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cryptococcus neoformans
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Animals