TY - JOUR
T1 - Sexual cycle of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii and Virulence of congenic a and α isolates
AU - Nielsen, Kirsten
AU - Cox, Gary M.
AU - Wang, Ping
AU - Toffaletti, Dena L.
AU - Perfect, John R.
AU - Heitman, Joseph
PY - 2003/9/1
Y1 - 2003/9/1
N2 - Cryptococcus neoformans is a human-pathogenic fungus that has evolved into three distinct varieties that infect most prominently the central nervous system. A sexual cycle involving haploid cells of a and α mating types has been reported for two varieties (C. neoformans var. neoformans, serotype D, and C. neoformans var. gattii, serotypes B and C), yet the vast majority of infections involve a distinct variety (C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A) that has been thought to be clonal and restricted to the a mating type. We recently identified the first serotype A isolate of the a mating type which had been thought to be extinct (strain 125.91). Here we report that this unusual strain can mate with a subset of pathogenic serotype A strains to produce a filamentous dikaryon with fused clamp connections, basidia, and viable recombinant basidiospores. One meiotic segregant mated poorly with the serotype A reference strain H99 but robustly with a crg1 mutant that lacks a regulator of G protein signaling and is hyperresponsive to mating pheromone. This meiotic segregant was used to create congenic a and α mating type serotype A strains. Virulence tests with rabbit and murine models of cryptococcal meningitis showed that the serotype A congenic a and α mating type strains had equivalent virulence in animal models, in contrast to previous studies linking the a mating type to increased virulence in congenic serotype D strains. Our studies highlight a role for sexual recombination in the evolution of a human fungal pathogen and provide a robust genetic platform to establish the molecular determinants of virulence.
AB - Cryptococcus neoformans is a human-pathogenic fungus that has evolved into three distinct varieties that infect most prominently the central nervous system. A sexual cycle involving haploid cells of a and α mating types has been reported for two varieties (C. neoformans var. neoformans, serotype D, and C. neoformans var. gattii, serotypes B and C), yet the vast majority of infections involve a distinct variety (C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A) that has been thought to be clonal and restricted to the a mating type. We recently identified the first serotype A isolate of the a mating type which had been thought to be extinct (strain 125.91). Here we report that this unusual strain can mate with a subset of pathogenic serotype A strains to produce a filamentous dikaryon with fused clamp connections, basidia, and viable recombinant basidiospores. One meiotic segregant mated poorly with the serotype A reference strain H99 but robustly with a crg1 mutant that lacks a regulator of G protein signaling and is hyperresponsive to mating pheromone. This meiotic segregant was used to create congenic a and α mating type serotype A strains. Virulence tests with rabbit and murine models of cryptococcal meningitis showed that the serotype A congenic a and α mating type strains had equivalent virulence in animal models, in contrast to previous studies linking the a mating type to increased virulence in congenic serotype D strains. Our studies highlight a role for sexual recombination in the evolution of a human fungal pathogen and provide a robust genetic platform to establish the molecular determinants of virulence.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0041971075&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0041971075&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1128/IAI.71.9.4831-4841.2003
DO - 10.1128/IAI.71.9.4831-4841.2003
M3 - Article
C2 - 12933823
AN - SCOPUS:0041971075
SN - 0019-9567
VL - 71
SP - 4831
EP - 4841
JO - Infection and immunity
JF - Infection and immunity
IS - 9
ER -