Heterozygosity of genes on the sex chromosome regulates Candida albicans virulence.
In the mouse model for systemic infection, natural a/alpha strains of C. albicans are more virulent and more competitive than their spontaneous MTL-homozygous offspring, which arise primarily by loss of one chromosome 5 homologue followed by duplication of the retained homologue (uniparental disomy). Deletion of either the a or alpha copy of the MTL locus of natural a/alpha strains results in a small decrease in virulence, and a small decrease in competitiveness. Loss of the heterozygosity of non-MTL genes along chromosome 5, however, results in larger decreases in virulence and competitiveness. Natural MTL-homozygous strains are on average less virulent than natural MTL-heterozygous strains and arise by multiple mitotic cross-overs along chromosome 5 outside of the MTL region. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a competitive advantage of natural a/alpha strains over MTL-homozygous offspring maintains the mating system of C. albicans.
Wu
Wei
W
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52252, USA.
Lockhart
Shawn R
SR
Pujol
Claude
C
Srikantha
Thyagarajan
T
Soll
David R
DR
D000818:Animals; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D015825:Chromosomes, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D006579:Heterozygote; D051379:Mice; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics