Abstract
Extensive genome variation in the AIDS-associated pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is revealed through comparative genome hybridization between strains of different mating type, molecular subtype and ploidy.
Highlights
Genome variability can have a profound influence on the virulence of pathogenic microbes
To establish a framework for identifying regions of difference in Cryptococcus genomes, comparative genome hybridization (CGH) data collected with the tiling arrays was initially calibrated by comparing the Log2 ratios of the fluorescence intensity with the corresponding sequence identity for previously sequenced mating-type (MAT) regions of the test and reference genomes (Figure 1)
The sequences of the MATa and MATα alleles were obtained from GenBank and the sequence identities for the coding regions of 20 genes in each of these loci were plotted against the corresponding Log2 ratios for the hybridization signals of the probes in the genes
Summary
Genome variability can have a profound influence on the virulence of pathogenic microbes. The availability of genome sequences for two strains of the AIDS-associated fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans presented an opportunity to use comparative genome hybridization (CGH) to examine genome variability between strains of different mating type, molecular subtype, and ploidy. Four serotypes (A to D) of these fungi are recognized, based on antigenic differences in the capsule polysaccharide, which is one of the major virulence factors. Isolates of serotypes B and C were recently re-classified as the separate species C. gattii, which infects both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients [3,5,6,7]. Serotype A strains are the most prevalent clinical isolates and account for the majority of infections in AIDS patients. Serotype D isolates account for fewer cases of cryptococcosis, and some of these infections may involve AD hybrid strains [12]. Serotype D strains are global in distribution but are more frequently isolated in Europe [2]
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