Abstract
Congenic strains have been utilized in numerous model organisms to determine the genetic underpinning of various phenotypic traits. Congenic strains are usually derived after 10 backcrosses to a recipient parent, at which point they are 99.95% genetically identical to the parental strain. In recent decades, congenic pairs have provided an invaluable tool for genetics and molecular biology research in the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex. Here, we summarize the history of Cryptococcus congenic pairs and their application in Cryptococcus research on topics including the impact of the mating type locus on unisexual reproduction, virulence, tissue tropism, uniparental mitochondrial inheritance, and the genetic underpinning of other various traits. We also discuss the limitations of these approaches and other biological questions, which could be explored by employing congenic pairs.
Highlights
A major goal of genetics research is to determine the genes underpinning a phenotypic trait of interest
Construction of congenic pairs in these molecular types would provide a platform for functional comparative studies of this species complex to advance our understanding of their biology and pathogenicity
Congenic pairs are vital tools in genetics research, and they boost the use of Cryptococcus as a model organism for basic eukaryotic biology and microbial pathogenesis studies
Summary
A major goal of genetics research is to determine the genes underpinning a phenotypic trait of interest This is traditionally achieved through linkage mapping based on segregation among progeny derived from a cross between two individuals differing in the phenotype. A genetic linkage analysis can be performed by crossing a mutant strain with a congenic wild type partner to determine the link between the observed phenotype and the designated mutation. This experimental tool can be used to establish the causative relationship between a phenotype and a targeted mutation, or to identify mutants with interesting phenotypes linked to an unknown mutation isolated from genetic screens. Such tools boost the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Aspergillus nidulans as model organisms, and contribute to the rapid rise of Cryptococcus neoformans as a model for fungal pathogenesis studies
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