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- Title
AD Hybrids of Cryptococcus neoformans: Evidence of Same-Sex Mating in Nature and Hybrid Fitness.
- Authors
Xiaorong Lin; Litvintseva, Anastasia P.; Nielsen, Kirsten; Patel, Sweta; Floyd, Anna; Mitchell, Thomas G.; Heitman, Joseph
- Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitous human fungal pathogen that causes meningoencephalitis in predominantly immunocompromised hosts. The fungus is typically haploid, and sexual reproduction involves two individuals with opposite mating types/sexes, α and a. However, the overwhelming predominance of mating type (MAT) α over a in C. neoformans populations limits α--a mating in nature. Recently it was discovered that C. neoformans can undergo same-sex mating under laboratory conditions, especially between a isolates. Whether same -sex mating occurs in nature and contributes to the current population structure was unknown. In this study, natural αADα hybrids that arose by fusion between two a cells of different serotypes (A and D) were identified and characterized, providing definitive evidence that same-sex mating occurs naturally. A novel truncated allele of the mating -type-specific cell identity determinant SXI1α was also identified as a genetic factor likely involved in this process. In addition, laboratory-constructed αADα strains exhibited hybrid vigor both in vitro and in vivo, providing a plausible explanation for their relative abundance in nature despite the fact that AD hybrids are inefficient in meiosis/sporulation and are trapped in the diploid state. These findings provide insights on the origins, genetic mechanisms, and fitness impact of unisexual hybridization in the Cryptococcus population.
- Subjects
CRYPTOCOCCUS neoformans; MENINGOENCEPHALITIS; FUNGI; CELLS; MEIOSIS; SPECIES hybridization; CRYPTOCOCCUS
- Publication
PLoS Genetics, 2007, Vol 3, Issue 10, pe186
- ISSN
1553-7390
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1371/journal.pgen.0030186