This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wang, P.
Right arrow Articles by Palmer, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wang, P.
Right arrow Articles by Palmer, D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Eukaryotic Cell, August 2004, p. 1028-1035, Vol. 3, No. 4
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.4.1028-1035.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Mutation of the Regulator of G Protein Signaling Crg1 Increases Virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans

Ping Wang,1,2,3* Jim Cutler,1,2,3 Jill King,3 and Daniel Palmer3

Departments of Pediatrics,1 Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center,2 Research Institute for Children, New Orleans, Louisiana3

Received 14 April 2004/ Accepted 8 June 2004

The regulator of G protein signaling homolog Crg1 was found to be a key regulator of pheromone-responsive mating in the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. A mutation in the CRG1 gene has greatly increased virulence in the prevalently distributed MAT{alpha} strains of the fungus. Mouse survival time was shortened by 40%, and the lethal dosage was 100-fold less than that of wild-type strains. In addition, the increased virulence of crg1 mutant strains was dependent on the transcription factor homolog Ste12{alpha} but not on the mitogen-activated protein kinase homolog Cpk1. The enhanced mating due to CRG1 mutation, however, was still dependent on Cpk1. Interestingly, crg1 mutants of MAT{alpha} cells produced dark melanin pigment under normally inhibitory conditions, which may relate to the mechanism for increased virulence.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pediatrics, Research Institute for Children, Children's Hospital, 200 Henry Clay Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118. Phone: (504) 896 2739. Fax: (504) 894-5379. E-mail: pwang{at}chnola-research.org.

Eukaryotic Cell, August 2004, p. 1028-1035, Vol. 3, No. 4
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.4.1028-1035.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Jain, N., Li, L., Hsueh, Y.-P., Guerrero, A., Heitman, J., Goldman, D. L., Fries, B. C. (2009). Loss of Allergen 1 Confers a Hypervirulent Phenotype That Resembles Mucoid Switch Variants of Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect. Immun. 77: 128-140 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shen, G., Wang, Y.-L., Whittington, A., Li, L., Wang, P. (2008). The RGS Protein Crg2 Regulates Pheromone and Cyclic AMP Signaling in Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 7: 1540-1548 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lin, X., Nielsen, K., Patel, S., Heitman, J. (2008). Impact of Mating Type, Serotype, and Ploidy on the Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect. Immun. 76: 2923-2938 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bahn, Y.-S., Geunes-Boyer, S., Heitman, J. (2007). Ssk2 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Governs Divergent Patterns of the Stress-Activated Hog1 Signaling Pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 6: 2278-2289 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Li, L., Shen, G., Zhang, Z.-G., Wang, Y.-L., Thompson, J. K., Wang, P. (2007). Canonical Heterotrimeric G Proteins Regulating Mating and Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans. Mol. Biol. Cell 18: 4201-4209 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nielsen, K., De Obaldia, A. L., Heitman, J. (2007). Cryptococcus neoformans Mates on Pigeon Guano: Implications for the Realized Ecological Niche and Globalization. Eukaryot Cell 6: 949-959 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fang, W., Pei, Y., Bidochka, M. J. (2007). A regulator of a G protein signalling (RGS) gene, cag8, from the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is involved in conidiation, virulence and hydrophobin synthesis. Microbiology 153: 1017-1025 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Olson, G. M., Fox, D. S., Wang, P., Alspaugh, J. A., Buchanan, K. L. (2007). Role of Protein O-Mannosyltransferase Pmt4 in the Morphogenesis and Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 6: 222-234 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Palmer, D. A., Thompson, J. K., Li, L., Prat, A., Wang, P. (2006). Gib2, A Novel Gbeta-like/RACK1 Homolog, Functions as a Gbeta Subunit in cAMP Signaling and Is Essential in Cryptococcus neoformans. J. Biol. Chem. 281: 32596-32605 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ren, P., Springer, D. J., Behr, M. J., Samsonoff, W. A., Chaturvedi, S., Chaturvedi, V. (2006). Transcription Factor STE12{alpha} Has Distinct Roles in Morphogenesis, Virulence, and Ecological Fitness of the Primary Pathogenic Yeast Cryptococcus gattii.. Eukaryot Cell 5: 1065-1080 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bahn, Y.-S., Kojima, K., Cox, G. M., Heitman, J. (2006). A Unique Fungal Two-Component System Regulates Stress Responses, Drug Sensitivity, Sexual Development, and Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans. Mol. Biol. Cell 17: 3122-3135 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Campbell, L. T., Fraser, J. A., Nichols, C. B., Dietrich, F. S., Carter, D., Heitman, J. (2005). Clinical and Environmental Isolates of Cryptococcus gattii from Australia That Retain Sexual Fecundity. Eukaryot Cell 4: 1410-1419 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bahn, Y.-S., Kojima, K., Cox, G. M., Heitman, J. (2005). Specialization of the HOG Pathway and Its Impact on Differentiation and Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans. Mol. Biol. Cell 16: 2285-2300 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bahn, Y.-S., Hicks, J. K., Giles, S. S., Cox, G. M., Heitman, J. (2004). Adenylyl Cyclase-Associated Protein Aca1 Regulates Virulence and Differentiation of Cryptococcus neoformans via the Cyclic AMP-Protein Kinase A Cascade. Eukaryot Cell 3: 1476-1491 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2010 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»