Presence and expression of the mating type locus in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates

Torres, Isaura; Garcı́a, Ana Maria; Hernández, Orville; González, Ángel; McEwen, Juan G.; Restrepo, Ángela; Arango, Myrtha

doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2009.11.005

Cited by 31 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The ratio of MAT1-1/MAT1-2 idiomorphs in bipolar fungal species is often 1:1 in sexual populations; this was observed for C. immitis, C. posadasii (40), Aspergillus fumigatus (41,42), and, more recently, P. brasiliensis (19). In contrast, a high prevalence of MAT1-2 was observed in patients with disseminated histoplasmosis (43).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular and Morphological Data Support the Existence of a Sexual Cycle in Species of the Genus Paracoccidioides

et al. 2013

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The genus Paracoccidioides includes the thermodimorphic species Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and P. lutzii, both of which are etiologic agents of paracoccidioidomycosis, a systemic mycosis that affects humans in Latin America. Despite the common occurrence of a sexual stage among closely related fungi, this has not been observed with Paracoccidioides species, which have thus been considered asexual. Molecular evolutionary studies revealed recombination events within isolated populations of the genus Paracoccidioides, suggesting the possible existence of a sexual cycle. Comparative genomic analysis of all dimorphic fungi and Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated the presence of conserved genes involved in sexual reproduction, including those encoding mating regulators such as MAT, pheromone receptors, pheromone-processing enzymes, and mating signaling regulators. The expression of sex-related genes in the yeast and mycelial phases of both Paracoccidioides species was also detected by realtime PCR, with nearly all of these genes being expressed preferentially in the filamentous form of the pathogens. In addition, the expression of sex-related genes was responsive to the putative presence of pheromone in the supernatants obtained from previous cocultures of strains of two different mating types. In vitro crossing of isolates of different mating types, discriminated by phylogenetic analysis of the ␣-box (MAT1-1) and the high-mobility-group (HMG) domain (MAT1-2), led to the identification of the formation of young ascocarps with constricted coiled hyphae related to the initial stage of mating. These genomic and morphological analyses strongly support the existence of a sexual cycle in species of the genus Paracoccidioides.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular and Morphological Data Support the Existence of a Sexual Cycle in Species of the Genus Paracoccidioides

et al. 2013

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“…An unequal prevalence of the two opposite mating types has been observed for clinical isolates of H. capsulatum (149). In contrast, a 1:1 ratio of two mating types was recently observed for 71 clinical isolates of P. brasiliensis in South America, and the coincubation of some isolates results in coiled hyphae that may represent an early stage of sexual reproduction (286). Similarly, in Microsporum gypseum, the two mating types have an almost equal prevalence among clinical isolates (106,302).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Sex: a Perspective from the Fungal Kingdom

Lee

et al. 2010

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

323

344

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SUMMARY Sex is shrouded in mystery. Not only does it preferentially occur in the dark for both fungi and many animals, but evolutionary biologists continue to debate its benefits given costs in light of its pervasive nature. Experimental studies of the benefits and costs of sexual reproduction with fungi as model systems have begun to provide evidence that the balance between sexual and asexual reproduction shifts in response to selective pressures. Given their unique evolutionary history as opisthokonts, along with metazoans, fungi serve as exceptional models for the evolution of sex and sex-determining regions of the genome (the mating type locus) and for transitions that commonly occur between outcrossing/self-sterile and inbreeding/self-fertile modes of reproduction. We review here the state of the understanding of sex and its evolution in the fungal kingdom and also areas where the field has contributed and will continue to contribute to illuminating general principles and paradigms of sexual reproduction.

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“…1). Only a heterothallic mating system has been identified in dimorphic fungi and the dermatophytes (18)(19)(20)24). It is therefore likely that the ancestral mating system of the dimorphic fungi and dermatophytes was heterothallic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The alpha domain and HMG domain genes that determine the mating types of dimorphic fungi are evolutionarily conserved and can be identified by homology searches using genes from the closely related species. To identify the MAT locus of B. dermatitidis, the alpha domain and HMG domain genes from the MAT locus of closely related species Histoplasma capsulatum (18,19), Coccidioides immitis (19), and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (20) were used as query sequences to do BLASTn searches of the B. dermatitidis genomic sequences using the Broad Institute database (http://www.broadinstitute .org/annotation/genome/blastomyces_dermatitidis/MultiHome.html). The available genome sequences are for isolates ATCC 26199, SLH14081, ER3 (ATCC MYA-2586), ATCC 18188, and ATCC 18187 (GenBank accession numbers AEII01000000, ACBU01000000, ACBT01000000, ADMK01000000, and AJJV01000000, respectively).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of the Mating-Type (MAT) Locus That Controls Sexual Reproduction of Blastomyces dermatitidis

Sullivan

Walton

et al. 2013

Eukaryot Cell

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c Blastomyces dermatitidis is a dimorphic fungal pathogen that primarily causes blastomycosis in the midwestern and northern United States and Canada. While the genes controlling sexual development have been known for a long time, the genes controlling sexual reproduction of B. dermatitidis (teleomorph, Ajellomyces dermatitidis) are unknown. We identified the mating-type (MAT) locus in the B. dermatitidis genome by comparative genomic approaches. The B. dermatitidis MAT locus resembles those of other dimorphic fungi, containing either an alpha-box (MAT1-1) or an HMG domain (MAT1-2) gene linked to the APN2, SLA2, and COX13 genes. However, in some strains of B. dermatitidis, the MAT locus harbors transposable elements (TEs) that make it unusually large compared to the MAT locus of other dimorphic fungi. Based on the MAT locus sequences of B. dermatitidis, we designed specific primers for PCR determination of the mating type. Two B. dermatitidis isolates of opposite mating types were cocultured on mating medium. Immature sexual structures were observed starting at 3 weeks of coculture, with coiled-hyphae-containing cleistothecia developing over the next 3 to 6 weeks. Genetic recombination was detected in potential progeny by mating-type determination, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses, suggesting that a meiotic sexual cycle might have been completed. The F1 progeny were sexually fertile when tested with strains of the opposite mating type. Our studies provide a model for the evolution of the MAT locus in the dimorphic and closely related fungi and open the door to classic genetic analysis and studies on the possible roles of mating and mating type in infection and virulence.

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Presence and expression of the mating type locus in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates

Cited by 31 publications

References 37 publications

Molecular and Morphological Data Support the Existence of a Sexual Cycle in Species of the Genus Paracoccidioides

Molecular and Morphological Data Support the Existence of a Sexual Cycle in Species of the Genus Paracoccidioides

The Evolution of Sex: a Perspective from the Fungal Kingdom

Identification of the Mating-Type (MAT) Locus That Controls Sexual Reproduction of Blastomyces dermatitidis

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