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PMID: 11086479 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. Review

The Cryptococcus neoformans genome sequencing project.

Mycopathologia ·Vol. 148 ·No. 1 ·1999-00-00 ·Pages 1-7

Heitman J, Casadevall A, Lodge JK, Perfect JR

Abstract

Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycete that can cause life-threatening meningoencephalitis in patients with and without impaired immune function. Cryptococcosis is usually an opportunistic infection in patients with compromised immunity as a consequence of HIV-1 infection, steroid administration, cancer chemotherapy, sarcoidosis, diabetes, or inherited immune system defects. This pathogenic yeast has a defined sexual cycle, which allows classical genetic analysis. Molecular biology approaches, including transformation and gene disruption by homologous recombination, and animal models for studies of virulence are both well developed. Recently an international consortium convened to begin the C. neoformans genome sequencing project, and we review here background and arguments for this project. We also discuss the importance of this project to the biology and virulence of this organism in particular, and to virulence in general.

MeSH Terms
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/drug therapy,microbiology Antifungal Agents/chemistry,therapeutic use Cryptococcosis/drug therapy,microbiology Cryptococcus neoformans/chemistry,genetics,pathogenicity Genome, Fungal Humans Sequence Analysis, DNA Virulence
Chemicals
Antifungal Agents
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Heitman J
Department of Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710, USA. [email protected]
Casadevall A
Lodge J K
Perfect J R
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Article Info
Journal
Mycopathologia
Abbr.
Mycopathologia
ISSN
0301-486X
DOI
10.1023/a:1007136602930
Email
[email protected]
Published
1999-00-00
Pages
1-7
Language
English
Region
Netherlands
NLM ID
7505689
Subset
IM
Grants
NIAID NIH HHS · AI39115 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI41937 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI42159 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1023/a:1007136602930 View journal details
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