| Abstract Detail
Genomics / Proteomics Steenwyk, Jacob [1], Gibbons, John [2]. Cryptic Diversity in the Cryptococcus gattii Genome Revealed through Population-Level Sequencing. Cryptococcus gattii is an emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen. C. gattii has primarily been associated with infections in immunocompromised individuals in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. However, within the last several decades populations of the VGII subtype have been responsible for infections in the North American Pacific Northwest. Copy number variation (CNV) is a substantial source of phenotypic variation, and has been linked to heightened virulence in some fungal pathogens. To gain insight into the genomic basis of pathogenicity in C. gattii, we analyzed and compared CNV patterns across the genomes of 84 Pacific Northwest C. gattii isolates. We identify hundreds of CNV loci, some of which strongly differentiate by VGII subpopulation. Nearly 100 genes overlap with the C. gattii CNV regions, representing ~1.5% of total genes. We discuss several candidate genes with potential roles in virulence and phenotype differences between C. gattii VGII subtypes. Our analysis provides additional insight into the genomic basis of pathogen genome evolution.
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1 - Clark University, Biology, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
2 - Clark University, Biology, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01610, USA
Keywords:
genomics
population variation
genetic variation
Pathogenicity
Fungi.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 39
Location: Salon 19/20/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2015
Time: 10:30 AM
Number: 39006
Abstract ID:1376
Candidate for Awards:None |
