Virulence differences in Toxoplasma mediated by amplification of polymorphic pseudokinases.

ABSTRACT: The population structure of Toxoplasma gondii includes three highly prevalent clonal lineages, types I, II, and III, which differ greatly in virulence in the mouse model. Previous studies have implicated a family of serine threonine protein kinases found in rhoptries (ROPs) as important in mediating virulence differences between types I vs. III and II vs. III. Here, we explored the genetic basis of differences in virulence between the highly virulent type I lineage and moderately virulent type II based on a new genetic cross and linkage mapping. Genome-wide association revealed a single quantitative trait locus controls the > 4 log difference in lethality between these strains. Neither ROP16 nor ROP18, previously implicated in virulence differences in T. gondii, were found to contribut

ORGANISM(S): Toxoplasma gondii

SUBMITTER: Michael Behnke 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-24905 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress