Genome-wide transcriptional response of Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis to infection with the deadly chytrid fungus.

ABSTRACT: Emerging infectious diseases are of great concern for both wildlife and humans. Several highly virulent fungal pathogens have recently been discovered in natural populations, highlighting the need for a better understanding of fungal-vertebrate host-pathogen interactions. Because most fungal pathogens are not fatal in the absence of other predisposing conditions, host-pathogen dynamics for deadly fungal pathogens are of particular interest. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (hereafter Bd) infects hundreds of species of frogs in the wild. It is found worldwide and is a significant contributor to the current global amphibian decline. However, the mechanism by which Bd causes death in amphibians, and the response of the host to Bd infection, remain largely unknown. Here we use

SUBMITTER: Rosenblum EB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2727658 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature