Strain-dependent host transcriptional responses to Toxoplasma infection are largely conserved in mammalian and avian hosts.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii has a remarkable ability to infect an enormous variety of mammalian and avian species. Given this, it is surprising that three strains (Types I/II/III) account for the majority of isolates from Europe/North America. The selective pressures that have driven the emergence of these particular strains, however, remain enigmatic. We hypothesized that strain selection might be partially driven by adaptation of strains for mammalian versus avian hosts. To test this, we examine in vitro, strain-dependent host responses in fibroblasts of a representative avian host, the chicken (Gallus gallus). Using gene expression profiling of infected chicken embryonic fibroblasts and pathway analysis to assess host response, we show here that chicken cells respond with distinct transcriptional

SUBMITTER: Ong YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3192797 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature