Title Information
Title
Mechanisms of Sexual Reproduction in Human Fungal Pathogens
Name: Personal
Name Part
Scaduto, Christine Maria
Role
Role Term: Text
creator
Name: Personal
Name Part
Bender, Judith
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Bennett, Richard
Role
Role Term: Text
Advisor
Name: Personal
Name Part
Johnson, Mark
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Raphael, Benjamin
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Pryciak, Peter
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Corporate
Name Part
Brown University. Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Role
Role Term: Text
sponsor
Origin Information
Copyright Date
2018
Physical Description
Extent
xi, 166 p.
digitalOrigin
born digital
Note: thesis
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brown University, 2018
Genre (aat)
theses
Abstract
Sexual reproduction typically involves fusion of haploid gametes to form diploid cells, which subsequently undergo meiosis to regenerate the haploid form. Despite the ubiquity of sex across the eukaryotic kingdom, there remains limited understanding of the diversity of sexual programs between species, as well as the benefits and costs associated with sexual reproduction. These questions can be explored in the Candida clade of yeast, which are a common source of nosocomial infections in humans. In this work, the reproductive cycle of two Candida clade species are analyzed. In C. lusitaniae, sexual reproduction has been rewired so that genes specific to mating or meiosis in the model yeast S. cerevisiae are integral to both processes in C. lusitaniae. The fusion of the programs regulating mating and meiosis has evolved multiple times in diverse fungal lineages, possibly to favor propagation of these species in the haploid state. Curiously, sex in C. albicans has evolved an additional level of regulation, so that cells in the “white” state are sterile whereas cells in the “opaque” state are mating competent. The stark difference in mating competency is shown to be due to differences in the expression of key MAPK components. These findings are discussed in light of the rewiring of MAPK pathways in other systems, and their implications for sexual reproduction eukaryotic species.
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/00845627")
Topic
Candida albicans
Subject
Topic
sexual reproduction
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/01015610")
Topic
Meiosis
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/01738422")
Topic
Mitogen-activated protein kinases
Language
Language Term (ISO639-2B)
English
Record Information
Record Content Source (marcorg)
RPB
Record Creation Date (encoding="iso8601")
20180615
Identifier: DOI
10.26300/9vba-ss45
Access Condition: rights statement (href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/")
In Copyright
Access Condition: restriction on access
Collection is open for research.
Type of Resource (primo)
dissertations