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Fungal antigenic variation using mosaicism and reassortment of subtelomeric genes’ repertoires

Author

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  • Caroline S. Meier

    (Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne)

  • Marco Pagni

    (SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics)

  • Sophie Richard

    (Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne)

  • Konrad Mühlethaler

    (University of Bern)

  • João M. G. C. F. Almeida

    (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa)

  • Gilles Nevez

    (Laboratoire de Parasitologie et Mycologie, Hôpital de La Cavale Blanche, CHU de Brest
    Université d’Angers, Université de Brest)

  • Melanie T. Cushion

    (University of Cincinnati
    Cincinnati VAMC, Medical Research Service)

  • Enrique J. Calderón

    (Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocίo/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientίficas/Universidad de Sevilla
    Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocίo, Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina)

  • Philippe M. Hauser

    (Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne)

Abstract

Surface antigenic variation is crucial for major pathogens that infect humans. To escape the immune system, they exploit various mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms is important to better prevent and fight the deadly diseases caused. Those used by the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii that causes life-threatening pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals remain poorly understood. Here, though this fungus is currently not cultivable, our detailed analysis of the subtelomeric sequence motifs and genes encoding surface proteins suggests that the system involves the reassortment of the repertoire of ca. 80 non-expressed genes present in each strain, from which single genes are retrieved for mutually exclusive expression. Dispersion of the new repertoires, supposedly by healthy carrier individuals, appears very efficient because identical alleles are observed in patients from different countries. Our observations reveal a unique strategy of antigenic variation. They also highlight the possible role in genome rearrangements of small imperfect mirror sequences forming DNA triplexes.

Suggested Citation

  • Caroline S. Meier & Marco Pagni & Sophie Richard & Konrad Mühlethaler & João M. G. C. F. Almeida & Gilles Nevez & Melanie T. Cushion & Enrique J. Calderón & Philippe M. Hauser, 2023. "Fungal antigenic variation using mosaicism and reassortment of subtelomeric genes’ repertoires," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-42685-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42685-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yusuke Oizumi & Takuto Kaji & Sanki Tashiro & Yumiko Takeshita & Yuko Date & Junko Kanoh, 2021. "Complete sequences of Schizosaccharomyces pombe subtelomeres reveal multiple patterns of genome variation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Lúcio H. Freitas-Junior & Emmanuel Bottius & Lindsay A. Pirrit & Kirk W. Deitsch & Christine Scheidig & Francoise Guinet & Ulf Nehrbass & Thomas E. Wellems & Artur Scherf, 2000. "Frequent ectopic recombination of virulence factor genes in telomeric chromosome clusters of P. falciparum," Nature, Nature, vol. 407(6807), pages 1018-1022, October.
    3. Liang Ma & Zehua Chen & Da Wei Huang & Geetha Kutty & Mayumi Ishihara & Honghui Wang & Amr Abouelleil & Lisa Bishop & Emma Davey & Rebecca Deng & Xilong Deng & Lin Fan & Giovanna Fantoni & Michael Fit, 2016. "Genome analysis of three Pneumocystis species reveals adaptation mechanisms to life exclusively in mammalian hosts," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-14, April.
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