RNA INTERFERENCE IN THE HUMAN FUNGAL PATHOGEN CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS

这个子项目是利用资源的许多研究子项目之一。 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。对子项目的主要支持 子项目的首席调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括美国国立卫生研究院的其他来源。为子项目列出的总成本可能 表示该子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 不是由NCRR赠款提供给次级项目或次级项目工作人员的直接资金。 新生担子菌是HIV患者最常见的系统性真菌感染的原因。这种感染取决于真菌的几个特性，包括它在人体温度下生长的能力，它的多糖壳，以及它产生的与细胞壁相关的黑色素，每一种黑色素都受到复杂的基因表达程序的控制。我们试图探索RNA干扰在隐球菌基因表达调控中的作用。有趣的是，尽管已知RNAi在隐球菌中是活跃的，但与其他担子菌相比，其RNAi蛋白的补体似乎是独特的多样化。因此，研究RNAi在该生物中的作用机制及其遗传靶点，不仅可以加深我们对隐球菌致病机理的认识，还可以为RNA干扰和非编码RNA的研究提供一个独特的新的模型系统。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans is responsible for the most common systemic fungal infection in HIV patients. This infection depends upon several properties of the fungus, including its ability to grow at human body temperature, its polysaccharide capsule, and its production of cell wall-associated melanin, each of which is controlled by complex gene expression programs. We seek to explore the role of RNA interference in Cryptococcus gene expression regulation. Interestingly, although RNAi is known to be active in Cryptococcus, its complement of RNAi proteins appears to be distinctively diversified as compared to other basidiomycetes. Thus, characterization of the mechanism of RNAi and its genetic targets in this organism could both further our understanding of Cryptococcus pathogenesis and also provide a unique new model system for the study of RNA interference and noncoding RNA.