Reciprocal virulence and resistance polymorphism in the relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and the house mouse.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 24175088.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.01298 and PMC identifier 3810784.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Virulence in the ubiquitous intracellular protozoon Toxoplasma gondii for its natural intermediate host, the mouse, appears paradoxical from an evolutionary standpoint because death of the mouse before encystment interrupts the parasite life cycle. Virulent T. gondii strains secrete kinases and pseudokinases that inactivate the immunity-related GTPases (IRG proteins) responsible for mouse resistance to avirulent strains. Such considerations stimulated a search for IRG alleles unknown in laboratory mice that might confer resistance to virulent strains of T. gondii. We report that the mouse IRG system shows extraordinary polymorphic complexity in the wild. We describe an IRG haplotype from a wild-derived mouse strain that confers resistance against virulent parasites by interference with the virulent kinase complex. In such hosts virulent strains can encyst, hinting at an explanation for the evolution of virulence polymorphism in T. gondii. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01298.001.
Medical subject headings
- Animals, Wild
- Hydro-Lyases
- Protein Kinases
- Protozoan Proteins
- Toxoplasma
- Toxoplasmosis, Animal