Mutations in the human ortholog of elegans ras-1, the oncogene RRAS2, are associated with ovarian carcinoma; Also, pathogenesis studies of the human fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans, using C. elegans as a substitute host, indicate that mutants for several neoformans genes, including ras1 are hypo-virulent, implicating these genes in pathogenesis.