The bZIP transcription factor Atf1 governs the oxidative stress response and sexual differentiation of Cryptococcus neoformans downstream of the HOG pathway
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ABSTRACT: The high osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) pathway plays a pivotal role in the stress response, virulence regulation, and differentiation of fungi, including Cryptococcus neoformans that causes fatal meningoencephalitis. Core signaling components of in the HOG pathway, including the Tco-Ypd1-Ssk1 phosphorelay system and the Ssk2-Pbs2-Hog1 MAPK module, have been elucidated but its downstream transcription factors remain unclear. Here we demonstrated that Atf1 with a basic leucine zipper domain is the transcription factor downstream of Hog1 in C. neoformans. We found that ATF1 expression was differentially regulated by oxidative damaging agents, mainly in a Hog1-dependent, but Mpk1-independent, manner. Interestingly, Atf1 not only promoted oxidative stress response and adaptation, but also played an opposing role to Hog1 in the process. Atf1 primarily localized to the nucleus under both unstressed and oxidative stress conditions in a Hog1-independent manner. Our data demonstrated that Atf1 promoted pheromone production and sexual differentiation under negative control by Hog1. Finally, a DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis of the atf1∆ mutant under unstressed and oxidative stress conditions revealed that Atf1 regulated oxidative stress response genes, including a sulfiredoxin gene (SRX1). Intriguing, the array data further demonstrated that Atf1 modulated basal expression of genes involved in DNA repair and genotoxic stress response. Supporting this, we found that the atf1∆ mutant was highly sensitive to genotoxic agents. In conclusion, this study provided a further insight into the Hog1-dependent oxidative and genotoxic stress response and differentiation mechanism of C. neoformans.
ORGANISM(S): Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans JEC21 Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii
PROVIDER: GSE64871 | GEO | 2015/01/13
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA272403
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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