| Title | Requirement of the isocitrate lyase gene ICL1 for VPS41-mediated starvation response in Cryptococcus neoformans |
|---|---|
| Author | Zhe Xu1, Yafei Zhi1, Jianzhang Dong1, Benfeng Lin1, Di Ye1, and Xiaoguang Liu2* |
| Address | 1Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology (TUST), Tianjin 300457, P. R. China, 2Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Biotransformation, The College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Tianjin University of Science and Technology (TUST), Tianjin 300457, P. R. China |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 54(7),487-491, 2016, |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12275-016-6177-6 |
| Key Words | Cryptococcus neoformans, VPS41, ICL1, nitrogen starvation |
| Abstract | Cryptococcus neoformans is a major cause of fungal meningitis in individuals with impaired immunity. Our previous studies have shown that the VPS41 gene plays a critical role in the survival of Cryptococcus neoformans under nitrogen starvation; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying VPS41-mediated starvation response remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we show that, under nitrogen starvation, VPS41 strongly enhanced ICL1 expression in C. neoformans and that overexpression of ICL1 in the vps41 mutant dramatically suppressed its defects in starvation response due to the loss of VPS41 function. Moreover, targeted deletion of ICL1 resulted in a dramatic decline in viability of C. neoformans cells under nitrogen deprivation. Taken together, our data suggest a model in which VPS41 up-regulates ICL1 expression, directly or indirectly, to promote survival of C. neoformans under nitrogen starvation. |