Wang Qin, Szaniszlo Paul J
Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Biological Science and Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Eukaryot Cell. 2007 Sep;6(9):1595-605. doi: 10.1128/EC.00037-07. Epub 2007 Aug 10.
APSES transcription factors are well-known regulators of fungal cellular development and differentiation. To study the function of an APSES protein in the fungus Wangiella dermatitidis, a conidiogenous and polymorphic agent of human phaeohyphomycosis with yeast predominance, the APSES transcription factor gene WdSTUA was cloned, sequenced, disrupted, and overexpressed. Analysis showed that its derived protein was most similar to the APSES proteins of other conidiogenous molds and had its APSES DNA-binding domain located in the amino-terminal half. Deletion of WdSTUA in W. dermatitidis induced convoluted instead of normal smooth colony surface growth on the rich yeast maintenance agar medium yeast extract-peptone-dextrose agar (YPDA) at 37 degrees C. Additionally, deletion of WdSTUA repressed aerial hyphal growth, conidiation, and invasive hyphal growth on the nitrogen-poor, hypha-inducing agar medium potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25 degrees C. Ectopic overexpression of WdSTUA repressed the convoluted colony surface growth on YPDA at 37 degrees C, and also strongly repressed hyphal growth on PDA at 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C. These new results provide additional insights into the diverse roles played by APSES factors in fungi. They also suggest that the transcription factor encoded by WdSTUA is both a positive and negative morphotype regulator in W. dermatitidis and possibly other of the numerous human pathogenic, conidiogenous fungi capable of yeast growth.
APSES转录因子是真菌细胞发育和分化的著名调节因子。为了研究APSES蛋白在皮炎万吉拉霉（一种人类暗色丝孢霉病的产分生孢子且多形态的病原体，以酵母为主）中的功能，克隆、测序、破坏并过表达了APSES转录因子基因WdSTUA。分析表明，其衍生蛋白与其他产分生孢子霉菌的APSES蛋白最为相似，且其APSES DNA结合结构域位于氨基末端的一半。在37℃的富含酵母的维持琼脂培养基酵母提取物-蛋白胨-葡萄糖琼脂（YPDA）上，皮炎万吉拉霉中WdSTUA的缺失诱导了菌落表面生长呈卷曲状而非正常的平滑状。此外，在25℃的贫氮、诱导菌丝生长的琼脂培养基马铃薯葡萄糖琼脂（PDA）上，WdSTUA的缺失抑制了气生菌丝生长、分生孢子形成和侵入性菌丝生长。WdSTUA的异位过表达抑制了37℃时YPDA上菌落表面的卷曲生长，也强烈抑制了25℃和37℃时PDA上的菌丝生长。这些新结果为APSES因子在真菌中所起的多种作用提供了更多见解。它们还表明，由WdSTUA编码的转录因子在皮炎万吉拉霉以及可能其他众多能够进行酵母生长的人类致病产分生孢子真菌中既是正形态型调节因子又是负形态型调节因子。
