Division of Molecular Biology/Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
PLoS Pathog. 2010 Sep 30;6(9):e1001124. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001124.
Iron is essential for a wide range of cellular processes. Here we show that the bZIP-type regulator HapX is indispensable for the transcriptional remodeling required for adaption to iron starvation in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. HapX represses iron-dependent and mitochondrial-localized activities including respiration, TCA cycle, amino acid metabolism, iron-sulfur-cluster and heme biosynthesis. In agreement with the impact on mitochondrial metabolism, HapX-deficiency decreases resistance to tetracycline and increases mitochondrial DNA content. Pathways positively affected by HapX include production of the ribotoxin AspF1 and siderophores, which are known virulence determinants. Iron starvation causes a massive remodeling of the amino acid pool and HapX is essential for the coordination of the production of siderophores and their precursor ornithine. Consistent with HapX-function being limited to iron depleted conditions and A. fumigatus facing iron starvation in the host, HapX-deficiency causes significant attenuation of virulence in a murine model of aspergillosis. Taken together, this study demonstrates that HapX-dependent adaption to conditions of iron starvation is crucial for virulence of A. fumigatus.
铁对于广泛的细胞过程是必不可少的。在这里,我们表明 bZIP 型调节因子 HapX 对于适应烟曲霉这种机会性真菌病原体中铁饥饿所必需的转录重构是不可或缺的。HapX 抑制铁依赖性和线粒体定位的活性,包括呼吸、TCA 循环、氨基酸代谢、铁硫簇和血红素生物合成。与对线粒体代谢的影响一致,HapX 缺陷降低了对四环素的抗性并增加了线粒体 DNA 含量。受 HapX 积极影响的途径包括产生核糖毒素 AspF1 和铁载体,这是已知的毒力决定因素。铁饥饿会导致氨基酸池的大规模重构,而 HapX 对于协调铁载体及其前体鸟氨酸的产生是必不可少的。与 HapX 功能仅限于缺铁条件以及烟曲霉在宿主中面临铁饥饿相一致,HapX 缺陷导致曲霉病小鼠模型中的毒力显著减弱。总之,这项研究表明,HapX 依赖于对铁饥饿条件的适应对于烟曲霉的毒力至关重要。