A new regulator in the crossroads of oxidative stress resistance and virulence in : The transcription factor CgTog1.

is a prominent pathogenic yeast which exhibits a unique ability to survive the harsh environment of host immune cells. In this study, we describe the role of the transcription factor encoded by the gene , here named CgTog1 after its ortholog, as a new determinant of virulence. Interestingly, Tog1 is absent in the other clinically relevant species (), being exclusive to . CgTog1 was found to be required for oxidative stress resistance and for the modulation of reactive oxygen species inside cells. Also, CgTog1 was observed to be a nuclear protein, whose activity up-regulates the expression of 147 genes and represses 112 genes in cells exposed to HO, as revealed through RNA-seq-based transcriptomics analysis. Given the importance of oxidative stress response in the resistance to host immune cells, the effect of expression in yeast survival upon phagocytosis by hemocytes was evaluated, leading to the identification of CgTog1 as a determinant of yeast survival upon phagocytosis. Interestingly, CgTog1 targets include many whose expression changes in cells after engulfment by macrophages, including those involved in reprogrammed carbon metabolism, glyoxylate cycle and fatty acid degradation. In summary, CgTog1 is a new and specific regulator of virulence in , contributing to oxidative stress resistance and survival upon phagocytosis by host immune cells.