Choi Young-Ho, Lee Min-Woo, Shin Kwang-Soo
Department of Microbiology, Graduate School, Daejeon University, Daejeon 34520, Republic of Korea.
Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea.
J Fungi (Basel). 2025 Sep 16;11(9):678. doi: 10.3390/jof11090678.
is a major opportunistic pathogenic fungus that causes invasive aspergillosis with high mortality rates in immunocompromised patients. APSES family transcription factors regulate fungal development and virulence, but the function of the putative APSES-type transcription factor AfpA (AFUA_5g11390) remains uncharacterized. To investigate the roles of AfpA in . , we constructed the Δ mutant and performed phenotypic analyses, RT-qPCR analyses, and virulence studies. The Δ mutant exhibited reduced vegetative growth but increased conidiation, with upregulation of asexual developmental regulators , , and . AfpA positively regulated cAMP-PKA signaling, resulting in delayed conidia germination. Furthermore, the mutant responded differently to external stresses and displayed enhanced virulence in neutropenic mice. In conclusion, AfpA functions as a multifaceted regulator balancing growth, development, and pathogenicity in .
是一种主要的机会致病性真菌，可导致免疫功能低下患者发生侵袭性曲霉病，死亡率很高。APSES家族转录因子调节真菌的发育和毒力，但推定的APSES型转录因子AfpA（AFUA_5g11390）的功能仍未明确。为了研究AfpA在……中的作用，我们构建了Δ突变体并进行了表型分析、RT-qPCR分析和毒力研究。Δ突变体营养生长减少但分生孢子形成增加，无性发育调节因子、和上调。AfpA正向调节cAMP-PKA信号传导，导致分生孢子萌发延迟。此外，该突变体对外界应激反应不同，并且在中性粒细胞减少的小鼠中表现出增强的毒力。总之，AfpA作为一个多方面的调节因子，在……中平衡生长、发育和致病性。
