The Putative APSES Transcription Factor RgdA Governs Growth, Development, Toxigenesis, and Virulence in Aspergillus fumigatus
Sang-Cheol Jun, Yong-Ho Choi, Min-Woo Lee, Jae‐Hyuk Yu, Kwang-Soo Shin
Abstract
Immunocompromised patients are susceptible to infections with the opportunistic human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus . This fungus causes systemic infections such as invasive aspergillosis (IA), which is one of the most life-threatening fungal diseases. To control this serious disease, it is critical to identify new antifungal drug targets. In fungi, the transcriptional regulatory proteins of the APSES family play crucial roles in controlling various biological processes, including mating, asexual sporulation and dimorphic growth, and virulence traits. This study found that a putative APSES transcription factor, RgdA, regulates normal growth, asexual development, conidium germination, spore wall architecture and hydrophobicity, toxin production, and virulence in A. fumigatus . Better understanding the molecular mechanisms of RgdA in human-pathogenic fungi may reveal a novel antifungal target for future drug development.