The Copper Chaperone CcsA, Coupled with Superoxide Dismutase SodA, Mediates the Oxidative Stress Response in Aspergillus fumigatus
Wenlong Du, Pengfei Zhai, Shuai Liu, Yuanwei Zhang, Ling Lü
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by phagocytes have been reported to participate in the killing of fungal pathogens. Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are considered to be the first line of defense against superoxide anions. Characterizing the regulatory mechanisms of SOD activation is important for understanding how fungi adapt to oxidative stress in hosts. Our findings demonstrated that CcsA functions as a SodA chaperone in A. fumigatus and that the conserved CXC motif within CcsA is required for its interaction with SodA and the CcsA-SodA-mediated oxidative response. These data may provide new insights into how fungal pathogens adapt to oxidative stress via the CcsA-SodA complex.