title: Requirement of the isocitrate lyase gene ICL1 for VPS41-mediated starvation response in Cryptococcus neoformans.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans is a major cause of fungal meningitis in individuals with impaired immunity. Our previous studies have shown that the VPS41 gene plays a critical role in the survival of Cryptococcus neoformans under nitrogen starvation; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying VPS41-mediated starvation response remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we show that, under nitrogen starvation, VPS41 strongly enhanced ICL1 expression in C. neoformans and that overexpression of ICL1 in the vps41 mutant dramatically suppressed its defects in starvation response due to the loss of VPS41 function. Moreover, targeted deletion of ICL1 resulted in a dramatic decline in viability of C. neoformans cells under nitrogen deprivation. Taken together, our data suggest a model in which VPS41 up-regulates ICL1 expression, directly or indirectly, to promote survival of C. neoformans under nitrogen starvation.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yafei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhi
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jianzhang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Benfeng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Biotransformation, The College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Tianjin University of Science and Technology (TUST), Tianjin, 300457, P. R. China. liu_xg@tust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D007522:Isocitrate Lyase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D050296:Microbial Viability; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; D007522:Isocitrate Lyase; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Cryptococcus neoformans; ICL1; VPS41; nitrogen starvation