GSE167847
Aspergillus fumigatus ZnfA, a novel zinc finger transcription factor involved in calcium metabolism and caspofungin tolerance
Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis (IPA) is a life-threatening fungal infection especially in immunocompromised population. The low availability of antifungal drugs coupled with the emergence of antifungal resistance has become an important clinical concern. Caspofungin (CSP) is recommended as second-line therapy but resistance and tolerance mechanisms have been reported. However, how the fungal cell articulates the response to CSP is not completely understood. In this work we have characterized ZnfA, a new transcription factor (TF) identified in previous screening studies that is involved in calcium and CSP A. fumigatus response. This TF plays an important role in iron homeostasis and cell wall organization in response to high CSP concentrations as revealed by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation coupled to DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis. Furthermore, ZnfA acts collaboratively with the key TF CrzA in the response to calcium, cell wall and osmotic stresses. Thus, this study increases our knowledge about the link between calcium signaling and the CSP cellular response and exposes the complex connections among different pathways that govern stress sensing in A. fumigatus. Overall design: RNApolll and ChIPseq analysis of 8 and 4 samples, respectively, two replicates for each condition