Homeodomain protein Sxi1α regulates cell-cell fusion during distinct sexual reproduction modes in <i>Cryptococcus deneoformans</i>.

ABSTRACT: Sex-specific homeodomain (HD) proteins are key regulators of cell identity and sexual development in fungi, typically functioning as heterodimers to regulate transcription. In the human fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus deneoformans, the HD proteins Sxi1α and Sxi2a (sex-induced 1α and 2a) have been characterized as interacting partners that play critical roles in sexual development during a × α sexual reproduction. Given the dominance of α cells in natural populations of Cryptococcus, the roles of Sxi1α and Sxi2a in unisexual reproduction, which predominantly involves same-sex (α × α) mating, remain unclear. To elucidate the functions of Sxi1α and Sxi2a in unisexual reproduction, we first used Alp

SUBMITTER: Huang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11844477 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature