Chemical stimuli override a temperature-dependent morphological program by reprogramming the transcriptome of a fungal pathogen.

ABSTRACT: The human fungal pathogen Histoplasma changes its morphology in response to temperature. At 37°C, it grows as a budding yeast, whereas at room temperature (RT), it transitions to hyphal growth. Prior work has demonstrated that 15-20% of transcripts are temperature-regulated, and that transcription factors (TFs) Ryp1-4 are necessary to establish yeast growth. However, little is known about transcriptional regulators of the hyphal program. To identify TFs that regulate filamentation, we utilize chemical inducers of hyphal growth. We show that the addition of cAMP analogs or an inhibitor of cAMP breakdown overrides yeast morphology, yielding inappropriate hyphal growth at 37°C. Additionally, butyrate supplementation triggers hyphal growth at 37°C. Transcriptional profiling of cultures

SUBMITTER: Assa D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12505909 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature