Mapping the transcriptional regulatory network of a fungal pathogen by exploiting transcription factor perturbation.

ABSTRACT: Cryptococcus neoformans is a deadly fungal pathogen. Upon entering a mammalian host, it deploys a voluminous polysaccharide capsule that is necessary for it to survive host defenses and maintain an infection. Capsule expansion is regulated transcriptionally, as deletion of many transcription factors (TFs) alters the capsule. Thus, we set out to map the transcriptional regulatory network of C. neoformans-that is, to identify the TFs that directly regulate each gene in the genome. First, we carried out RNA-seq of 120 single-TF-deletion strains, together with wild-type controls. We then applied NetProphet3, a TF network mapping algorithm, to predict the direct functional targets of each TF. Unexpectedly, analysis of this network indicated that there are no TFs that primarily reg

SUBMITTER: Abid D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12802168 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature