Elucidation of the calcineurin-Crz1 stress response transcriptional network in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

ABSTRACT: Calcineurin is a highly conserved Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatase that orchestrates cellular Ca2+ signaling responses. In Cryptococcus neoformans, calcineurin is activated by multiple stresses including high temperature, and is essential for stress adaptation and virulence. The transcription factor Crz1 is a major calcineurin effector in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other fungi. Calcineurin dephosphorylates Crz1, thereby enabling Crz1 nuclear translocation and transcription of target genes. Here we show that loss of Crz1 confers phenotypes intermediate between wild-type and calcineurin mutants, and demonstrate that deletion of the calcineurin docking domain results in the inability of Crz1 to translocate into the nucleus under thermal stress. RNA-seq

SUBMITTER: Chow EW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5380312 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature