The Influence of Genetic Stability on Aspergillus fumigatus Virulence and Azole Resistance.

ABSTRACT: Genetic stability is extremely important for the survival of every living organism, and a very complex set of genes has evolved to cope with DNA repair upon DNA damage. Here, we investigated the Aspergillus fumigatus AtmA (Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated, ATM) and AtrA kinases, and how they impact virulence and the evolution of azole resistance. We demonstrated that A. fumigatus atmA and atrA null mutants are haploid and have a discrete chromosomal polymorphism. The ΔatmA and ΔatrA strains are sensitive to several DNA-damaging agents, but surprisingly both strains were more resistant than the wild-type strain to paraquat, menadione, and hydrogen peroxide. The atmA and atrA genes showed synthetic lethality emphasizing the cooperation between bo

SUBMITTER: Dos Reis TF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5765354 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature