Contribution of ATPase copper transporters in animal but not plant virulence of the crossover pathogen Aspergillus flavus.

ABSTRACT: The ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus flavus is notorious for contaminating many important crops and food-stuffs with the carcinogenic mycotoxin, aflatoxin. This fungus is also the second most frequent Aspergillus pathogen after A. fumigatus infecting immunosuppressed patients. In many human fungal pathogens including A. fumigatus, the ability to defend from toxic levels of copper (Cu) is essential in pathogenesis. In A. fumigatus, the Cu-fist DNA binding protein, AceA, and the Cu ATPase transporter, CrpA, play critical roles in Cu defense. Here, we show that A. flavus tolerates higher concentrations of Cu than A. fumigatus and other Aspergillus spp. associated with the presence of two homologs of A. fumigatus CrpA termed CrpA and CrpB. Both crpA and crpB are transcriptionally induced by incre

SUBMITTER: Yang K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6177249 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature