Sho1 and Msb2 Play Complementary but Distinct Roles in Stress Responses, Sexual Differentiation, and Pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans.

ABSTRACT: The high-osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) pathway is pivotal in environmental stress response, differentiation, and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes fatal meningoencephalitis. A putative membrane sensor protein, Sho1, has been postulated to regulate HOG pathway, but its regulatory mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we characterized the function of Sho1 with relation to the HOG pathway in C. neoformans. Sho1 played minor roles in osmoresistance, thermotolerance, and maintenance of membrane integrity mainly in a HOG-independent manner. However, it was dispensable for cryostress resistance, primarily mediated through the HOG pathway. A mucin-like transmembrane (TM) protein, Msb2, which interacts with Sho1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was identif

SUBMITTER: So YS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6288190 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature