Precise Expression of Afmed15 Is Crucial for Asexual Development, Virulence, and Survival of Aspergillus fumigatus.

ABSTRACT: The rise of drug resistance in fungal pathogens is becoming a serious problem owing to the limited number of antifungal drugs available. Identifying and targeting factors essential for virulence or development unique to fungal pathogens is one approach to develop novel treatments for fungal infections. In this study, we present the identification and functional characterization of a novel developmental regulator in Aspergillus fumigatus, AfMed15, which contained a conserved Med15_fungal domain, as determined by screening of a mutant library that contained more than 2,000 hygromycin-resistant A. fumigatus transformants. Downregulating the expression of Afmed15 abolished the conidiation and decreased the fungal virulence in an insect model. Strikingly, the overexpression

SUBMITTER: Guan L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7568654 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature