Affiliation:
1. Valley Fever Center for Excellence
2. Department of Plant Sciences
3. Southern Arizona Veteran's Affairs Health Care System, Tucson, Arizona
4. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona
Abstract
ABSTRACT
1,3-β-Glucan synthase is responsible for the synthesis of β-glucan, an essential cell wall structural component in most fungi. We sought to determine whether
Coccidioides posadasii
possesses genes homologous to known fungal FKS genes that encode the catalytic subunit of 1,3-β-glucan synthase. A single gene, designated
FKS1
, was identified, and examination of its predicted protein product showed a high degree of conservation with Fks proteins from other filamentous fungi.
FKS1
is expressed at similar levels in mycelia and early spherulating cultures, and expression decreases as the spherules mature. We used
Agrobacterium
-mediated transformation to create strains that harbor Δ
FKS1
::
hygB
, a null allele of
FKS1
, and hypothesize that Fks1p function is essential, due to our inability to purify this allele away from a complementing wild-type
FKS1
allele in a heterokaryotic strain. The heterokaryon appears normal with respect to growth rate and arthroconidium production; however, microscopic examination of strains with Δ
FKS1
::
hygB
alleles revealed abnormal swelling of hyphal elements.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Microbiology
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