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Infection and Immunity, September 2009, p. 4041-4050, Vol. 77, No. 9
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00425-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Regulator of Aspergillus fumigatus Extracellular Proteolytic Activity Is Dispensable for Virulence{triangledown}

Anna Bergmann,1,{dagger} Thomas Hartmann,1,{dagger} Timothy Cairns,2 Elaine M. Bignell,2 and Sven Krappmann1*

Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Julius-Maximilians-University, Würzburg, Germany,1 Department of Microbiology, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom2

Received 16 April 2009/ Returned for modification 19 May 2009/ Accepted 17 June 2009

Virulence of the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is in part based on the saprophytic lifestyle that this mold has evolved. A crucial function for saprophytism resides in secreted proteases that allow assimilation of proteinaceous substrates. The impact of extracellular proteolytic activities on the pathogenesis of aspergillosis, however, remains controversial. In order to address this issue, characterization of a conserved regulatory factor, PrtT, that acts on expression of secreted proteases was pursued. Expression of PrtT appears to be regulated posttranscriptionally, and the existence of an mRNA leader sequence implies translational control via eIF2{alpha} kinase signaling. Phenotypic classification of a prtT{Delta} deletion mutant revealed that expression of several major extracellular proteases is PrtT dependent, resulting in the inability to utilize protein as a nutritional source. Certain genes encoding secreted proteases are not regulated by PrtT. Most strikingly, the deletant strain is not attenuated in virulence when tested in a leukopenic mouse model, which makes a strong case for reconsidering any impact of secreted proteases in pulmonary aspergillosis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Young Investigator Research Group 2, Röntgenring 11, D-97070 Würzburg, Germany. Phone: 49-931-312153. Fax: 49-931-312578. E-mail: sven.krappmann{at}uni-wuerzburg.de

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 29 June 2009.

Editor: A. Casadevall

{dagger} These authors contributed equally.

Infection and Immunity, September 2009, p. 4041-4050, Vol. 77, No. 9
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00425-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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