Calcineurin A Is Essential in the Regulation of Asexual Development, Stress Responses and Pathogenesis in Talaromyces marneffei

Abstract

Talaromyces marneffei is a common cause of infection in immunocompromised patients in Southeast Asia and Southern China. The pathogenicity of T. marneffei depends on the ability of the fungus to survive the cytotoxic processes of the host immune system and grow inside host macrophages. These mechanisms that allow T. marneffei to survive macrophage-induced death are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the role of a calcineurin homolog (cnaA) from T. marneffei during growth, morphogenesis and infection. Deletion of the cnaA gene in T. marneffei resulted in a strain with significant defects in conidiation, germination, morphogenesis, cell wall integrity, and resistance to various stre..