An STE12 homolog from the asexual, dimorphic fungus Penicillium marneffei complements the defect in sexual development of an Aspergillus nidulans steA mutant

Abstract

Penicillium marneffei is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans and the only dimorphic species identified in its genus. At 25° P. marneffei exhibits true filamentous growth, while at 37° P. marneffei undergoes a dimorphic transition to produce uninucleate yeast cells that divide by fission. Members of the STE12 family of regulators are involved in controlling mating and yeast-hyphal transitions in a number of fungi. We have cloned a homolog of the S. cerevisiae STE12 gene from P. marneffei, stlA, which is highly conserved. The stlA gene, along with the A. nidulans stea and Cryptococcus neoformans ste12α genes, form a distinct subclass of STE12 homologs that have a C2H2 zinc-finger motif ..