Expression Oftalaromyces Marneffeiacumandacukgenes In Gluconeogenic Substrates And Various Iron Concentrations

Talaromyces marneffeiis an opportunistic, dimorphic fungal pathogen that causes a disseminated infection in people with a weakened immunological status. The ability of this fungus to acquire nutrients inside the harsh environment of the macrophage phagosome is presumed to contribute to its pathogenicity. The transcription factors AcuM and AcuK are known to regulate gluconeogenesis and iron acquisition inAspergillus fumigatus. This study demonstrated that they are also involved in both of these processes in the dimorphic fungusT. marneffei. Expression ofacuMandacuKgenes was determined by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on the cells grown in media containing gluconeogenic substrates and various iron concentrations. We found that theacuMandacuKtranscript levels were sequentially reduced when growing the fungus in increasing amounts of iron. TheacuMtranscript was upregulated in the gluconeogenic condition, while theacuKtranscript showed upregulation only in the acetate medium in the yeast phase. These results suggest the involvement ofacuMandacuKin gluconeogenesis and iron homeostasis inT. marneffei.