Calcineurin Plays Key Roles in the Dimorphic Transition and Virulence of the Human Pathogenic Zygomycete Mucor circinelloides
Figure 8
cnaAΔ mutants are sensitive to calcineurin inhibitors and SDS.
(A) Two independently derived cnaA mutants exhibit hypersensitivity to FK506 or CsA. In the presence of low concentrations of FK506 (0.1 µg/L), growth of the cnaAΔ mutants was significantly impaired compared to the wild-type, which formed a readily visible colony after only 1 day. (B) In liquid culture with a low concentration of FK506 (0.1 µg/mL), at which wild-type grows as hyphae, the cnaAΔ mutants grew as multi-budded yeast cells. Even in culture without FK506, the cnaAΔ mutants exhibited a mixture of yeast and hyphae compared to wild-type, which was exclusively hyphal. Scale = 20 µm. (C) The cnaAΔ mutants were more sensitive to SDS in YPD media than wild-type, suggesting that the cnaAΔ mutants fail to have compromised cell wall integrity. The percentage concentration (v/v) of SDS is displayed in the panel.