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ZafA Gene Is Important for Trichophyton mentagrophytes Growth and Pathogenicity

Pengxiu Dai1, Yangou Lv2, Yongping Gao3

  • 1The College of Veterinary Medicine of the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 3 Taicheng Road, Yangling 712100, China. dpx910405@163.com.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|February 21, 2019
PubMed

Insights

The ZafA gene in Trichophyton mentagrophytes is crucial for fungal growth, reproduction, and virulence. Disrupting ZafA significantly reduces pathogenicity, highlighting its importance in controlling dermatophytosis infections.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Medical Mycology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • * Trichophyton mentagrophytes is a prevalent fungal pathogen causing dermatophytosis in humans and animals.
  • * Previous research indicates zinc deficiency hinders T. mentagrophytes growth.
  • * The ZafA gene in T. mentagrophytes encodes a zinc finger transcriptional factor that enhances zinc ion absorption, but its role in virulence was unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the function of the ZafA gene in T. mentagrophytes.
  • * To determine the impact of ZafA on the pathogen's growth, reproduction, and virulence.
  • * To assess the role of the ZafA-encoded zinc-responsive factor in T. mentagrophytes pathogenicity.

Main Methods:

  • * Construction of a ZafA mutant (ZafA-hph) and a complemented strain (ZafA+bar) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation.
  • * Confirmation of gene disruption using Polymerase Chain Reaction and Southern blot analyses.
  • * In vitro assessment of growth capacity, reproductive ability, zinc ion absorption, hair biodegradation, and animal pathogenicity.

Main Results:

  • * The ZafA mutant (ZafA-hph) exhibited significantly reduced growth performance, reproduction, and zinc ion absorption compared to wild-type T. mentagrophytes and the complemented strain.
  • * ZafA-hph displayed diminished hair biodegradation capability and reduced animal pathogenicity.
  • * The observed decrease in growth and virulence was directly attributed to the absence of the ZafA-encoded factor, not the transformation process.

Conclusions:

  • * The ZafA gene and its encoded zinc-responsive factor are vital for T. mentagrophytes growth, reproduction, zinc absorption, and virulence.
  • * Understanding the role of ZafA provides significant insights for developing strategies to prevent and control T. mentagrophytes infections.
  • * Targeting the ZafA factor could be a key approach in managing dermatophytosis caused by this common fungal pathogen.
Keywords:
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformationTrichophyton mentagrophytesZafAgrowthpathogenicity

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