
==== Front
bioRxiv
BIORXIV
bioRxiv
2692-8205
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

10.1101/2024.08.28.610057
preprint
1
Article
Characterization of a High-Affinity Copper Transporter in the White-Nose Syndrome Causing Fungal Pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans
Friudenberg Alyssa D. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2074-3552

Anne Saika http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0166-1359

Peterson Ryan L. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9654-703X

28 8 2024
2024.08.28.610057https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2024.08.28.610057
nihpp-2024.08.28.610057.pdf
Abstract

Copper is an essential micronutrient and the ability to scavenge tightly bound or trace levels of copper ions at the host-pathogen interface is vital for fungal proliferation in animal hosts. Recent studies suggest that trace metal ion acquisition is critical for the establishment and propagation of Pseudogymnoascus destructans , the fungal pathogen responsible for white-nose syndrome (WNS), on their bat host. However, little is known about these metal acquisition pathways in P. destructans . In this study, we report the characterization of the P. destructans high-affinity copper transporter VC83_00191 ( Pd CTR1a), which is implicated as a virulence factor associated with the WNS disease state. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a recombinant expression host, we find that Pd CTR1a localizes to the cell surface plasma membrane and can efficiently traffic Cu-ions into the yeast cytoplasm. Complementary studies in the native P. destructans fungus provide evidence that Pd CTR1a transcripts and protein levels are dictated by Cu-bioavailability in the growth media. Our study demonstrates that Pd CTR1a is a functional high-affinity copper transporter and is relevant to Cu-homeostasis pathways in P. destructans .
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pmc
