Eukaryotic Cell
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Eukaryotic Cell, July 2006, p. 1036-1042, Vol. 5, No. 7
1535-9778/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00030-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

FsFKS1, the 1,3-ß-Glucan Synthase from the Caspofungin-Resistant Fungus Fusarium solani

Young-sil Ha,1 Sarah F. Covert,2 and Michelle Momany1*

Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602,1 Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 306022

Received 1 February 2006/ Accepted 2 May 2006

The cell wall, a mesh of carbohydrates and proteins, shapes and protects the fungal cell. The enzyme responsible for the synthesis of one of the main components of the fungal wall, 1,3-ß-glucan synthase, is targeted by the antifungal caspofungin acetate (CFA). Clinical isolates of Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus are much more sensitive to CFA than clinical isolates of Fusarium species. To better understand CFA resistance in Fusarium species, we cloned and sequenced FsFKS1, which encodes the Fusarium solani f. sp. pisi ß(1,3)-D-glucan synthase, used RNA interference to reduce its expression and complemented deletion of the essential fks gene of the CFA-sensitive fungus A. fumigatus with FsFKS1. Reduction of the FsFKS1 message in F. solani f. sp. pisi reduced spore viability and caused lysis of spores and hyphae, consistent with cell wall defects. Compensating for the loss of A. fumigatus fks1 with FsFKS1 caused only a modest increase in the tolerance of A. fumigatus for CFA. Our results suggest that FsFKS1 is required for the proper construction of F. solani cell walls and that the resistance of F. solani to CFA is at best only partially due to resistance of the FsFKS1 enzyme to this antifungal agent.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Phone: (706) 542-2014. Fax: (706) 542-1805. E-mail: momany{at}plantbio.uga.edu.

Eukaryotic Cell, July 2006, p. 1036-1042, Vol. 5, No. 7
1535-9778/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00030-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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