A PAS Protein Directs Metabolic Reprogramming during Cryptococcal Adaptation to Hypoxia

To aerobic organisms, low oxygen tension (hypoxia) presents a physiological challenge. To cope with such a challenge, metabolic pathways such as those used in energy production have to be adjusted. Many of such metabolic changes are orchestrated by the conserved hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) in higher eukaryotes. However, there are no HIF homologs in fungi or protists, and not much is known about conductors that direct hypoxic adaptation in lower eukaryotes. Here, we discovered that the transcription factor Pas2 controls the transcript levels of metabolic genes and consequently rewires metabolism for hypoxia adaptation in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Through genetic, proteomic, and biochemical analyses, we demonstrated that Pas2 directly interacts with another transcription factor, Rds2, in regulating cryptococcal hypoxic adaptation. The Pas2/Rds2 complex represents the key transcription regulator of metabolic flexibility. Its regulation of metabolism rewiring between respiration and fermentation is critical to our understanding of the cryptococcal response to low levels of oxygen. IMPORTANCE C. neoformans is the main causative agent of fungal meningitis that is responsible for about 15% of all HIV-related deaths. Although an obligate aerobic fungus, C. neoformans is well adapted to hypoxia conditions that the fungus could encounter in the host or the environment. The sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) is well known for its role in cryptococcal adaptation to hypoxia through its regulation of ergosterol and lipid biosynthesis. The regulation of metabolic reprogramming under hypoxia, however, is largely unknown. Here, we discovered one key regulator, Pas2, that mediates the metabolic response to hypoxia together with another transcription factor, Rds2, in C. neoformans. The findings help define the molecular mechanisms underpinning hypoxia adaptation in this and other lower eukaryotes.

Automated summary

The transcription factor Pas2 was found to be a key regulator in metabolic response to hypoxia in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, interacting with another transcription factor Rds2. The Pas2/Rds2 complex plays a critical role in rewiring metabolism between respiration and fermentation, shedding light on the adaptation mechanisms of lower eukaryotes like C. neoformans to low oxygen levels.