AUTHOR=Dai Pengxiu , Lv Yangou , Gong Xiaowen , Han Jianye , Gao Peng , Xu Haojie , Zhang Yihua , Zhang Xinke 

TITLE=RNA-Seq Analysis of the Effect of Zinc Deficiency on Microsporum canis, ZafA Gene Is Important for Growth and Pathogenicity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.727665

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2021.727665

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Microsporum canis</italic>, a common pathogenic skin fungus, can cause dermatophytosis in humans and animals. Zinc is an important trace element and plays an important role in the growth and metabolism of fungi. Currently, the effects of zinc deficiency on growth, gene expression, and metabolic pathway have not been clarified in <italic>M. canis</italic>. Therefore, <italic>M. canis</italic> was cultured under zinc restriction, and RNA-Seq was conducted in this study. The growth of <italic>M. canis</italic> was severely inhibited, and many genes showed significant upregulation and downregulation in <italic>M. canis</italic> with zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency could negatively affect the gene expression and biological metabolic pathway in <italic>M. canis</italic>. The zinc-responsiveness transcriptional activator (<italic>ZafA</italic>) gene was significantly upregulated and shared homology with <italic>Zap1</italic>. Thus, the <italic>ZafA</italic> gene might be the main transcription factor regulating <italic>M. canis</italic> zinc homeostasis. The <italic>ZafA</italic> gene knockout strain, ZafA-hph, was constructed <italic>via Agrobacterium tumefaciens</italic>-mediated transformation (ATMT) in <italic>M. canis</italic> for the first time to assess its function. <italic>In vitro</italic> growth ability, hair biodegradation ability, virulence test, and zinc absorption capacity in ZafA-hph and wild-type <italic>M. canis</italic> strains were compared. Results showed that the <italic>ZafA</italic> gene plays an important role in zinc absorption, expression of zinc transporter genes, and growth and pathogenicity in <italic>M. canis</italic> and can be used as a new drug target. Cutting off the zinc absorption pathway can be used as a way to prevent and control infection in <italic>M. canis</italic>.</p>