A trade-off between proliferation and defense in the fungal pathogen at alkaline pH is controlled by the transcription factor GAT201.

is a fungal pathogen whose virulence relies on proliferation in and dissemination to host sites, and on synthesis of a defensive yet metabolically costly polysaccharide capsule. Regulatory pathways required for virulence include a GATA-like transcription factor, Gat201, that regulates Cryptococcal virulence in both capsule-dependent and capsule-independent ways. Here we show that Gat201 is part of a negative regulatory pathway that limits fungal survival at alkaline pH.