Atf2 transcription factor binds to the APP1 promoter in Cryptococcus neoformans: stimulatory effect of diacylglycerol.

The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental human pathogen which enters the lung via the respiratory tract and produces a unique protein, called antiphagocytic protein 1 (App1), that protects it from phagocytosis by macrophages. In previous studies, we proposed genetic evidences that transcription of APP1 is controlled by the enzymatic reaction catalyzed by inositol phosphorylceramide synthase 1 (Ipc1) via the production of diacylglycerol through the activating transcription factor 2 (Atf2). We investigated here the mechanism by which Atf2 binds to the APP1 promoter in vitro and in vivo.