%0 Journal Article
%T The StuA Transcription Factor and Alternative Splicing Mechanisms Drive the Levels of MAPK Hog1 Transcripts in the Dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum.
%A Martins-Santana L
%A Petrucelli MF
%A Sanches PR
%A Almeida F
%A Martinez-Rossi NM
%A Rossi A
%J Mycopathologia
%V 189
%N 3
%D 2024 May 5
%M 38704808
%F 3.785
%R 10.1007/s11046-024-00842-5
%X Trichophyton rubrum is a human fungal pathogen that causes dermatophytosis, an infection that affects keratinized tissues. Integrated molecular signals coordinate mechanisms that control pathogenicity. Transcriptional regulation is a core regulation of relevant fungal processes. Previous RNA sequencing data revealed that the absence of the transcription factor StuA resulted in the differential expression of the MAPK-related high glycerol osmolarity gene (hog1) in T. rubrum. Here we validated the role of StuA in regulating the transcript levels of hog1. We showed through RT-qPCR that transcriptional regulation controls hog1 levels in response to glucose, keratin, and co-culture with human keratinocytes. In addition, we also detected hog1 pre-mRNA transcripts that underwent alternative splicing, presenting intron retention in a StuA-dependent mechanism. Our findings suggest that StuA and alternative splicing simultaneously, but not dependently, coordinate hog1 transcript levels in T. rubrum. As a means of preventing and treating dermatophytosis, our results contribute to the search for new potential drug therapies based on the molecular aspects of signaling pathways in T. rubrum.