Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.07.23.218974v1?rss=1 Authors: Squizani, E. D., Reuwsaat, J. C. V., Lev, S., Motta, H., Sperotto, J., Kaufman-Francis, K., Desmarini, D., Vainstein, M. H., Staats, C. C., Djordjevic, J. T., Kmetzsch, L. Abstract: Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) is crucial for signal transduction in Cryptococcus neoformans, the major cause of fatal fungal meningitis. The calcineurin pathway is the only Ca2+-requiring signalling cascade implicated in cryptococcal stress adaptation and virulence, with Ca2+-binding mediated by the EF-hand domains of the Ca2+ sensor protein calmodulin. In this study, we identified the cryptococcal ortholog of neuronal calcium sensor-1 (Ncs1) as a member of the EF-hand superfamily. We demonstrated that Ncs1 has a role in Ca2+ homeostasis under stress and non-stress conditions, as the ncs1{Delta} mutant is sensitive to a high Ca2+ concentration and has an elevated basal Ca2+ level that correlates with increased expression of the Ca2+ transporter genes, CCH1 and MID1. Furthermore, NCS1 expression is induced by Ca2+, with the Ncs1 protein adopting a punctate subcellular distribution. We also demonstrate that, in contrast to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, NCS1 expression in C. neoformans is regulated by the calcineurin pathway via the transcription factor Crz1, as NCS1 expression is reduced by FK506 treatment and CRZ1 deletion. Moreover, the ncs1{Delta} mutant shares a high temperature and high Ca2+ sensitivity phenotype with the calcineurin and calmodulin mutants (cna1{Delta} and cam1{Delta}) and the NCS1 promoter contains two calcineurin/Crz1-dependent response elements (CDRE1). Ncs1-deficency coincided with reduced growth, characterized by delayed bud emergence and aberrant cell division, and hypovirulence in a mouse infection model. In summary, our data shows that Ncs1 plays distinct roles in Ca2+ sensing in C. neoformans despite widespread functional conservation of Ncs1 and other regulators of Ca2+ homeostasis. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info