FAS1 — Aspergillus fumigatus

Summary

AFU3G04220 (FAS1, AfFAS1) on chromosome 3 of Aspergillus fumigatus encodes a fatty acid synthase, a multi-domain enzyme with acyl-ACP hydrolase, ACP S-acetyltransferase, ACP S-malonyltransferase, enoyl-ACP reductase, 3-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase, palmitoyltransferase and fatty-acyl-CoA synthase activities. The gene is associated with long-chain fatty acid and aflatoxin biosynthesis, lipid homeostasis, and localisation to the FAS complex, adiposome, membrane and cytosol. It has been linked to numerous phenotypes including altered cell cycle progression, increased mutation frequency, abnormal replicative lifespan, increased mating efficiency, increased anaerobic growth, increased freeze-thaw resistance, absent desiccation resistance, and changes in autophagy, nucleophagy, ribophagy, vacuolar transport, protein secretion, nutrient uptake, and ER and Golgi distribution. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to reduced virulence and turgor pressure.