SPN3 — Aspergillus fumigatus

Summary

AFU5G08540 (SPN3, aspA) on chromosome 5 of Aspergillus fumigatus encodes a septin AspA protein, a structural constituent of the cytoskeleton with GTPase activity and GTP binding, and binds phosphatidylinositol phosphates. The gene is associated with mitotic cytokinesis, septin ring assembly and disassembly, contractile ring assembly, and G1/S transition. It is linked to cell polarity maintenance, chitin localization, ER polarization, and growth of a unicellular organism as a thread of attached cells. Associations extend to chlamydospore formation, adhesion of symbiont to host, and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in mouse and Galleria mellonella models. The septin localizes to the bud neck, hyphal septin ring, and mitotic and meiotic septin complexes. Phenotypic associations include abnormal cell cycle progression, altered prion dynamics, and changes in fermentative growth and thermotolerance.