Ste12 — Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici 4287

Summary

FOXG_07647 (Ste12) on chromosome 4 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici 4287 encodes a C2H2-type zinc-finger transcription factor that binds sequence-specific DNA and acts as a transcriptional activator. The gene is associated with the regulation of carbon utilization, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and responses to starvation and xenobiotic stimuli. It is linked to filamentous growth, mating, sexual sporocarp development, and both positive and negative regulation of RNA polymerase II transcription. The encoded protein localizes to the nucleus, chromatin, and membrane, and participates in Tec1p-Ste12p-Dig1p and Ste12p-Dig1p-Dig2p complexes. Associations with citrate, glutamate, and ergosterol metabolism, as well as translation elongation, have also been noted. Studies of related genes in other species link the Ste12 family to loss of pathogenicity and reduced virulence.