HAPX — Verticillium dahliae

Summary

VDAG_05022, designated VdHAPX, encodes a bZIP transcription factor with AP-1-like and Hap4_TF_heteromerisation domains. It is annotated as a DNA-binding transcription activator specific to RNA polymerase II, localising to the nucleus, cytoplasm and transcription regulator complexes. VdHAPX is associated with responses to nitrate and iron ion starvation, siderophore and ferricrocin anabolism, and both asexual and sexual sporulation. It is linked to penetration peg formation, cellular response to amino acid starvation, and inhibition of asperthecin and sterigmatocystin formation. The gene has been connected to vascular wilt disease caused by Verticillium dahliae. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to iron concentration and oxidative stress response, though these associations are not yet established for VdHAPX itself.