The mitochondrial ABC transporter Atm1 plays a role in iron metabolism and virulence in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Iron-sulfur clusters (ISC) are indispensable cofactors for essential enzymes in various cellular processes. In the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the precursor of ISCs is exported from mitochondria via a mitochondrial ABC transporter Atm1 and used for cytosolic and nuclear ISC protein assembly. Although iron homeostasis has been implicated in the virulence of the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, the key components of the ISC biosynthesis pathway need to be fully elucidated. In the current study, a homolog of S. cerevisiae Atm1 was identified in C. neoformans, and its function was characterized. We constructed C. neoformans mutants lacking ATM1 and found that deletion of ATM1 affected mitochondrial functions. Furthermore, we observed diminished activity of the cytosolic ISC-containing protein Leu1 and the heme-containing protein catalase in the atm1 mutant. These results suggested that Atm1 is required for the biosynthesis of ISCs in the cytoplasm as well as heme metabolism in C. neoformans. In addition, the atm1 mutants were avirulent in a murine model of cryptococcosis. Overall, our results demonstrated that Atm1 plays a critical role in iron metabolism and virulence for C. neoformans.