In-depth evaluation of the acetylome in major human fungal pathogens elucidates the essential role of lysine acetylation in regulation of fungal pathogenicity

Fungal pathogens cause deadly diseases in living organisms. Numerous studies suggest that lysine acetylation is a critical regulator in pathogenic fungi, but an in-depth and cross-species analysis of the acetylome in major pathogenic fungi is lacking, and our knowledge of the mechanism of acetylation in manipulating fungal pathogenicity is limited. Here, we show that lysine acetylation plays essential roles during cryptococcosis through modulating the gene expression of important virulence factors and the activity of key players in important pathways. We show that the Cryptococcus TOR pathway and translational elongation process are functionally regulated by acetylation via the HDAC and sirtuin families, respectively. Through comparative acetylome network analysis among pathogens and baker’s yeast, we demonstrate significant correlation between acetylation sites and virulence factors, indicating a unique selective pressure on lysine acetylation motifs in pathogenic fungi. These results provide a basis for understanding the regulation of fungal pathogenicity by posttranslational lysine acetylation.