Transcriptional response of Ustilago maydis to hemin treatment to identify key proteins involved in hemin uptake

Many phytopathogens such as Ustilago maydis rely on their hosts for nutrients during disease. In this study, we tried to identify key genes involved in heme uptake and gain a deeper understanding of the transcriptional response to hemin treatment. We observed upregulations in ergosterol biosynthesis pathway as well as identified an Abc1 protein with pleitropic contributions to cell surface functions. Pnar1::hem12 strains were treated for 1 hour in ON/NM or OFF/AM or OFF + 15µM hemin or OFF + 15µM FeCl3 prior to RNA isolation. 3 biological replicates were used for each treatment.