Cloning and characterization of chsD, a chitin synthase-like gene of Aspergillus fumigatus

Abstract A chitin synthase-like gene ( chsD ) was isolated from an Aspergillus fumigatus genomic DNA library. Comparisons with the predicted amino acid sequence from chsD reveals low but significant similarity to chitin synthases, to other N acetylglucosaminyltransferases (NodC from Rhizopus spp., HasA from Streptococcus spp. and DG42 from vertebrates. A chsD^? mutant strain constructed by gene disruption has a 20% reduction in total mycelial chitin content; however, no differences between the wild-type strain and the chsD^? strain were found with respect to morphology, chitin synthase activity or virulence in a neutropenic murine model of aspergillosis. The results show that the chsD product has an important but inessential role in the synthesis of chitin in A. fumigatus .