Phylogenetic and functional analysis of Aspergillus fumigatus MGTC, a fungal protein homologous to a bacterial virulence factor

MgtC is important for the survival of several bacterial pathogens in macrophages and for growth under magnesium limitation. Among eukaryotes, a gene homologous to mgtC was found only in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Our data show that the A. fumigatus MgtC (AfuMgtC) protein does not have the same function as the bacterial MgtC proteins.