The phenotypes caused by the loss or disruption of <i>RZE1</i> resemble the ones caused by the deletion of <i>ZNF2</i>.

<p>(A) A diagram of various signals (pheromone and other stimuli) that lead to activation of <i>ZNF2</i> and consequently filamentation in <i>Cryptococcus</i>. (B) The self-filamentation assay of the wild type XL280, the <i>znf2</i>Δ mutant, the <i>rze1</i>^Tn mutant, the <i>rze1</i>Δ mutant, and the complemented strains <i>rze1</i>^Tn-pRZE1 and <i>rze1</i>Δ-p<i>RZE1</i> with the wild type allele of <i>RZE1</i> integrated at the native locus. Strains were cultured on V8 medium for 4 days. (C) Filamentation assay of unilateral crosses during bisexual mating involving a mutant strain and a wild-type mating partner. The α partner is a mutant in the non-self-filamentous H99 background (the <i>rze1</i>Δ mutant, the <i>mat2</i>Δ mutant, and the <i>znf2</i>Δ mutant). The <b>a</b> partner is the wild type KN99<b>a</b> that is congenic with H99. Cells were cultured on V8 medium for about 2 weeks. (D) Confrontation assay with the P_<i>GPD1</i>-<i>CFL1</i> strain as the donor and the wild type XL280, the <i>rze1</i>Δ mutant, or the <i>znf2</i>Δ mutant as the recipient. (E) Fungal burden analysis from lungs of mice inoculated with the <i>rze1</i>Δ mutants and the corresponding wild-type strains. <i>p</i> = 0.0429 for H99 background and 0.0716 for XL280 background.