DYRK-family kinases regulate morphogenesis and virulence through the Ras1/PKA pathway.

is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that frequently causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. To cause disease, the fungus employs several virulence traits, including its ability to transition between yeast and filamentous states. Previous work identified a role for the kinase Yak1 in regulating filamentation. Here, we demonstrate that Yak1 regulates morphogenesis through the canonical cAMP/PKA pathway and that this regulation is environmentally contingent, as host-relevant concentrations of CO bypass the requirement of Yak1 for morphogenesis. We show a related kinase, Pom1, is important for filamentation in the absence of Yak1 under these host-relevant conditions, as deletion of both genes blocked filamentous growth under all conditions tested. Finally, we demonstrate that Yak1 is required for filamentation in a mouse model of dermatitis using genetic and pharmacological approaches. Overall, our results expand our understanding of how Yak1 regulates an important virulence trait in .