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The answer to the letter 'Absent regulation of iron acquisition by the copper regulator Mac1 in A. fumigatus' has been prepared. We explained our data and showed supplementary information to answer the questions. And we respect the results of other groups first and explain the differences from our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although iron and copper are co-ordinately regulated in living cells, the homeostatic effects of each of these metals on the other remain unknown. Here, we show the function of AfMac1, a transcriptional activator of the copper and iron regulons of Aspergillus fumigatus, on the interaction between iron and copper. In addition to the copper-specific AfMac1-binding motif 50-TGTGCTCA-30 found in the promoter region of ctrC, the ironspecific AfMac1-binding motif 50-AT(C/G)NN(A/T)T(A/C)-30 was identified in the iron regulon but not in the copper regulon by ChIP sequence analysis. Furthermore, mutation of the AfMac1-binding motif of sit1 eliminated AfMac1-mediated sit1 up-regulation. Interestingly, the regulation of gene expression in the iron regulon by AfMac1 was not affected by copper and vice versa. AfMac1 localized to the nucleus under iron- or copper-depleted conditions, and AfMac1 was mostly detected in the cytoplasm under iron- or copper-replete conditions. Taken together, these results suggest that A. fumigatus independently regulates iron and copper homeostasis in a manner that involves AfMac1 and mutual interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]