Regulation of trehalose biosynthesis and thermotolerance by the <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase Rsp5

<i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that kills over 180,000 people every year with few effective treatment options. As a yeast that normally lives in the environment, <i>C. neoformans</i> has to survive large changes in its physical environment, including elevated body temperature, when it causes human infections. Here we show how <i>C. neoformans</i> uses a protein modification to regulate production of a fungal-specific metabolic pathway important for survival at human body temperature. Unraveling how environmental fungi tolerate and survive temperature and other stressors will help to understand how they cause disease and identify new and better ways to treat these deadly infections.