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61 records returned

Gbetagamma-mediated growth and developmental control in Aspergillus fumigatus.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The roles of the Gbetagamma subunits of the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus were investigated. The predicted AfuSfaD (Gbeta) protein consists of 353 amino acids and shows 94-98% similarity with other Aspergillus Gbeta subunits. AfuGpgA consists of 90 amino acids showing 95-98% identity with other fungal G-protein gamma subunits. The deletion (Delta) of AfusfaD or AfugpgA resulted in severe impairment in vegetative growth, conidial germination and conidial trehalose breakdown. While the total number of conidia produced by DeltaAfusfaD and DeltaAfugpgA strains on solid medium was only about 1% of wild ...
Source: Current Genetics - November 14, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Shin KS, Kwon NJ, Yu JH Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of antifungal lipopeptide producing fungus Coleophoma empetri F-11899.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The filamentous fungus Coleophoma empetri F-11899 produces an echinocandin-like compound FR901379, the original source for micafungin which is prescribed to treat deep-seated mycoses. Despite its industrial importance, no genetic information on C. empetri F-11899 is currently available. To characterize FR901379 biosynthetic genes by insertional mutagenesis and to improve the compound production genetically, Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) was attempted to make genetic manipulation possible in this strain. The optimum conditions for ATMT of C. empetri were determined for the cell density of bact...
Source: Current Genetics - October 30, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Yamada M, Yawata K, Orino Y, Ueda S, Isogai Y, Taguchi G, Shimosaka M, Hashimoto S Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Dse1 may control cross talk between the pheromone and filamentation pathways in yeast.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The filamentous/invasive growth pathway is activated by nutrient limitation in the haploid form of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whereas exposure to mating-pheromone causes cells to differentiate into gametes. Although these two pathways respond to very different stimuli and generate very different responses, they utilize many of the same signaling components. This implies the need for robust mechanisms to maintain signal fidelity. Dse1 was identified in an allele-specific suppressor screen for proteins that interact with the pheromone-responsive Gbetagamma, and found to bind both to a Gbetagamma-affinity column,...
Source: Current Genetics - October 9, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Draper E, Dubrovskyi O, Bar EE, Stone DE Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the liverwort Pleurozia purpurea reveals extremely conservative mitochondrial genome evolution in liverworts.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study shows that the mitochondrial genomes evolve extremely slowly in liverworts, the earliest-diverging lineage of extant land plants, in stark contrast to what is known of highly dynamic evolution of mitochondrial genomes in seed plants. PMID: 19756627 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Genetics)
Source: Current Genetics - September 15, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Wang B, Xue J, Li L, Liu Y, Qiu YL Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

FgEnd1 is a putative component of the endocytic machinery and mediates ferrichrome uptake in F. graminearum.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The function of endocytic pathway in filamentous fungi has remained elusive. Recently, we have identified that FgEnd1, which has a 27% amino acid homology and shares specific EH3 domain with ScEnd3 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a putative member of the endocytic machinery in Fusarium graminearum. The failure of the scend3 mutant to uptake Lucifer yellow (LY) was recovered by introducing FgEnd1 into S. cerevisiae. The deletion of fgend1 in F. graminearum resulted in a 2-fold decrease in the rate of uptake of the endocytic marker FM4-64 when compared to wild-type cells. The rate of uptake was similar to that seen in la...
Source: Current Genetics - September 15, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Kim JH, Kim HW, Heo DH, Chang M, Baek IJ, Yun CW Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Identification of transcribed and persistent variants of the psbA gene carried by plastid minicircles in a dinoflagellate.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we discovered multiple variants, a putative "gene family", of the gene psbA in the plastid minicircles of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense, which have persisted for almost 3 years in culture. Each variant, like the ordinary psbA, existed on distinct minicircles of similar size (5-6 kb). These psbA variants retained all, or almost all, the coding sequence of the ordinary gene, and all four were transcribed and edited after transcription, even though they could not encode the entire protein due to intervening or translocated sequences. Repeat elements were generally found in the relatively large non-co...
Source: Current Genetics - September 15, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Iida S, Kobiyama A, Ogata T, Murakami A Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

A proteomic view into infection of greyback canegrubs (Dermolepida albohirtum) by Metarhizium anisopliae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Metarhizium anisopliae is a naturally occurring cosmopolitan fungus infecting greyback canegrubs (Dermolepida albohirtum). The main molecular factors involved in the complex interactions occurring between the greyback canegrubs and M. anisopliae (FI-1045) were investigated by comparing the proteomes of healthy canegrubs, canegrubs infected with Metarhizium and fungus only. Differentially expressed proteins from the infected canegrubs were subjected to mass spectrometry to search for pathogenicity related proteins. Immune-related proteins of canegrubs identified in this study include cytoskeletal proteins (actin), cell ...
Source: Current Genetics - September 2, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Manalil NS, Junior Te'o VS, Braithwaite K, Brumbley S, Samson P, Nevalainen KM Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Aspergillus nidulans genes encoding reverse transsulfuration enzymes belong to homocysteine regulon.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Homocysteine is an intermediate in methionine synthesis in Aspergillus nidulans, but it can also be converted to cysteine by the reverse transsulfuration pathway involving cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine gamma-lyase (CGL). Because homocysteine is toxic to the cell at high concentrations, this pathway also functions as a means of removal of its excess. We found that the transcription of the mecA and mecB genes encoding CBS and CGL was upregulated by excess of homocysteine as well as by shortage of cysteine. Homocysteine induced transcription of both genes when added to the growth medium or overproduc...
Source: Current Genetics - August 14, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Sieńko M, Natorff R, Owczarek S, Olewiecki I, Paszewski A Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Biology and genetics of the pathogenic yeast Candida parapsilosis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we provide a concise review on C. parapsilosis biology and highlight its interesting biological features. In addition, we summarize approaches for genetic manipulation, which have enhanced research on this species by overcoming limitations of conventional genetic analysis caused primarily by an apparent absence of a sexual cycle and the diploid state of its genome. PMID: 19662416 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Genetics)
Source: Current Genetics - August 6, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Nosek J, Holesova Z, Kosa P, Gacser A, Tomaska L Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Endochitinase CHI2 of the biocontrol fungus Metarhizium anisopliae affects its virulence toward the cotton stainer bug Dysdercus peruvianus.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Chitinases have been implicated in fungal cell wall remodeling and play a role in exogenous chitin degradation for nutrition and competition. Due to the diversity of these enzymes, assigning particular functions to each chitinase is still ongoing. The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae produces several chitinases, and here, we evaluate whether endochitinase CHI2 is involved in the pathogenicity of this fungus. We constructed strains either overexpressing or lacking the CHI2 chitinase. These constructs were validated by Southern, Northern and Western blot analysis, and chitinase production. To access the eff...
Source: Current Genetics - July 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Boldo JT, Junges A, do Amaral KB, Staats CC, Vainstein MH, Schrank A Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Identification and occurrence of the LTR-Copia-like retrotransposon, PSCR and other Copia-like elements in the genome of Phytophthora sojae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Sequence analysis of the genomic region of Phytophthora sojae close to the Avr4/6 locus specifying virulence on soybean identified a Ty1/Copia-like retrotransposon that we have named Phytophthora sojae Copia-like retrotransposon (PSCR). Twelve near-complete homologs of PSCR were found in the published P. sojae genome sequence, none of which encoded a full-length polyprotein characteristic of Copia-like retrotransposons, or appears to exhibit transcriptional activity or show evidence of recent movement, suggesting they are non-functional and unlikely to have caused pathogenic variability. However, reconstructed consensu...
Source: Current Genetics - July 29, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Basnayake S, Maclean DJ, Whisson SC, Drenth A Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Investigating dominant selection markers for Coprinopsis cinerea: a carboxin resistance system and re-evaluation of hygromycin and phleomycin resistance vectors.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Dominant selectable markers are beneficial for transformation of many fungi, particularly those model species where repeated transformations may be required. A carboxin resistance allele of the Coprinopsis cinerea sdi1 gene, encoding the iron-sulphur protein subunit of succinate dehydrogenase, was developed by introducing a suitable point mutation in the histidine block responsible for binding of the associated iron ion. This modified gene was used successfully to confer carboxin resistance upon transformation of C. cinerea protoplasts. Plasmids previously used to establish hygromycin transformation systems of several ...
Source: Current Genetics - July 27, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Kilaru S, Collins CM, Hartley AJ, Burns C, Foster GD, Bailey AM Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The pleiotropic cell separation mutation spl1-1 is a nucleotide substitution in the internal promoter of the proline tRNA(CGG) gene of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study shows that it is allelic with the proline-tRNA(CGG) gene SPATRNAPRO.02. Its nucleotide sequence contains a C-->T substitution in the region corresponding to the B-box of the putative intragenic promoter and the TpsiC loop of the mature tRNA. The substitution drastically reduces the transcription efficiency of the gene and pleiotropically affects numerous cellular processes. spl1-1 cells are temperature sensitive, osmosensitive, bend at higher temperatures, have extended G2 phase and are defective in cell separation (septum cleavage). The proline-tRNA(TGG) gene SPATRNAPRO.01 can partially suppress the spl1-1 m...
Source: Current Genetics - July 27, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Miklos I, Ludanyi K, Sipiczki M Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The dual role of autonomously replicating sequences as origins of replication and as silencers.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively characterized as both origins of DNA replication and as chromatin repressors/silencers. It has been conclusively shown that the origin and the silencer activities of ARS are substantially, but not entirely interchangeable and that they are modulated by position effects and chromatin environment. It remains unclear how these two quite divergent functions of ARS co-exist. This perspective focuses on recent advances, which have shown that slight differences in ARSs can modulate their affinity for origin recognition complex and thei...
Source: Current Genetics - July 25, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Rehman MA, Yankulov K Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

An autophagy gene, MgATG5, is required for cell differentiation and pathogenesis in Magnaporthe oryzae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we identified MgATG5 as an autophagy-related gene in Magnaporthe oryzae that is homologous to ATG5. Using targeted gene replacement, an Mgatg5 mutant was generated and fungal autophagy was blocked. Cytological analysis revealed that the mutant had poor fungal morphogenic development, including a shortened aerial hyphae lifespan, decreased conidiation and perithecia formation, delayed conidial germination and appressorial formation, postponement of conidial cytoplasm transfer during appressorium formation, and reduction in formation of the penetration peg. Turnover of endogenous matter in the Mgatg5 mutant wa...
Source: Current Genetics - July 23, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Lu JP, Liu XH, Feng XX, Min H, Lin FC Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Development of transformation system for Trichophyton rubrum by electroporation of germinated conidia.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Dermatophytes are the fungi that can cause infections of skin, hair, and nails due to their ability to utilize keratin. The genetic transformation systems of dermatophytes were successfully applied to Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis. Here we describe the procedure for genetic transformation of Trichophyton rubrum by electroporation of their germinated conidia. A linearized transformation vector (pCHSH75-Pch/GFP/TtrpC) containing bacterial hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene (hph) and green fluorescent protein gene (egfp) was introduced into the germinated conidia of T. rubrum by electroporation. PCR ...
Source: Current Genetics - July 22, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Dobrowolska A, Staczek P Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Functional analysis of an alpha-1,2-mannosidase from Magnaporthe oryzae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Identification of enzymes that are expressed during host colonization and characterization of their biochemical properties are prerequisite to understanding their role in the pathogen-host interaction. Nine alpha-1,2-mannosidase homologs were identified in the analysis of the Magnaporthe oryzae genome. Endoplasmic reticulum localized alpha-1,2-mannosidases play an important role in protein glycosylation. However, several members of the alpha-1,2-mannosidase gene family are predicted to be secreted. The biological role of such extracellular enzymes in host colonization has not been defined. Here, we characterized a secr...
Source: Current Genetics - July 20, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Zhou J, Lin CZ, Zheng XZ, Lin XJ, Sang WJ, Wang SH, Wang ZH, Ebbole D, Lu GD Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Ccm1p/Ygr150cp, a pentatricopeptide repeat protein, is essential to remove the fourth intron of both COB and COX1 pre-mRNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study was undertaken to define the role of Ygr150cp in mitochondria biogenesis. Repression of Ygr150cp expression in complemented mutants prevented their use of glycerol or lactate, but allowed limited growth on ethanol-containing medium. RNA hybridization studies showed that Deltaygr150c meiotic segregants produced COB and COX1 transcripts but failed to process them into the mature forms. Detailed RT-PCR assays revealed that Deltaygr150c specifically failed to remove the fourth intron of both COB and COX1 pre-mRNAs while all other group I introns were excised. Expression of Ygr150cp mutants without any of the PPR mot...
Source: Current Genetics - June 27, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Moreno JI, Buie KS, Price RE, Piva MA Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Gibberella zeae chitin synthase genes, GzCHS5 and GzCHS7, are required for hyphal growth, perithecia formation, and pathogenicity.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Gibberella zeae causes Fusarium head blight of cereal crops, and sexual spores of the fungus play an important role as primary inocula. We isolated a restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) transformant, ZH431, of G. zeae with defects in perithecia formation and virulence. Integration of the REMI vector resulted in disruption of GzCHS7 gene, which encodes a putative class VII chitin synthase with high similarity to Fusarium oxysporum ChsVb. A second chitin synthase, GzCHS5, is adjacently located in a head-to-head configuration with GzCHS7, and its deduced protein sequence showed similarity with a class V chitin ...
Source: Current Genetics - June 22, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Kim JE, Lee HJ, Lee J, Kim KW, Yun SH, Shim WB, Lee YW Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The MAPKK kinase ChSte11 regulates sexual/asexual development, melanization, pathogenicity, and adaptation to oxidative stress in Cochliobolus heterostrophus.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we cloned and characterized a putative MAPKKK gene ChSte11, orthologous to yeast STE11, of Cochliobolus heterostrophus. DeltaChste11 strains showed defects in conidiation, sexual development, melanization and the formation of appressoria. These mutants were significantly less virulent on corn plants than the wild type. Similar phenotypes were observed in mutants of Chk1-MAPK, a putative downstream protein kinase of ChSte11. These results suggested that ChSte11 regulates various morphological changes and pathogenicity via Chk1 MAPK. Both DeltaChste11 and Deltachk1 strains showed severe sensitivity to oxidativ...
Source: Current Genetics - June 22, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Izumitsu K, Yoshimi A, Kubo D, Morita A, Saitoh Y, Tanaka C Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Identification of genes differentially expressed in vivo by Metarhizium anisopliae in the hemolymph of Locusta migratoria using suppression-subtractive hybridization.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Metarhizium anisopliae is an important insect pathogenic fungus widely used in biological pest control. The aim of this study was to identify genes differentially expressed in vivo by M. anisopliae CQMa102 in the hemolymph of infected Locusta migratoria. Suppression-subtractive hybridization was performed using cDNA generated from hyphal bodies purified from hemolymph and the fungus germinating and differentiating on locust wings. A total of 350/1,600 random clones screened by cDNA array dot blotting were sequenced, resulting in 120 uniquely expressed sequence tags (ESTs) that were up-regulated during colonization of h...
Source: Current Genetics - June 8, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Zhang C, Xia Y Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Transcriptome analysis of the Euglena gracilis plastid chromosome.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The characterisation of transcript levels of chloroplast genes and their changes under different conditions is an initial step towards understanding chloroplast gene expression and the functional integration of the plastid chromosome into the entire integrated compartmentalised genome of the plant cell. Using RNA from cells of 12 different developmental stages and stress treatments, we have studied the transcript patterns of all 96 genes of the circular plastid chromosome of Euglena gracilis, Pringsheim strain Z, by a macroarray-based approach and Northern analysis of selected genes representing approximately half a do...
Source: Current Genetics - June 1, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Geimer S, Belicová A, Legen J, Sláviková S, Herrmann RG, Krajčovič J Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Characterization of the post-harvest changes in gene transcription in the gill of the Lentinula edodes fruiting body.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We compared the gene expression patterns of Lentinula edodes fresh fruiting bodies and fruiting bodies 3 days after harvest, by suppression subtractive hybridization, to characterize the physiologic changes that occur after harvest, such as gill browning and cell wall lysis of the fruiting body, which are responsible for the loss of food quality and value. We found increase of transcription levels of several enzyme encoding genes, such as, two phenol oxidases encoding genes (tyr tyrosinase, lcc4 laccase), and several cell wall degradation-related enzyme-encoding genes, such as mixed-linked glucanase (mlg1), chitinases ...
Source: Current Genetics - June 1, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Sakamoto Y, Nakade K, Sato T Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The telomere-linked helicase (TLH) gene family in Magnaporthe oryzae: revised gene structure reveals a novel TLH-specific protein motif.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Telomere-linked RecQ helicase (TLH) genes have been identified in several fungi, where they occur as small gene families with each member copy residing within ~10 kb of a telomere. Here we describe the characterization of all 11 TLH gene copies in the reference strain of the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. A consensus gene prediction revealed that the previously reported TLH1 gene is actually a mutated copy, and the full-length gene is almost two times longer. Only four full-length TLH genes were present in the strain that was analyzed, with the remaining copies containing premature stops caused by point mutations, indels, ...
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Rehmeyer CJ, Li W, Kusaba M, Farman ML Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

PTR1-dependent synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin contributes to oxidant susceptibility in the trypanosomatid protozoan parasite Leishmania major.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Leishmania must survive oxidative stress, but lack many classical antioxidant enzymes and rely heavily on trypanothione-dependent pathways. We used forward genetic screens to recover loci mediating oxidant resistance via overexpression in Leishmania major, which identified pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1). Comparisons of isogenic lines showed ptr1 (-) null mutants were 18-fold more sensitive to H(2)O(2) than PTR1-overproducing lines, and significant three- to fivefold differences were seen with a broad panel of oxidant-inducing agents. The toxicities of simple nitric oxide generators and other drug classes (except antifola...
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Nare B, Garraway LA, Vickers TJ, Beverley SM Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The first genome-level transcriptome of the wood-degrading fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium grown on red oak.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
As part of an effort to determine all the gene products involved in wood degradation, we have performed massively parallel pyrosequencing on an expression library from the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium grown in shallow stationary cultures with red oak as the carbon source. Approximately 48,000 high quality sequence tags (246 bp average length) were generated. 53% of the sequence tags aligned to 4,262 P. chrysosporium gene models, and an additional 18.5% of the tags reliably aligned to the P. chrysosporium genome providing evidence for 961 putative novel fragmented gene models. Due to their role in lignoc...
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Sato S, Feltus FA, Iyer P, Tien M Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The Aspergillus nidulans pigP gene encodes a subunit of GPI-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase which influences filamentation and protein secretion.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring is the main mechanism allowing proper localization of secretory proteins in cell membranes. We have isolated an Aspergillus nidulans homolog of the human PIG-P gene, which encodes a subunit of acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GPI-GnT)-an enzyme involved in the synthesis of GPI anchors. A. nidulans pigP mutants have significantly decreased GPI synthesis. On solid media they show strong growth retardation (the "button" phenotype) while in liquid minimal media they show overall good growth but with hyperbranched and bulbous hyphae with impaired septation. Furthermore, the pigP st...
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Piłsyk S, Paszewski A Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Ends-in vs. ends-out targeted insertion mutagenesis in Saccharomyces castellii.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Gene replacement (knock-out) is a major tool for the analysis of gene function. However, the efficiency of correct targeting varies between species, and is dependent on the structure of the DNA construct. We analyzed the targeted insertion mutagenesis method in the budding yeast Saccharomyces castellii, phylogenetically positioned after the whole genome duplication event in the Saccharomyces lineage. We compared the targeting efficiency for target DNA constructs in the respective ends-in and ends-out form. For some of the constructs S. castellii showed a similar high degree of homologous recombination as S. cerevisiae....
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Astromskas E, Cohn M Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Loss of all plastid ndh genes in Gnetales and conifers: extent and evolutionary significance for the seed plant phylogeny.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The exact phylogenetic position of Gnetales, a small, highly modified group of gymnosperms with an accelerated rate of molecular evolution, is one of the most challenging issues for seed plant systematics. Recent results from entire plastid genome (ptDNA) sequencing revealed the absence of the entire suite of plastid ndh genes in several species of Gnetales and the pine family (Pinaceae) potentially highlighting a major structural feature linking these two groups-concerted loss of all plastid genes for the NADH dehydrogenase complex. However, the precise extent of ndh gene loss in gymnosperms has not been surveyed. Usi...
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Braukmann TW, Kuzmina M, Stefanović S Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

A frameshift mutation of the chloroplast matK coding region is associated with chlorophyll deficiency in the Cryptomeria japonica virescent mutant Wogon-Sugi.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we identified this gene by genomic sequencing of chloroplast DNA and genetic analysis. Chloroplast DNA sequencing of 16 wild-type and 16 Wogon-Sugi plants showed a 19-bp insertional sequence in the matK coding region in the Wogon-Sugi. This insertion disrupted the matK reading frame. Although an indel mutation in the ycf1 and ycf2 coding region was detected in Wogon-Sugi, sequence variations similar to that of Wogon-Sugi were also detected in several wild-type lines, and they maintained the reading frame. Genetic analysis of the 19 bp insertional mutation in the matK coding region showed that it was found on...
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Hirao T, Watanabe A, Kurita M, Kondo T, Takata K Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Transformation of an oleaginous zygomycete Mortierella alpina 1S-4 with the carboxin resistance gene conferred by mutation of the iron-sulfur subunit of succinate dehydrogenase.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The sdhB gene encoding an iron-sulfur (Ip) subunit of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH, EC 1.3.99.1) complex was cloned from Mortierella alpina 1S-4. The deduced amino acid sequence of SdhB from M. alpina 1S-4 showed high similarity to those of SdhB from other organisms. The mutated sdhB (CBXB) gene encodes a modified SdhB with an amino-acid substitution (a highly conserved histidine residue within the third cysteine-rich cluster of SdhB replaced by a leucine residue) and is known to confer carboxin resistance. We succeeded in transforming M. alpina 1S-4 by using the CBXB gene as a selectable marker gene and expressing the...
Source: Current Genetics - May 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Ando A, Sakuradani E, Horinaka K, Ogawa J, Shimizu S Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The veA gene is necessary for the negative regulation of the veA expression in Aspergillus nidulans.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The veA gene is one of the key genes in regulating sexual development of Aspergillus nidulans. During the study on the veA gene, it was observed that the veA expression level is slightly higher in a veA1 mutant than in a wild type at 37 degrees C, suggesting that the wild type veA gene is necessary for the negative regulation of the veA expression. In the veA1 mutant, the veA expression was higher than in a wild type grown at 42 degrees C but equal at 30 degrees C. Furthermore, in a veA deletion mutant having its own promoter and the N-terminus of the VeA ORF, expression of the N-terminus by the veA promoter was highly...
Source: Current Genetics - May 28, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Kim HY, Han KH, Lee M, Oh M, Kim HS, Zhixiong X, Han DM, Jahng KY, Kim JH, Chae KS Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Knockout of the DNA ligase IV homolog gene in the sphingoid base producing yeast Pichia ciferrii significantly increases gene targeting efficiency.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The yeast Pichia ciferrii produces large quantities of the sphingoid base tetraacetyl phytosphingosine (TAPS) and is an interesting platform organism for the biotechnological production of sphingolipids and ceramides. Ceramides have attracted great attention as a specialty ingredient for moisture retention and protection of the skin in the cosmetics industry. First attempts have been started to metabolically engineer P. ciferrii for improved production of TAPS and other sphingoid bases. However, rational metabolic engineering of P. ciferrii is difficult due to a low gene targeting efficiency. In eukaryotes, two major p...
Source: Current Genetics - May 25, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Schorsch C, Köhler T, Boles E Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Comprehensive and quantitative analysis of yeast deletion mutants defective in apical and isotropic bud growth.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the budding phase transition, 4,711 Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid nonessential gene deletion mutants were screened with the image processing program CalMorph, and 35 mutants with a round bud and 173 mutants with an elongated bud were statistically identified. We classified round and elongated bud mutants based on factors thought to affect the duration of the apical bud growth phase. Two round bud mutants (arc18 and sac6) were found to be defective in apical actin patch localization. Several elongated bud mutants demonstrated a delay of cell cycle progression at the apical g...
Source: Current Genetics - May 23, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Watanabe M, Watanabe D, Nogami S, Morishita S, Ohya Y Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Identification of genes that are preferentially expressed in conidiogenous cell development of Metarhizium anisopliae by suppression subtractive hybridization.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is widely used as an insect biocontrol agent. The M. anisopliae conidium plays an important role in pathogenesis and disease transmission. The aim of this study was to identify genes whose expression is up-regulated during conidiogenous cell development. This is a powerful strategy for obtaining insight into the molecular events that regulate conidiation. We isolated genes that are preferentially expressed in the developing conidiophores of the common fungal locust pathogen M. anisopliae CQMa102 using suppression subtractive hybridization. Based on the results of cDNA...
Source: Current Genetics - April 8, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Peng G, Xie L, Hu J, Xia Y Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Inter-kingdom encounters: recent advances in molecular bacterium-fungus interactions.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Interactions between bacteria and fungi are well known, but it is often underestimated how intimate and decisive such associations can be with respect to behaviour and survival of each participating organism. In this article we review recent advances in molecular bacterium-fungus interactions, combining the data of different model systems. Emphasis is given to the positive or negative consequences these interactions have on the microbe accommodating plants and animals. Intricate mechanisms of antagonism and tolerance have emerged, being as important for the biological control of plants against fungal diseases as for th...
Source: Current Genetics - April 1, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tarkka MT, Sarniguet A, Frey-Klett P Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Evaluation of the roles of Pol zeta and NHEJ in starvation-associated spontaneous mutagenesis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we compared the roles of polymerase zeta (Pol zeta) and non-homologous DNA-end joining (NHEJ) in starvation-associated spontaneous base substitutions and frameshifts, using yeast mutants carrying deletions of REV3 (encoding the catalytic subunit of Pol zeta), YKU80 (encoding a protein involved in the initiation of NHEJ), or both genes. We found that approximately 50% of starvation-associated spontaneous frameshifts and 40% of base substitutions required NHEJ to occur. The role of Pol zeta was only slightly less pronounced, with 30-40% of frameshifts and 35-45% of base substitutions being dependent on Rev3. I...
Source: Current Genetics - March 21, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Halas A, Baranowska H, Podlaska A, Sledziewska-Gojska E Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Evolution of carbonic anhydrases in fungi.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The ubiquitous metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyzes the interconversion of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. This enzyme has been investigated in mammals, plants, algae, bacteria, archaea and fungi. Based on distinct structural characteristics, CAs can be assigned to five independently evolved classes (alpha, beta, gamma, delta and zeta). beta-CAs can be further subdivided into plant-type and cab-type sub-classes. The recent characterization of CAs in fungi led us to initiate a systematic search for these enzymes in filamentous ascomycetes. The genomes of basidiomycetes and hemiascomycetous yeasts contain only...
Source: Current Genetics - March 19, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Elleuche S, Pöggeler S Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Comparative analyses among the Trichomonas vaginalis, Trichomonas tenax, and Tritrichomonas foetus 5S ribosomal RNA genes.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this report, we describe and compare the gene sequences, motifs, genomic copy number, and chromosomal localization of the Trichomonas vaginalis, Trichomonas tenax, and Tritrichomonas foetus 5S rRNA genes. T. vaginalis and T. foetus have a single type of 5S rRNA-coding region, whereas two types were found in T. tenax. The sequence identities among the three organisms are between 94 and 97%. The intergenic regions are more divergent in sequence and size with characteristic species-specific motifs. The T. foetus 5S rRNA gene has larger and more complex intergenic regions, which contain either an ubiquitin gene or repeated ...
Source: Current Genetics - March 17, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Torres-Machorro AL, Hernández R, Alderete JF, López-Villaseñor I Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

A novel polyketide biosynthesis gene cluster is involved in fruiting body morphogenesis in the filamentous fungi Sordaria macrospora and Neurospora crassa.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
During fungal fruiting body development, hyphae aggregate to form multicellular structures that protect and disperse the sexual spores. Analysis of microarray data revealed a gene cluster strongly upregulated during fruiting body development in the ascomycete Sordaria macrospora. Real time PCR analysis showed that the genes from the orthologous cluster in Neurospora crassa are also upregulated during development. The cluster encodes putative polyketide biosynthesis enzymes, including a reducing polyketide synthase. Analysis of knockout strains of a predicted dehydrogenase gene from the cluster showed that mutants in N....
Source: Current Genetics - March 11, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Nowrousian M Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Carotenoids and carotenogenic genes in Podospora anserina: engineering of the carotenoid composition extends the life span of the mycelium.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Carotenoids have been identified in the fungus Podospora anserina and a parallel pathway to neurosporene and beta-carotene was established. Three genes for the beta-carotene branch have been cloned and their function elucidated. They correspond to the al-1, al-2 and al-3 genes from Neurospora crassa. They were individually and in combinations over-expressed in P. anserina in order to modify the carotenoid composition qualitatively and quantitatively. In the resulting transformants, carotenoid synthesis was up to eightfold increased and several intermediates of the pathway together with special cyclic carotenoids, beta-...
Source: Current Genetics - March 10, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Strobel I, Breitenbach J, Scheckhuber CQ, Osiewacz HD, Sandmann G Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Genetic analysis of coenzyme A biosynthesis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: identification of a conditional mutation in the pantothenate kinase gene CAB1.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Coenzyme A (CoA) is a ubiquitous cofactor required for numerous enzymatic carbon group transfer reactions. CoA biosynthesis requires contributions from various amino acids with pantothenate as an important intermediate which can be imported from the medium or synthesized de novo. Investigating function and expression of structural genes involved in CoA biosynthesis of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we show that deletion of ECM31 and PAN6 results in mutants requiring pantothenate while loss of PAN5 (related to panE from E. coli) still allows prototrophic growth. A temperature-sensitive mutant defective for fatty ac...
Source: Current Genetics - March 6, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Olzhausen J, Schübbe S, Schüller HJ Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Genetics of antigenic variation in Plasmodium falciparum.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Malaria caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum is characterized by long-term, persistent infections that can last for many months. The ability of this parasite to avoid clearance by the human immune system is dependent on its capacity to continuously alter the surface exposed antigenic proteins that that are vulnerable to antibody recognition and attack, a process called antigenic variation. Significant work in recent years has contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this process, including the genes encoding the antigenic proteins and the DNA sequence elements that control their e...
Source: Current Genetics - February 26, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Dzikowski R, Deitsch KW Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The BEM46-like protein appears to be essential for hyphal development upon ascospore germination in Neurospora crassa and is targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The bud emergence (BEM)46 proteins are evolutionarily conserved members of the alpha/beta-hydrolase super family, but their exact role remains unknown. To better understand the cellular role of BEM46 and its homologs, we used the model organism Neurospora crassa in conjunction with bem46 RNAi, over-expression vectors, and repeat induced point mutation analyzes. We clearly demonstrated that BEM46 is required for cell type-specific hyphal growth, which indicates a role for BEM46 in maintaining polarity. Vegetative hyphae, perithecia, and ascospores developed normally, but hyphae germinating from ascospores exhibited a lo...
Source: Current Genetics - February 24, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Mercker M, Kollath-Leiß K, Allgaier S, Weiland N, Kempken F Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

The dominant Hc.Sdh (R) carboxin-resistance gene of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum as a selectable marker for transformation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In an attempt to get a marker gene suitable for genetical transformation of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum, the gene Hc.Sdh (R) that confers carboxin-resistance was isolated from a UV mutant of this fungus. It encodes a mutant allele of the Fe-S subunit of the succinate dehydrogenase gene that carries a single amino acid substitution known to confer carboxin-resistance. This gene was successfully used as the selective marker to transform, via Agrobacterium tumefaciens, monokaryotic and dikaryotic strains of H. cylindrosporum. We also successfully transformed hygromycin-resistant insertional mutants....
Source: Current Genetics - February 13, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Ngari C, Combier JP, Doré J, Marmeisse R, Gay G, Melayah D Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Spontaneous capture of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) chloroplasts by wild B. rapa: implications for the use of chloroplast transformation for biocontainment.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study we used chloroplast CAPS markers that differentiate between the two species to survey wild and weedy populations of B. rapa for the capture of B. napus chloroplasts. A total of 464 B. rapa plants belonging to 14 populations growing either in close proximity to B. napus (i.e. sympatric <5 m) or else were allopatric from the crop (>1 km) were assessed for chloroplast capture using PCR (trnL-F) and CAPS (trnT-L-Xba I) markers. The screen revealed that two sympatric B. rapa populations included 53 plants that possessed the chloroplast of B. napus. In order to discount these B. rapa plants as F(1) crop-wild ...
Source: Current Genetics - February 7, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Haider N, Allainguillaume J, Wilkinson MJ Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Suppression of a DNA polymerase delta mutation by the absence of the high mobility group protein Hmo1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The deletion of the gene encoding the high mobility group protein Hmo1 suppresses the growth retardation of the DNA pol delta mutation, pol3-14, at the restrictive temperature. pol3-14 mutant cells undergo cell cycle arrest, and hmo1Delta alleviates the arrest permitting continual division of the double mutant. Bypass of cell cycle control occurs with an increased rate of mutation. Both pol3-14 and hmo1Delta are mutators and their combination provokes a synergistic rate of CAN1 mutations. RAD18 controls branches of DNA repair pathways and its deletion also suppresses pol3 mutations. Comparing hmo1Delta and rad18Delta s...
Source: Current Genetics - January 31, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Kim H, Livingston DM Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Functional characterization of ribosomal protein L15 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study we provide general information on the little studied eukaryotic ribosomal protein rpL15. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two genes, YRPL15A and YRPL15B that could potentially code for yeast rpL15 (YrpL15). YRPL15A is essential while YRPL15B is dispensable. However, a plasmid-borne copy of the YRPL15B gene, controlled by the GAL1 promoter or by the promoter controlling expression of the YRPL15A gene, can functionally complement YrpL15A in yeast cells, while the same gene controlled by the authentic promoter is inactive. Analysis of the levels of YrpL15B-mRNA in yeast cells shows that the YRPL15B gene is inactive ...
Source: Current Genetics - January 28, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Simoff I, Moradi H, Nygård O Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Identification of the het-r vegetative incompatibility gene of Podospora anserina as a member of the fast evolving HNWD gene family.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In fungi, vegetative incompatibility is a conspecific non-self recognition mechanism that restricts formation of viable heterokaryons when incompatible alleles of specific het loci interact. In Podospora anserina, three non-allelic incompatibility systems have been genetically defined involving interactions between het-c and het-d, het-c and het-e, het-r and het-v. het-d and het-e are paralogues belonging to the HNWD gene family that encode proteins of the STAND class. HET-D and HET-E proteins comprise an N-terminal HET effector domain, a central GTP binding site and a C-terminal WD repeat domain constituted of tandem ...
Source: Current Genetics - January 10, 2009 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Chevanne D, Bastiaans E, Debets A, Saupe SJ, Clavé C, Paoletti M Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals

Identification of potential marker genes for Trichoderma harzianum strains with high antagonistic potential against Rhizoctonia solani by a rapid subtraction hybridization approach.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A rapid subtraction hybridization approach was used to isolate genes differentially expressed during mycelial contact between Trichoderma harzianum (Hypocrea lixii) and Rhizoctonia solani, and could serve as marker genes for selection of superior biocontrol strains. Putatively positive clones were evaluated by transcription analysis during mycelial contact with R. solani versus growth on glucose, and for their differential transcription between two strains with either strong or poor biocontrol capability before, at, and after contact with R. solani. Besides four clones, which had similarity to putative but as yet uncha...
Source: Current Genetics - December 31, 2008 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Scherm B, Schmoll M, Balmas V, Kubicek CP, Migheli Q Tags: Curr Genet Source Type: journals