ISSN:
1432-0983
Keywords:
Key words Schizophyllum commune
;
Mating type
;
Homeodomain
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract The A-pathway of development in the basidiomycete fungus Schizophyllum commune may be activated by either of two mating-type loci, Aα and Aβ. Aα consists of two multiallelic genes, Y and Z. Y contains a putative homeodomain; Z contains a homeodomain-related region. Non-self combinations of Y and Z form heteromultimers which are thought to be transcription factors of developmental genes. To more completely understand A-regulated development it is necessary to address the issue of functional redundancy, i.e., how do two different mating loci, Aα and Aβ, both manage to regulate the same pathway. Here we report the structure of a gene with Aβ6 activity. This gene, denoted AβV6, encodes a deduced polypeptide of 640 amino-acids with a homeodomain motif. V6 also contains a 20-amino acid sequence that is conserved in Aα Y1, Y3 and Y4. Except for the homeodomain and the conserved sequence, the deduced V6 polypeptide shows no significant identity to AαY, AαZ, or other known proteins. The presence of a homeodomain suggests that V, like Y and Z, may be a regulatory protein for genes in the A-pathway. Thus while Aα and Aβ encode different proteins, the general mechanism by which Aα and Aβ components signal A-regulated development may be similar.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s002940050028
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