title: Molecular analysis of the laccase gene from the chestnut blight fungus and selective suppression of its expression in an isogenic hypovirulent strain.
abstract: The gene encoding laccase in the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, has been cloned and characterized. The predicted C. parasitica laccase amino acid sequence (591 aa) was 57% identical to the Neurospora crassa laccase sequence and contained four potential copper-binding regions that are conserved in a number of copper-binding proteins. Treatment of a virulent C. parasitica strain with 3 microM cycloheximide resulted in a marked increase in laccase mRNA accumulation, whereas identical treatment of an isogenic strain that contained a hypovirulence-associated virus failed to significantly increase laccase mRNA levels. In contrast, the accumulation of mRNAs encoding beta-tubulin, actin, or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was not appreciably altered by either the presence of a hypovirulence-associated virus or treatment with cycloheximide. These results provide evidence that the expression of a specific fungal gene encoding a known protein product is selectively modulated by a hypovirulence-associated virus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Oncology and Virology, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, NJ 07110.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Nuss
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D042845:Laccase; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000235:genetics; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics*; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D018406:Virus Physiological Phenomena
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012367:RNA, Viral; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D042845:Laccase