title: Actin in the oomycetous fungus Phytophthora infestans is the product of several genes.
abstract: Actin (ACT) in Phytophthora infestans is encoded by at least two genes, in contrast to unicellular and other filamentous fungi where there is a single gene. These genes (designated actA and actB) have been isolated from a genomic library of P. infestans. The complete nucleotide sequence of both genes has been determined. Unlike the actin-encoding genes (act) of other filamentous fungi, no introns are obvious in the coding region, a feature shared with the act genes of certain protists. Northern blotting and primer extension studies of the mRNA show that actA and actB are actively transcribed in mycelium, sporangia and germinating cysts but only at a low level in the case of actB. Both genes display bias in their codon usage. This is more extreme in actA. The deduced ACTB protein is strikingly similar to that of the Phytophthora megasperma actin and is more diverged from other actins than ACTA.
authors.affiliation: Plant Molecular Genetics Unit, University of St. Andrews, Fife, U.K.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Unkles
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kinghorn
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D015698:Genomic Library; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010838:Phytophthora / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D003062:Codon; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger