Cloning, sequence, and photoregulation of al-1, a carotenoid biosynthetic gene of Neurospora crassa.
Carotenoid biosynthesis is regulated by blue light during growth of Neurospora crassa mycelia. We have cloned the al-1 gene of N. crassa encoding the carotenoid-biosynthetic enzyme phytoene dehydrogenase and present an analysis of its structure and regulation. The gene encodes a 595-residue polypeptide that shows homology to two procaryotic carotenoid dehydrogenases. RNA measurements showed that the level of al-1 mRNA increased over 70-fold in photoinduced mycelia. Transcription run-on studies indicated that the al-1 gene was regulated at the level of initiation of transcription in response to photoinduction. The photoinduced increase of al-1 mRNA levels was not observed in two Neurospora mutants defective in all physiological photoresponses. Analysis of cosmid containing al-1 and of a translocation strain with a breakpoint within al-1 indicated that al-1 transcription proceeds towards the centromere of linkage group I of N. crassa.
Schmidhauser
T J
TJ
Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305-5020.
Lauter
F R
FR
Russo
V E
VE
Yanofsky
C
C
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000528:radiation effects; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008027:Light; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009491:Neurospora / Q000235:genetics*; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000235:genetics*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics*; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C022398:phytoene dehydrogenase