title: Molecular cloning and analysis of nre, the major nitrogen regulatory gene of Penicillium chrysogenum.
abstract: We have isolated the Penicillium chrysogenum nre gene which is homologous to the major nitrogen regulatory genes areA from Aspergillus nidulans and nit-2 from Neurospora crassa. Overall, nre shows 60% identity to areA and 30% identity to nit-2 at the amino-acid level. The gene encodes a protein of 835 amino-acid residues and contains a single Cys2/Cys2-type zinc finger with an adjacent basic region and a putative acidic activation region. In the DNA-binding domain, 98% of the amino-acid residues are identical in nre, areA and nit-2. The nre gene has been shown to be functional in N. crassa by heterologous complementation of a nit-2 mutant. Growth tests indicated that transformants could utilize nitrate, amino-acids, purines and amides as sole nitrogen sources. Nitrate reductase activity assays performed with transformants demonstrated that nitrogen control was completely normal. Complementation of N. crassa nit-2 mutants with 5'-deletion clones of nre suggests the possible presence of an internal promoter within the coding region. Northern analysis and ribonuclease protection assays of total cellular RNA indicated that nre encodes a 3.2-kb transcript which is reduced in content under conditions of nitrogen repression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Redl
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stöffler
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Marzluf
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001233:Aspergillus nidulans / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009565:Nitrate Reductases / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010408:Penicillium chrysogenum / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: C094153:AREA protein, Penicillium chrysogenum; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D009565:Nitrate Reductases; D009584:Nitrogen