title: Chitin synthase-encoding gene(s) of the Zygomycete fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus.
abstract: Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers to two highly conserved sequences within fungal chitin synthase (CHS)-encoding genes, an approximately 750-bp DNA fragment was amplified from genomic DNA of Phycomyces blakesleeanus. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of this fragment best matches the motifs found in class-II CHS. The fragment includes an approximately 160-bp region that likely is an intron. Southern hybridization of restriction enzyme-digested genomic DNA, using the PCR-amplified DNA as the probe, suggests that P. blakesleeanus contains additional CHS-encoding genes (CHS). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the detection of a CHS gene in a Zygomycete fungus. These studies represent a major step toward exploring the molecular mechanisms of CHS regulation in Phycomyces. The prospects are exciting, since CHS is implicated to play a central role in the sensory responses of P. blakesleeanus involving growth modulations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetic Ecology, Tohoko University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Momany
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Szaniszlo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jayaram
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ootaki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002687:Chitin Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010800:Phycomyces / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D002687:Chitin Synthase