title: GRISEA, a putative copper-activated transcription factor from Podospora anserina involved in differentiation and senescence.
abstract: Podospora anserina is a filamentous fungus with a limited lifespan. Lifespan is controlled by both environmental and genetic factors. Using a combination of genetic and molecular approaches we have cloned one of these factors, gerontogene grisea. The cloned wild-type copy of grisea complements the altered morphological characteristics (e.g., colony and ascospore color), the defect in gametangia development, and the increased lifespan of the pleiotropic mutant grisea. A molecular analysis revealed that grisea is a discontinuous gene with a single intron. The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant homology to MAC1, ACE1 and AMT1, indicating that GRISEA, like the proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (MAC1 and ACE1) and Candida glabrata (AMT1), codes for a copper-activated transcription factor. This conclusion is consistent with the pleiotropic nature of the grisea phenotype. We suggest that the gerontoprotein GRISEA is one component of a transcription apparatus involved in the genetic control of morphogenesis and aging.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Molekularbiologie der Alterungsprozesse, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Osiewacz
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nuber
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D015825:Chromosomes, Fungal; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003300:Copper / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; C101526:GRISEA protein, Podospora anserina; D014157:Transcription Factors; D003300:Copper