title: Analysis of mutations in the creA gene involved in carbon catabolite repression in Aspergillus nidulans.
abstract: The molecular nature of a number of creA mutant alleles has been determined. Three alleles analysed are missense mutations in the DNA binding domain and predicted to reduce but not abolish binding. Of the other four alleles, two result from frameshifts: one has a nonsense mutilation and the other has an inversion. All four alleles result in truncations of the protein after the zinc finger domain, such that the protein no longer contains at least the carboxy terminal 145 amino acids, so identifying a region required for repression. Transcriptional analysis of creA indicates that the transcript is autoregulated and analysis using 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends indicates that transcriptional start points exist in clusters over a region of 200 bp located up to 595 bp 5' of the translational start point. The two major clusters have potential CREA-binding sites (SYGGRG) at appropriate positions to allow autoregulation. Autoregulation leads to the creA transcript being most abundant in carbon catabolite nonrepressing conditions, and this, together with the phenotypes of the mutant alleles, has led to the suggestion that CREA has effects under conditions generally not considered as carbon catabolite repressing, as well as in carbon catabolite repressing conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Shroff
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lockington
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000433:1-Propanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D000081:Acetamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001233:Aspergillus nidulans / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D003470:Culture Media; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D011392:Proline / Q000494:pharmacology; D020005:Propanols; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013489:Suppression, Genetic; D013696:Temperature; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000081:Acetamides; C079728:AreA protein, Aspergillus nidulans; D003470:Culture Media; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D020005:Propanols; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C071237:CreA protein, Aspergillus nidulans; C006463:allyl alcohol; D002244:Carbon; C030686:acetamide; D000433:1-Propanol; D011392:Proline; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase