title: Deletion of the Schizophyllum commune A alpha locus: the roles of A alpha Y and Z mating-type genes.
abstract: The A alpha locus is one of four master regulatory loci that determine mating type and regulate sexual development in Schizophyllum commune. We have made a plasmid containing a URA1 gene disruption of the A alpha Y1 gene. Y1 is the sole A alpha gene in A alpha 1 strains. We used the plasmid construction to produce an A alpha null (i.e., A alpha delta) strain by replacing the genomic Y1 gene with URA1 in an A alpha 1 strain. To characterize the role of the A alpha genes in the regulation of sexual development, we transformed various A alpha Y and Z alleles into A alpha delta strains and examined the acquired mating types and mating abilities of the transformants. These experiments demonstrate that the A alpha Y gene is not essential for fungal viability and growth, that a solitary Z A alpha mating-type gene does not itself activate development, that A beta proteins are sufficient to activate the A developmental pathway in the absence of A alpha proteins and confirm that Y and Z genes are the sole determinants of A alpha mating type. The data from these experiments support and refine our model of the regulation of A-pathway events by Y and Z proteins.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405, USA.
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bartholomew
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ullrich
mesh_terms: D017353:Gene Deletion; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012567:Schizophyllum / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C075905:homeodomain protein, Schizophyllum commune