title: Molecular cloning and characterization of a glucan synthase gene from the human pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.
abstract: 1,3-beta-D-glucan is a fungal cell wall polymer synthesized by the multi-subunit enzyme 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase. A subunit of this integral membrane protein was first described as the product of the FKS1 gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae using echinocandin mutants. Other FKS1 genes were also reported for Candida albicans, Aspergillus nidulans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Here, we report the nucleotide sequence of the first homologous FKS gene cloned from the pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. An open reading frame of 5942 bp was identified in the complete sequence, interrupted by two putative introns, the first close to the 5' end and the second close to the 3' end of the gene. A promoter region is also described containing consensus sequences such as canonical TATA and CAAT boxes and, possibly, multiple sites for glucose regulation by creA protein. The deduced sequence of 1926 amino acid show more than 85% similarity to FksAp from A. nidulans, and 71% to Fks1p and Fks2p from S. cerevisiae. Computational analysis of P. brasiliensis Fks1p suggests a similar structure to transmembrane proteins, such as FksAp, with the presence of two domains composed by hydrophobic helices that limit the putative highly hydrophilic catalytic domain within the cytoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil, 74001-970. mariscel@unb.br
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Felipe
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Brígido
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Azevedo
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D054714:Echinocandins; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D010229:Paracoccidioidomycosis / Q000382:microbiology; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D054714:Echinocandins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C020570:1,3-beta-glucan synthase; C091618:FKS1 protein, S cerevisiae