The zygomycetous fungus, Benjaminiella poitrasii contains a large family of differentially regulated chitin synthase genes.
Benjaminiella poitrasii is a zygomycetous, non-pathogenic dimorphic fungus. Chitin synthases are the membrane bound enzymes involved in the synthesis of chitin and are key enzymes in the cell wall metabolism. Multiplicity of these enzymes is a common occurrence. Here, we identify eight distinct CHS genes in B. poitrasii as confirmed through DNA sequence and Southern analysis. These genes are related to other fungal CHS genes. BpCHS1-4 are class I-III chitin synthases while BpCHS5-8 are class IV-V chitin synthases. These eight genes are differentially expressed during morphogenesis and under different growth conditions. Two of these genes viz. BpCHS2 and BpCHS3 appear to be specific to the mycelial growth form. These are the first B. poitrasii sequences to be reported. Based on CHS gene sequences, B. poitrasii chitin synthase genes place it with other zygomycetes on a fungal phylogenetic tree.
Biochemical Sciences Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.
Manisha V
MV
Chitnis
Carol A
CA
Munro
Alistair J P
AJ
Brown
Graham W
GW
Gooday
Neil A R
NA
Gow
Mukund V
MV
Deshpande
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002687:Chitin Synthase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005658:Fungi / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D007527:Isoenzymes; D002687:Chitin Synthase