Lessons from the genome sequence of Neurospora crassa: tracing the path from genomic blueprint to multicellular organism.
We present an analysis of over 1,100 of the approximately 10,000 predicted proteins encoded by the genome sequence of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. Seven major areas of Neurospora genomics and biology are covered. First, the basic features of the genome, including the automated assembly, gene calls, and global gene analyses are summarized. The second section covers components of the centromere and kinetochore complexes, chromatin assembly and modification, and transcription and translation initiation factors. The third area discusses genome defense mechanisms, including repeat induced point mutation, quelling and meiotic silencing, and DNA repair and recombination. In the fourth section, topics relevant to metabolism and transport include extracellular digestion; membrane transporters; aspects of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and lipid metabolism; the mitochondrion and energy metabolism; the proteasome; and protein glycosylation, secretion, and endocytosis. Environmental sensing is the focus of the fifth section with a treatment of two-component systems; GTP-binding proteins; mitogen-activated protein, p21-activated, and germinal center kinases; calcium signaling; protein phosphatases; photobiology; circadian rhythms; and heat shock and stress responses. The sixth area of analysis is growth and development; it encompasses cell wall synthesis, proteins important for hyphal polarity, cytoskeletal components, the cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase machinery, macroconidiation, meiosis, and the sexual cycle. The seventh section covers topics relevant to animal and plant pathogenesis and human disease. The results demonstrate that a large proportion of Neurospora genes do not have homologues in the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The group of unshared genes includes potential new targets for antifungals as well as loci implicated in human and plant physiology and disease.
Borkovich
Katherine A
KA
Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA. Katherine/Borkovich@ucr.edu
Alex
Lisa A
LA
Yarden
Oded
O
Freitag
Michael
M
Turner
Gloria E
GE
Read
Nick D
ND
Seiler
Stephan
S
Bell-Pedersen
Deborah
D
Paietta
John
J
Plesofsky
Nora
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Plamann
Michael
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Goodrich-Tanrikulu
Marta
M
Schulte
Ulrich
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Mannhaupt
Gertrud
G
Nargang
Frank E
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Radford
Alan
A
Selitrennikoff
Claude
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Galagan
James E
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Dunlap
Jay C
JC
Loros
Jennifer J
JJ
Catcheside
David
D
Inoue
Hirokazu
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Aramayo
Rodolfo
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Polymenis
Michael
M
Selker
Eric U
EU
Sachs
Matthew S
MS
Marzluf
George A
GA
Paulsen
Ian
I
Davis
Rowland
R
Ebbole
Daniel J
DJ
Zelter
Alex
A
Kalkman
Eric R
ER
O'Rourke
Rebecca
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Bowring
Frederick
F
Yeadon
Jane
J
Ishii
Chizu
C
Suzuki
Keiichiro
K
Sakai
Wataru
W
Pratt
Robert
R
D000818:Animals; D019295:Computational Biology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology
D005656:Fungal Proteins