The Podospora rmp1 gene implicated in nucleus-mitochondria cross-talk encodes an essential protein whose subcellular location is developmentally regulated.
It has been previously reported that, at the time of death, the Podospora anserina AS1-4 mutant strains accumulate specific deleted forms of the mitochondrial genome and that their life spans depend on two natural alleles (variants) of the rmp1 gene: AS1-4 rmp1-2 strains exhibit life spans strikingly longer than those of AS1-4 rmp1-1. Here, we show that rmp1 is an essential gene. In silico analyses of eight rmp1 natural alleles present in Podospora isolates and of the putative homologs of this orphan gene in other filamentous fungi suggest that rmp1 evolves rapidly. The RMP1 protein is localized in the mitochondrial and/or the cytosolic compartment, depending on cell type and developmental stage. Strains producing RMP1 without its mitochondrial targeting peptide are viable but exhibit vegetative and sexual defects.
Contamine
Véronique
V
Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, UMR 8621, Orsay, France.
Zickler
Denise
D
Picard
Marguerite
M
D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D020037:Sordariales / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins