Neurospora crassa fmf-1 encodes the homologue of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Ste11p regulator of sexual development.
The Neurospora crassa fmf-1 mutation exerts an unusual 'perithecium-dominant' developmental arrest; fmf-1 x fmf-1+ cross becomes arrested in perithecial development regardless of whether the mutant participates in the cross as the male or female parent. We localized fmf-1 to the LG IL genome segment between the centromere-proximal breakpoint of the chromosome segment duplication Dp(IL)39311 and the centromere. By mapping crossovers with respect to RFLP markers in this region we further localized fmf-1 to an approximately 34-kb-genome segment. Partial sequencing of this segment revealed a point mutation in the gene NCU 09387.1, a homologue of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe ste11+ regulator of sexual development. The fmf-1 mutation did not complement a NCU 09387.1 deletion mutation, and transformation with wild-type NCU 09387.1 complemented fmf-1. S. pombe Ste11 protein (Ste11p) is a transcription factor required for sexual differentiation and for the expression of genes required for mating pheromone signalling in matP and matM cells. If FMF-1 also plays a corresponding role in mating pheromone signalling in Neurospora, then protoperithecia in an fmf-1 x fmf-1+ cross would be unable to either send or receive sexual differentiation signals and thus become arrested in development.
Iyer
Srividhya V
SV
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India.
Ramakrishnan
Mukund
M
Kasbekar
Durgadas P
DP
D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009154:Mutation; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000235:genetics*; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D005656:Fungal Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C071596:ste11 protein, S pombe