title: Sexual mating of Botrytis cinerea illustrates PRP8 intein HEG activity.
abstract: Strains of Botrytis cinerea are polymorphic for the presence of an intein in the Prp8 gene (intein +/-). The intein encodes a homing endonuclease (HEG). During meiosis in an intein +/- heterozygote, the homing endonuclease initiates intein 'homing' by inducing gene conversion. In such meioses, the homing endonuclease triggers gene conversion of the intein together with its flanking sequences into the empty allele. The efficiency of gene conversion of the intein was found to be 100%. The extent of flanking sequence affected by the gene conversion varied in different meioses. A survey of the inteins and flanking sequences of a group B. cinerea isolates indicates that there are two distinct variants of the intein both of which have active HEGs. The survey also suggests that the intein has been actively homing during the evolution of the species and that the PRP8 intein may have entered the species by horizontal transfer.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, 710 Cumberland Street, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. annika.bokor@stonebow.otago.ac.nz <annika.bokor@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
authors.forename: Annika A M
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Bokor
authors.forename: Jan A L
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: van Kan
authors.forename: Russell T M
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Poulter
mesh_terms: D020171:Botrytis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005785:Gene Conversion; D047668:Inteins; D008540:Meiosis
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D004720:Endonucleases