title: Identification of the transcription factor Znc1p, which regulates the yeast-to-hypha transition in the dimorphic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica.
abstract: The dimorphic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is used as a model to study fungal differentiation because it grows as yeast-like cells or forms hyphal cells in response to changes in environmental conditions. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a gene, ZNC1, involved in the dimorphic transition in Y. lipolytica. The ZNC1 gene encodes a 782 amino acid protein that contains a Zn(II)2C6 fungal-type zinc finger DNA-binding domain and a leucine zipper domain. ZNC1 transcription is elevated during yeast growth and decreases during the formation of mycelium. Cells in which ZNC1 has been deleted show increased hyphal cell formation. Znc1p-GFP localizes to the nucleus, but mutations within the leucine zipper domain of Znc1p, and to a lesser extent within the Zn(II)2C6 domain, result in a mislocalization of Znc1p to the cytoplasm. Microarrays comparing gene expression between znc1::URA3 and wild-type cells during both exponential growth and the induction of the yeast-to-hypha transition revealed 1,214 genes whose expression was changed by 2-fold or more under at least one of the conditions analyzed. Our results suggest that Znc1p acts as a transcription factor repressing hyphal cell formation and functions as part of a complex network regulating mycelial growth in Y. lipolytica.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Division de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: Azul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez-Vazquez
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Hernandez
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rachubinski
authors.forename: Meritxell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riquelme
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cuellar-Mata
authors.forename: Juan Carlos Torres
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Guzman
mesh_terms: D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D025301:Hyphae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D025062:Yarrowia / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors