title: Analysis of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway cloning, molecular characterization and phylogeny of lanosterol 14 α-demethylase (ERG11) gene of Moniliophthora perniciosa.
abstract: The phytopathogenic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime & Philips-Mora, causal agent of witches' broom disease of cocoa, causes countless damage to cocoa production in Brazil. Molecular studies have attempted to identify genes that play important roles in fungal survival and virulence. In this study, sequences deposited in the M. perniciosa Genome Sequencing Project database were analyzed to identify potential biological targets. For the first time, the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway in M. perniciosa was studied and the lanosterol 14α-demethylase gene (ERG11) that encodes the main enzyme of this pathway and is a target for fungicides was cloned, characterized molecularly and its phylogeny analyzed. ERG11 genomic DNA and cDNA were characterized and sequence analysis of the ERG11 protein identified highly conserved domains typical of this enzyme, such as SRS1, SRS4, EXXR and the heme-binding region (HBR). Comparison of the protein sequences and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the M. perniciosa enzyme was most closely related to that of Coprinopsis cinerea.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Microbiologia , Departamento de Ciências Biológicas , Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana , Feira de Santana, BA , Brazil . ; Laboratório de Biologia Molecular , Instituto de Biologia , Departamento de Biologia Geral , Universidade Federal da Bahia , Salvador, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Geruza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Ceita
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências Biológicas , Departamento de Biologia Geral , Universidade Estadual de Londrina , Londrina, PR , Brazil .
authors.forename: Laurival Antônio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Vilas-Boas
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioinformática e Modelagem Molecular , Departamento do Medicamento , Faculdade de Farmácia , Universidade Federal da Bahia , Salvador, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Marcelo Santos
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Castilho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Genômica e Proteômica , Departamento de Genética e Evolução , Universidade Estadual de Campinas , Campinas, SP , Brazil .
authors.forename: Marcelo Falsarella
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Carazzolle
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética , Departamento de Ciências Biológicas , Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz , Ilhéus, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Carlos Priminho
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Pirovani
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular , Instituto de Biologia , Departamento de Biologia Geral , Universidade Federal da Bahia , Salvador, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Selbach-Schnadelbach
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Fitopatologia Molecular , Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau , Ilhéus, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Karina Peres
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Gramacho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular , Instituto de Biologia , Departamento de Biologia Geral , Universidade Federal da Bahia , Salvador, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Pablo Ivan Pereira
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular , Instituto de Biologia , Departamento de Biologia Geral , Universidade Federal da Bahia , Salvador, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Luciana Veiga
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Genômica e Proteômica , Departamento de Genética e Evolução , Universidade Estadual de Campinas , Campinas, SP , Brazil .
authors.forename: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Microbiologia , Departamento de Ciências Biológicas , Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana , Feira de Santana, BA , Brazil .
authors.forename: Aristóteles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Góes-Neto
keywords: Basidiomycota; Theobroma cacao; ergosterol; fungus