Characterization of al-2, the phytoene synthase gene of Neurospora crassa: Cloning, sequence analysis, and photoregulation

T. J. Schmidhauser, F. R. Lauter, M. Schumacher, W. Zhou, V. E.A. Russo, C. Yanofsky

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

105 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have cloned the al-2 gene of Neurospora crassa and have analyzed its structure and regulation. The gene encodes a 603-residue polypeptide with a segment homologous to prokaryotic and other eukaryotic phytoene syntheses. RNA measurements showed that the level of al-2 mRNA increased over 30-fold in photoinduced mycelia compared with dark-grown mycelia. This observation is consistent with the fact that carotenoid biosynthesis is induced by blue light during growth of N. crassa mycelia. The photoinduced increase in al-2 mRNA levels was not observed in two Neurospora mutants, wc-1 and wc-2, that are defective in all physiological photoresponses.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)12060-12066
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume269
Issue number16
StatePublished - Apr 22 1994

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Characterization of al-2, the phytoene synthase gene of Neurospora crassa: Cloning, sequence analysis, and photoregulation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this