We have cloned and sequenced a polyubiquitin gene from Neurospora crassa that is organized in a four repeat-tandem array. The first repeat contains a small intron and the last is fused to an extra glutamine codon. In Northern blots, two RNA species of 1.3 kb and 0.7 kb hybridize to the isolated clone. The larger ubiquitin (UBI) transcript accumulates after partial inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide, and the smaller one preferentially accumulates in conidia after germination. Unexpectedly, constitutive expression of UBI transcripts in exponentially grown mycelia is not altered by heat-shock or exposure to arsenite.
An endogenous thermostable activator of Protein kinase III (PKIII) was purified from 100,000 X g supernatants of Neurospora crassa mycelial extracts. This 38,000 dalton polypeptide, clearly separable from calmodulin on P-60 gel filtration, specifically stimulated N. crassa PKIII activity on casein or phosvitin "in vitro" phosphorylation. The factor was only present in the initial growth phase of the fungus. The mechanism of PKIII activation and its possible regulatory role are discussed.
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