SummaryThe ro mutants of Neurospora crassa are defective in nuclear migration and hyphal morphogenesis. Several of the ro loci have recently been shown to encode components of the dynein/dynactin motor complex. Here we report on the cloning and characterization of the ro-2 gene which codes for a novel 80 kDa protein that has two Cys-rich motifs which resemble zinc-binding LIM or RING domains thought to mediate protein-protein interactions. RO2 also contains several potential binding sites for Src homology 3 (SH3) domains. The ro-2 B20 allele has a frameshift mutation within one of the Cys-rich domains which eliminates the C-terminal half of the open reading frame (ORF). Disruption of the ro-2 locus by repeat-induced point (RIP) mutation gave rise to progeny which have a nuclear migration defect, but which are also blocked in conidiation. The ability to assemble cytoplasmic microtubules and actin is maintained in ro-2 mutants, although subapical actin patches are more prominent. Based on these observations, the RO2 gene product is proposed to play a role in mediating interactions between components of the dynein/dynactin motor complex or in linking this complex to the nucleus or cytoskeleton.

The Neurospora crassa homologue of the yeast no message in thiamine ( nmt-1) gene was characterized. The deduced 342-amino-acid gene product has more than 60% identity with other fungal homologues and 42% similarity to a putative bacterial permease. In addition to three introns disrupting the coding sequence, a differentially spliced intron in the 5' untranslated region was also detected. Unlike other fungi, the N. crassa nmt-1 gene is repressed only 6- to 8-fold by exogenous thiamine concentrations above 0.5 microM; and a high basal level of nmt-1 mRNA persists even at 5 microM thiamine. Immuno-blotting with purified antibodies detected two variants of NMT-1 which differ in size and charge. The more abundant 39-kDa form is more strongly repressed by thiamine than the 37-kDa protein. NMT-1 abundance modulates slowly in response to changes in the concentration of exogenous thiamine, suggesting that N. crassa maintains thiamine reserves in excess of immediate needs. Disruption of the nmt-1 gene demonstrated that it is essential for growth in the absence of exogenous thiamine. NMT-1-deficient strains had a growth rate and colony density which was about 70% of the wild type, despite supplementation with a wide range of exogenous thiamine. These results suggest that the nmt-1 gene plays some other role in addition to thiamine biosynthesis.

Transfer of Neurospora crassa mycelium from a 1% (w/v) sucrose medium to carbon-free or 1% (w/v) glutamate medium results in the onset of derepression of the catabolic NAD-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD-GDH), within 30 min of the shift. Immunoprecipitation of in vivo pulse-labelled NAD-GDH demonstrated that this enzyme was synthesized de novo, correlating with increasing enzyme activity in shifted cells. Derepression was shown to be under transcriptional control by using the RNA synthesis inhibitor, picolinic acid, and by immunoprecipitation of the in vitro translation products of poly(A)-containing mRNA from repressed and derepressed cells. A brief (5 min) shift to derepression medium followed by a return to 1% (w/v) sucrose medium was sufficient to trigger synthesis of abundant NAD-GDH transcripts and low levels of the active enzyme. A secondary level of translational control is proposed to account for the discrepancy between the detectable levels of NAD-GDH transcripts and protein, following transient derepression.

The nucleotide sequence of kalilo, a linear plasmid that induces senescence in Neurospora by integrating into the mitochondrial chromosome, reveals structural and genetic features germane to the unique properties of this element. Prominent features include: (1) very long perfect terminal inverted repeats of nucleotide sequences which are devoid of obvious genetic functions, but are unusually GC-rich near both ends of the linear DNA; (2) small imperfect palindromes that are situated at the termini of the plasmid and are cognate with the active sites for plasmid integration into mtDNA; (3) two large, non-overlapping open-reading frames, ORF-1 and ORF-2, which are located on opposite strands of the plasmid and potentially encode RNA and DNA polymerases, respectively, and (4) a set of imperfect palindromes that coincide with similar structures that have been detected at more or less identical locations in the nucleotide sequences of other linear mitochondrial plasmids. The nucleotide sequence does not reveal a distinct gene that codes for the protein that is attached to the ends of the plasmid. However, a 335-amino acid, cryptic, N-terminal domain of the putative DNA polymerase might function as the terminal protein. Although the plasmid has been co-purified with nuclei and mitochondria, its nucleotide composition and codon usage indicate that it is a mitochondrial genetic element.

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