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Promoter analysis of the avirulence gene Avr9 of the fungal tomato pathogen Cladosporium fulvum in the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans

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Abstract.

The promoter of avirulence gene Avr9 of the fungal tomato pathogen Cladosporium fulvum contains 12 sequences within a region of 0.6 kb that are reminiscent of the binding sequences of the GATA-type regulator involved in nitrogen utilisation of the filamentous fungi Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa. Mutational analysis of this 0.6-kb promoter region, fused to the β-glucuronidase reporter gene, revealed that two regions, each containing two TAGATA boxes in inverted orientation and overlapping by two base pairs, are important for induction of Avr9 promoter activity in A. nidulans. Each overlapping TAGATA box differentially affected Avr9 promoter activity when shifted apart by nucleotide insertions. The other regions, which do not contain two overlapping TAGATA boxes have no, or only a limited, contribution to the inducibility of promoter activity.

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Acknowledgements.

S.S.S. was supported by the Dutch Earth and Life Science Foundation (ALW project number 805.45.006), which is subsidised by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). A.P.-G. was supported by the EC-TMR program (ERBFMBICT 961539).

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Correspondence to Pierre J. G. M. De Wit.

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Communicated by U. Kück

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Snoeijers, S.S., Pérez-García, A., Goosen, T. et al. Promoter analysis of the avirulence gene Avr9 of the fungal tomato pathogen Cladosporium fulvum in the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans . Curr Genet 43, 96–102 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-003-0374-7

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