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Expression pattern and phenotypic characterization of the mutant strain reveals target genes and processes regulated by pka1 in the dimorphic fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus

Current Genetics volume 63, pages 487–497 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

The cAMP cascade plays an important role in several biological processes. Thus, study of its molecular details can contribute to a better understanding of these processes, treatment of diseases, or even finding antifungal drug targets. To gain further information about the PKA pathway, and its evolutionarily conserved and species-specific features, the central regulator pka1 gene, which encodes the cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit, was studied in the less known haplontic, dimorphic fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus. Namely, this species belongs to a highly divergent phylogenetic branch of fungi. Furthermore, S. japonicus had only a single copy pka1 gene in contrast to the budding yeasts. Therefore, the pka1 deleted mutant was created, whose RNA sequencing and phenotypic studies revealed that the Pka1 regulated at least 373 genes, among them further kinases, phosphatases and transcriptional regulators. It regulated elongation of hyphae, cell size, aging and stress response. Furthermore, half of the pka1 target genes seemed to be conserved in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and S. japonicus. However, there were oppositely regulated genes in the two closely related species. The target genes suggest that this single gene must be able to fulfill all the functions of TPK1-3 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Thus, our results shed light on certain similarities and differences of the PKA pathway of S. japonicus compared to the budding yeasts and confirmed the multifunctionality of the pka1 gene, but further experiments are needed to prove its involvement in the metabolic processes and transport.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Hungarian National Research Fund (OTKA K106172) and European Union, co-financed by the European Social Fund (SROP-4.2.2.B-15/1/KONV-2015-0001). We thank Ilona Lakatos for technical assistance.

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  1. Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary

    László Papp, Matthias Sipiczki & Ida Miklós

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  1. László Papp
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  2. Matthias Sipiczki
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  3. Ida Miklós
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Correspondence to Ida Miklós.

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Communicated by M. Kupiec.

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294_2016_651_MOESM1_ESM.xlsx

Table S1 Data of RNA sequencing. Genes and ORFs which were up- or downregulated greater than twofold in the pka1∆ cells compared to the wild-type strain. (XLSX 124 kb)

Table S2 Comparison of genes regulated by Pka1 in S. japonicus and S. pombe. (DOCX 35 kb)

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Papp, L., Sipiczki, M. & Miklós, I. Expression pattern and phenotypic characterization of the mutant strain reveals target genes and processes regulated by pka1 in the dimorphic fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus . Curr Genet 63, 487–497 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-016-0651-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-016-0651-x

Keywords

  • pka1
  • cAMP cascade
  • Protein kinase
  • RNA sequencing
  • Dimorphism
  • Schizosaccharomyces japonicus