Abstract.
A new clock mutant (rhy-2) was isolated by DNA insertion mutagenesis using a plasmid that contains a region located upstream of the cmd gene in the genome of Neurospora crassa. This mutant is arrhythmic with regard to conidiation in continuous darkness but rhythmic under a light-dark cycle. After plasmid rescue from genomic DNA of the rhy-2 strain, the insertion was localized to the gene white collar-1 (wc-1). Plasmid DNA was inserted 3′ to the sequence encoding the polyglutamine region of the WC-1 gene product, and an mRNA encoding a truncated WC-1 protein must be synthesized under the control of the cmd promoter. The new wc-1 mutant, rhy-2, is still sensitive to light, although only weakly. Since the circadian rhythm of conidiation in continuous darkness is eliminated in the mutant, the polyglutamine region in WC-1 may be essential for both clock function and light-induced carotenogenesis in Neurospora.
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Toyota, K., Onai, K. & Nakashima, H. A new wc-1 mutant of Neurospora crassa shows unique light sensitivity in the circadian conidiation rhythm. Mol Gen Genomics 268, 56–61 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-002-0722-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-002-0722-1