The Aspergillus nidulans creC gene involved in carbon catabolite repression encodes a WD40 repeat protein

Abstract

Expression of many microbial genes required for the utilisation of less favoured carbon sources is carbon catabolite repressed in the presence of a preferred carbon source such as D-glucose. In Aspergillus nidulans, creC mutants show derepression in the presence of D-glucose of some, but not all, systems normally subject to carbon catabolite repression. These mutants also fail to grow on some carbon sources, and show minor morphological impairment and altered sensitivity to toxic compounds including molybdate and acriflavin. The pleiotropic nature of the phenotype suggests a role for the creC gene product in the carbon regulatory cascade. The creC gene was cloned and found to encode a protein which contains five WD40 motifs. The sequence changes in three mutant alleles were found to lead to production of truncated proteins which lack one or more of the WD40 repeats. The similarity of the phenotypes conferred by these alleles implies that these alleles represent loss of function alleles. Deletion analysis also showed that at least the most C-terminal WD40 motif is required for function. The CreC protein is highly conserved relative to the Schizosaccharomyces pombe protein Yde3 – whose function is unknown – and human and mouse DMR-N9, which may be associated with myotonic dystrophy.