Summary
The prn gene cluster involved in L-proline catabolism in Aspergillus nidulans, has the gene order prnA-prnD-regulatory region-prnB-prnC. prnB, prnD, and prnC specify proline permease, proline oxidase, and Δ1-pyrr0line-5-carboxylate (P5C) dehydrogenase, respectively. prnA is probably a positive regulatory gene whose product is necessary for expression of the prn activities. Proline induces proline permease and P5C dehydrogenase in prnD- mutants which lack proline oxidase, showing that proline does not have to be converted to P5C to act as inducer. Deletion mutations extending from within prnD to within prnB result in considerably reduced expression of prnC, whereas a prnD− prnB− double mutant shows normal prnC expression. This strongly suggests that the deletion mutations eliminate a promoter/initiator site for transcription of a dicistronic messenger for prnB and prnC. The fact that the deletions do not eliminate prnC expression altogether indicates that at least one other species of prnC transcript (monocistronic, tricistronic, or tetracistronic) can be made.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albrechtsen, H., Hammer-Jespersen, K., Munch-Petersen, A.: Multiple regulation of nucleoside catabolizing enzymes: Effects of a polar dra mutation on the deo enzymes. Molec. gen. Genet. 146, 139–145 (1976)
Alderson, T., Clark, A.M.: Interlocus specificity for chemical mutagens in Aspergillus nidulans. Nature (Lond.) 210., 593–595 (1966)
Alderson, T., Hartley, M.J.: Specificity for spontaneous and induced forward mutation at several gene loci in Aspergillus nidulans. Mutation Res. 8, 255–264 (1969)
Arst, H.N., Jr.: The basis for an apparent auxotrophy for reduced sulphur metabolites in sF− mutants of Aspergillus nidulans. Genet. Res. 30, 207–210 (1977)
Arst, H.N., Jr., Cove, D.J.: Nitrogen metabolite repression in Aspergillus nidulans. Molec. gen. Genet. 126, 111–141 (1973)
Arst, H.N., Jr., MacDonald, D.W.: A gene cluster in Aspergillus nidulans with an internally located cis-acting regulatory region. Nature (Lond.) 254, 26–31 (1975)
Arst, H.N., Jr., MacDonald, D.W., Jones, S.A.: The prn gene cluster in Aspergillus nidulans. Heredity 39, 434 (1977)
Beckwith, J., Grodzicker, T., Arditti, R.: Evidence for two sites in the lac promoter region. J. molec. Biol. 69, 155–160 (1972)
Buxton, R.S., Albrechtsen, H., Hammer-Jespersen, K.: Overlapping transcriptional units in the deo operon of Escherichia coli K-12. Evidence from phage Mu-1 insertion mutants. J. molec. Biol. 114, 287–300 (1977)
Chamberlin, M.J.: The selectivity of transcription. Ann. Rev. Biochem. 43, 721–775 (1974)
Clutterbuck, A.J.: Aspergillus nidulans. In: Handbook of genetics, Vol. 1, pp. 447–510 (R.C. King, ed.), New York: Plenum Press 1974
Cove, D.J.: The induction and repression of nitrate reductase in the fungus Aspergillus, nidulans. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 113, 51–56 (1966)
Dausse, J.-P., Sentenac, A., Fromageot, P.: Interaction of RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli with DNA. Selection of initiation sites on T7 DNA. Europ. J. Biochem. 26, 43–49 (1972)
Hofnung, M.: Divergent operons and the genetic structure of the maltose B region in Escherichia coli K12. Genetics 76, 169–184 (1974)
Hofnung, M., Schwartz, M., Hatfield, D.: Complementation studies in the maltose-A region of the Escherichia coli K12 genetic map. J. molec. Biol. 61, 681–694 (1971)
Hopkins, J.D.: A new class of promoter mutations in the lactose operon of Escherichia coli. J. molec. Biol. 87, 715–724 (1974)
Jørgensen, P., Collins, J., Valentin-Hansen, P.: On the structure of the deo operon of Escherichia coli. Molec. gen. Genet. 155, 93–102 (1977)
Mackintosh, M.E., Pritchard, R.H.: The production and replica plating of micro-colonies of Aspergillus nidulans. Genet. Res. 4, 320–322 (1963)
Piotrowska, M., Sawicki, M., Weglenski, P.: Mutants of the arginine-proline pathway in Aspergillus nidulans. J. gen. Microbiol. 55, 301–305 (1969)
Pontecorvo, G., Roper, J.A., Hemmons, L.M., Macdonald, K.D., Bufton, A.W.J.: The genetics of Aspergillus nidulans. Advanc. Genet. 5, 141–238 (1953)
Schleif, R., Lis, J.T.: The regulatory region of the L-arabinose operon: a physical, genetic and physiological study. J. molec. Biol. 95, 417–431 (1975)
Sheppard, D.E., Englesberg, E.: Further evidence for positive control of the L-arabinose system by gene araC.. J. molec. Biol. 25, 443–454 (1967)
Stahl, S.J., Chamberlin, M.J.: An expanded transcriptional map of T7 bacteriophage. Reading of minor T7 promoter sites in vitro by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. J. molec. Biol. 112, 577–601 (1977)
Surzycki, S.J., Surzycki, J.A., DeLorbe, W., Gussin, G.N.: In vitro transcription of Adenovirus 2 DNA. II. Quantification and localization of promoters for RNA polymerase. Molec. gen. Genet. 143, 177–184 (1976)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by W. Gajewski
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Arst, H.N., MacDonald, D.W. Reduced expression of a distal gene of the prn gene cluster in deletion mutants of Aspergillus nidulans: Genetic evidence for a dicistronic messenger in an eukaryote. Molec. Gen. Genet. 163, 17–22 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268959
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268959