Abstract
In order to understand the basis upon which amanitin-accumulating species of Amanita are able to develope in the presence of these specific inhibitors of RNA synthesis, the in vitro RNA synthesizing activities of nuclei isolated from amanitin-accumulating species Amanita hygroscopica (culture, derived from amanitin-accumulating carpophore) and A. suballiacea (carpophore), and from the non-accumulating species A. solitaria (culture) and A. brunnescens (carpophore) were tested for their sensitivities to α-amanitin inhibition. The nuclear RNA synthesizing activities obtained from both carpophores and cultures of non-accumulating organisms displayed significant sensitivities to α-amanitin, whereas those obtained from accumulating organisms displayed remarkable resistance to α-amanitin. The observed relationship between levels of amanitins in carpophores and resistance of the RNA synthesizing activities to inhibition by α-amanitin supports the hypothesis that amanitins may function as regulators of mRNA transcription in Amanita species.
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Johnson, B.C., Preston, J.F. Unique amanitin resistance of RNA synthesis in isolated nuclei from Amanita species accumulating amanitins. Arch. Microbiol. 122, 161–167 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00411355
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00411355