Aspergillus nidulans yA gene is regulated by abaA

• Published in: The EMBO journal Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. 2039 - 2048
• Main Authors: Aramayo, R, Timberlake, W.E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group 01.05.1993
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Aspergillus nidulans; Aspergillus nidulans - genetics; Aspergillus niger; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Biological and medical sciences; Catechol Oxidase - genetics; cis-acting regulatory elements; deletions; DNA Mutational Analysis; DNA, Fungal - metabolism; DNA-binding proteins; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Genes, Fungal; Genes, Regulator; genetic regulation; laccase; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; mutagenesis; Nuclear Proteins; nucleotide sequences; p-diphenol oxidase; promoter regions; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Sequence Deletion; structural genes; TEA Domain Transcription Factors; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transcription. Transcription factor. Splicing. Rna processing; Fungi; Regulation(control); Gene interaction; Transcription; Enzyme; Aspergillus nidulans; Development; Regulatory sequence; Fungi Imperfecti; Structure function relationship; Thallophyta; Laccase
• ISSN: 0261-4189; 1460-2075
• DOI: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb05853.x

The developmentally regulated Aspergillus nidulans yA gene encodes a p-diphenol oxidase that is needed for synthesis of green conidial pigment. We subjected the yA 5' flanking region to mutational analysis in A. nidulans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify DNA sequence elements involved in its transcriptional control, and identified two functionally distinct elements. Element I contained potential BrlA binding sites and was required for full level yA transcription, but not for developmental regulation in the presence of element II. Element II contained putative TEF-1 binding sites flanking a CCAAT element and was sufficient for developmental regulation of transcription. Mutation of the TEF-1 binding sites eliminated developmental regulation, whereas mutation of the CCAAT element led to elevated levels of transcription. Element II was also sufficient to induce transcription in S. cerevisiae when the A. nidulans developmental regulatory gene abaA was expressed from the GAL1 promoter. As AbaA and TEF-1 possess similar DNA binding domains, the abaA-yA interaction in yeast is probably direct. Thus, abaA appears to be a direct activator of yA, but yA regulation may also involve interactions with BrlA and a member of the CCAAT class of DNA binding proteins.