Quantitative analysis of gene expression in sexual structures of Aspergillus nidulans by sequencing of 3′-directed cDNA clones

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 138; no. 1; pp. 71 - 76
• Main Authors: Whan Lee, Dong, Hwan Lee, Seung, Hwang, Hyun-A., Hwa Kim, Jong, Chae, Keon-sang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.1996; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: 3′‐Directed cDNA library; Aspergillus nidulans; Cleistothecia; Cloning; DNA probes; Expressed sequence tags; Gene expression; Gene sequencing; Genes; Microbiology; Mycelia; Probes; Quantitative analysis; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Sexual structures; Sexual structures; 3′-Directed cDNA library; Expressed sequence tags
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1996.tb08137.x

Abstract We constructed a 3′-directed cDNA library of cleistothecia and Hülle cells of Aspergillus nidulans to examine gene expression patterns of the sexual structures and to have probes necessary to isolate sexual structure-specific genes. Sequencing of 360 randomly selected cDNA clones yielded 272 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), most of which probably represent frequently or less expressed genes in sexual structures of A. nidulans. Among the 272 ESTs, 33 ESTs (87 cDNA clones) appeared more than once and 2 ESTs appeared 6 times; 9 ESTs matched GenBank entries. When compared with sequences obtained from a mycelial 3′-directed cDNA library of A. nidulans, 28 out of 33 ESTs seem to be sexual structure-specific. Northern blot analyses of 20 ESTs showed that 17 are sexual structure-specific. The remaining three ESTs also hybridized with RNA isolated from vegetative mycelia. These results suggest that analyses of ESTs from different cell types or tissues can readily demonstrate gene expression patterns of specific cell types and identify cell type-specific cDNA probes.