Functional characterization of a new member of the Cdk9 family in Aspergillus nidulans
| Autor: | Elke Wohlmann, Sabrina Hettinger, Reinhard Fischer, Claudia Kempf, Aysha H. Osmani, Friederike Bathe, Stephen A. Osmani |
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| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
Genetics
Fungal protein biology Kinase Cyclin T Eukaryotic transcription Molecular Sequence Data Morphogenesis General Medicine Articles biology.organism_classification Microbiology Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 9 Aspergillus nidulans Fungal Proteins Multigene Family Gene expression Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 Amino Acid Sequence Molecular Biology Sequence Alignment Cyclin |
| Zdroj: | Eukaryotic cell. 9(12) |
| ISSN: | 1535-9786 |
| Popis: | Cdk9-like kinases in complex with T-type cyclins are essential components of the eukaryotic transcription elongation machinery. The full spectrum of Cdk9/cyclin T targets, as well as the specific consequences of phosphorylations, is still largely undefined. We identify and characterize here a Cdk9 kinase (PtkA) in the filamentous ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans . Deletion of ptkA had a lethal effect in later stages of vegetative growth and completely impeded asexual development. Overexpression of ptkA affected directionality of polarized growth and the initiation of new branching sites. A green fluorescent protein-tagged PtkA version localized inside the nucleus during interphase, supporting a role of PtkA in transcription elongation, as observed in other organisms. We also identified a putative cyclin T homolog, PchA, in the A. nidulans genome and confirmed its interaction with PtkA in vivo . Surprisingly, the Pcl-like cyclin PclA, previously described to be involved in asexual development, was also found to interact with PtkA, indicating a possible role of PtkA in linking transcriptional activity with development and/or morphogenesis in A. nidulans . This is the first report of a Cdk9 kinase interacting with a Pcl-like cyclin, revealing interesting new aspects about the involvement of this Cdk-subfamily in differential gene expression. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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