Biomaterial Database

Molecular cloning and characterization of alc the gene encoding allantoicase of Neurospora crassa. 1990

H Lee, and Y H Fu, and G A Marzluf

Department of Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.

Purines can be utilized as a secondary nitrogen source by Neurospora crassa during conditions of nitrogen limitation. The expression of purine catabolic enzymes is governed by the nitrogen regulatory circuit and requires induction by uric acid. The major positive-acting nitrogen regulatory gene, nit-2, turns on the expression of the purine catabolic enzymes, which may also be subject to negative regulation by a second control gene, nmr. We have cloned alc, the structural gene which encodes allantoicase, an inducible enzyme of the purine degradative pathway. The identity of the alc clone was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and by repeat-induced mutation. The alc gene is transcribed to give a single messenger RNA, approximately 1.2 kb in length. The negative-acting nmr gene affects the expression of alc in the expected manner. Both the nit-2 and the nmr control genes affect alc mRNA levels and allantoicase enzyme activity in both the induced and nitrogen-repressed conditions.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009154	Mutation	Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations.	Mutations
D009492	Neurospora crassa	A species of ascomycetous fungi of the family Sordariaceae, order SORDARIALES, much used in biochemical, genetic, and physiologic studies.	Chrysonilia crassa
D009584	Nitrogen	An element with the atomic symbol N, atomic number 7, and atomic weight [14.00643; 14.00728]. Nitrogen exists as a diatomic gas and makes up about 78% of the earth's atmosphere by volume. It is a constituent of proteins and nucleic acids and found in all living cells.
D012150	Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length	Variation occurring within a species in the presence or length of DNA fragment generated by a specific endonuclease at a specific site in the genome. Such variations are generated by mutations that create or abolish recognition sites for these enzymes or change the length of the fragment.	RFLP,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism,RFLPs,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms
D003001	Cloning, Molecular	The insertion of recombinant DNA molecules from prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic sources into a replicating vehicle, such as a plasmid or virus vector, and the introduction of the resultant hybrid molecules into recipient cells without altering the viability of those cells.	Molecular Cloning
D005800	Genes, Fungal	The functional hereditary units of FUNGI.	Fungal Genes,Fungal Gene,Gene, Fungal
D014512	Ureohydrolases		Ureohydrolase
D015152	Blotting, Northern	Detection of RNA that has been electrophoretically separated and immobilized by blotting on nitrocellulose or other type of paper or nylon membrane followed by hybridization with labeled NUCLEIC ACID PROBES.	Northern Blotting,Blot, Northern,Northern Blot,Blots, Northern,Blottings, Northern,Northern Blots,Northern Blottings
D015966	Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal	Any of the processes by which nuclear, cytoplasmic, or intercellular factors influence the differential control of gene action in fungi.	Fungal Gene Expression Regulation,Regulation of Gene Expression, Fungal,Regulation, Gene Expression, Fungal