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C Scazzocchio

Publications and source records attributed to C Scazzocchio.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Internal structure of a mitochondrial intron of Aspergillus nidulans.

The intron of the mitochondrial apocytochrome b gene, cobA, of Aspergillus nidulans has been subjected to sequence analysis. It contains an open reading frame of 957 base pairs contiguous with the preceding exon. Regions of the translated open reading frames of cobA and the third intron of the cob gene in yeast show high amino acid homology. Comparison of the cobA intron with this and other yeast introns indicates that cobA codes for a maturase protein that splices out the intron encoding it and possibly other mitochondrial introns. Two very similar decamer peptides are found in the protein sequences of the cobA intron, four mitochondrial yeast introns, and the yeast mitochondrial sequence reading frame 1 (RF-1) and may be diagnostic of one class of maturase-coding introns. Four short DNA sequences, two of which are in the region defined by box9 and box2 mutations in the cob gene of yeast, are conserved in cobA and certain yeast introns. Comparison with three yeast introns strongly suggests that the first 200 base pairs of the open reading frame of the cobA intron do not code for any amino acids present in the putative maturase protein but are required for splicing or the control of splicing, or both.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1982

Positive regulation in a eukaryote, a study of the uaY gene of Aspergillus nidulans: I. Characterization of alleles, dominance and complementation studies, and a fine structure map of the uaY--oxpA cluster.

In this paper we characterize genetically a positive eukaryotic regulatory gene: the uaY gene of the ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans. Several steps in the uptake and degradation of purines are under the control of the uaY gene (summarized in Scazzocchio and Gorton 1977). In the present paper 12 uaY-mutations are characterized with respect to their inducibility for adenine deaminase, xanthine dehydrogenase (purine hydroxylase I) and urate oxidase and by the absence of the uric acid-xanthine permease scored in vivo by resistance to 2-thiouric acid. While 10 mutations are uniformly unleaky, two others are almost wild type for the induction of urate oxidase. A fine structure map of the uaY gene shows that the two "leaky" mutations are not clustered. The fine structure mapping unambiguously positions six uaY alleles and provides preliminary but interesting trends regarding the pattern of gene conversion in the uaY gene. The enzyme levels in all uaY-/uaY+ heterozygous diploids are intermediate between the corresponding uaY-/uaY- and uaY+/uaY+ homozygous diploids, suggesting that one functional copy of the uaY gene is able to mediate the complete induction of only one set of structural genes. No complementation was found between any two uaY- alleles. This establishes that the mutations showing either of the phenotypes are alleles in the same gene; it fails to provide evidence for intracistronic complementation. A mutation, oxpA5, causes resistance to the xanthine analogue oxypurinol (4,6-dihydroxypyrazolo-(3, 4-d)-pyrimidine) and partial constitutivity of adenine deaminase, xanthine dehydrogenase (purine hydroxylase I) and urate oxidase. The constitutive phenotype is suppressed by mutations, blocking the synthesis of intracellular inducers. The mutation is recessive and complements fully with the 11 uaY- mutations tested. It maps to the left of all 12 uaY mutations to which it has been crossed. The data indicate that both the resistance and constitutivity arise from one mutational event in a gene, oxpA, different from uaY and possibly adjacent to it. We propose that the oxpA gene codes for a protein involved in limiting the flow of inducers into the cell nucleus. Thus oxpA and uaY constitute a regulatory gene cluster, indicating that uaY is the regulatory gene.

Alleles↗
PubMed1981

Positive regulation in a eukaryote, a study of the uaY gene of Aspergillus nidulans. II. Identification of the effector binding protein.

In this publication we report the identification of a protein likely to be coded by uaY, a regulatory gene in the ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans. uaY is a positive control gene necessary for the expression of at least eight unlinked structural genes involved in purine uptake and degradation (Scazzocchio and Gorton 1977). The physiological effector of the uaY system is uric acid, while some of its thioanalogs serve as gratuitous inducers. Effector binding proteins were detected by binding to 2-thiouric acid after phosphocellulose column chromatography, or as uric acid binding fractions after DNA-cellulose column chromatography. Two binding peaks are present in mycelial extracts purified by either method. These are missing in a putative small deletion of the uaY gene. A "leaky" mutation, uaY109 described in detail elsewhere (Scazzocchio et al. 1980) shows only one peak. The wild type peaks eluted at 55 mM NaC1 and at 720 mM NaCl while the peak present in uaY109 is eluted at 120 mM NaC1. This implies that at least one peak represents a protein coded by the uaY gene. The major peak was analysed by equilibrium dialysis experiments. These establish a Kdiss approximately 2 X 10(-7) and a minimum number of binding sites of 3 X 10(-14) moles/mg of soluble protein in a crude extract derived from protoplast lysis. An extract from a strain carrying the uaY207 deletion, purified blind, lacks any binding activity in the equilibrium dialysis cell.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1981

The mosaic organization of the apocytochrome b gene of Aspergillus nidulans revealed by DNA sequencing.

The coding section of the apocytochrome b gene (cobA) of the mitochondrial DNA of Aspergillus nidulans has been completely sequenced. The gene comprises two exons of 507 and 654 bp separated by one intron of approximately 1.1 kb. The derived amino acid sequence shows 61% homology with that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 51% homology with the cognate human sequence. Comparison of these sequences indicates that UGA codes for tryptophan in the A. nidulans mitochondrial system. The intron is in exactly the same place as intron 13 of the apocytochrome b gene of "long" strains of S. cerevisiae. Other introns present in "long" strains (I1 and I2) are absent in A. nidulans. Introns 14 and 15 present both "long" and "short" strains of yeast are also absent. This is particularly significant in view of the involvement of 14 in the splicing of both cob and oxi3 (coding for cytochrome oxidase subunit 1) mRNA precursors in S. cerevisiae. The partial sequence of the A. nidulans intron shows an open reading frame for at least the first 200 bp, and shows the intron to be closed in all frames at the carboxyl terminus.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1980

Conservation and rearrangement of mitochondrial structural gene sequences.

Mitochondria contain the simplest DNA molecules that are present in eukaryotes. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is easily purified, and is an important model system for studying eukaryote gene structure and basic molecular processes. The protein sequences of mitochondrial gene products have been shown to be conserved from yeast to man, and there are definite similarities at the DNA sequence level. In contrast, the overall organization of the mitochondrial genome is drastically different in these organisms. To understand this, we need to extend work on mtDNA to a wider range of species. We have chosen to study the mtDNA of Aspergillus nidulans because a particularly comprehensive analysis of this system can be achieved using genetics as well as biochemistry, and like most eukaryotes it is an obligate aerobe, whereas Saccharomyces cerevisiae is not. We have investigated whether defined pieces of particular yeast mitochondrial genes show enough homology to Aspergillus mtDNA fragments to enable the corresponding Aspergillus genes to be located on the physical map. The results reported here show that this is the case for all five genes tested, and present the first data on the physical organization of the structural genes in the mitochondrial genome of A. nidulans.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1980

Nuclear and mitochondrial suppression of a mitochondrially inherited cold-sensitive mutation in Aspergillus nidulans.

Partial suppressors of a mitochondrially inherited mutation, [cs-67], conferring cold-sensitivity at 20 degrees C were identified. These mapped at one mitochondrial and four unlinked nuclear loci. Most suppressors partially restored the cytochrome aa3 deficiency of the cold-sensitive strain at 20 degrees C. Strains carrying two or more suppressors and [cs-67] showed considerably impaired growth. This effect was temperature-dependent, being more severe at 37 degrees C, and was not expressed in the presence of the [cs-67+] allele. The cytochrome oxidase activity of one of these strains was no more heat-sensitive than that of the wild-type implying that these mutations did not directly modify cytochrome oxidase. The wild-type strain grown in the presence of chloramphenicol and the cold-sensitive strain grown at 20 degrees C had similar cytochrome spectra and mitochondrial membrane protein profiles on sodium dodecyl sulphate gradient acrylamide gels. [cs-67] conferred pleiotropically a low level of resistance to paramomycin at 37 degrees C. It is suggested that [cs-67] and the suppressors act at the level of the mitochondrial ribosome.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1979

Product induction of purine hydroxylase II in Asperigillus nidulans.

By the use of a mutation, hxB-20, that eliminates purine hydroxylase II activity but retains cross-reacting material and an ancillary NADH dehydrogenase activity, it has been established that 6-hydroxynicotinic acid rather than nicotinic acid, is the true inducer of purine hydroxylase II.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1979

Allele specific, gene unspecific suppressors in Aspergillus nidulans.

Seven suppressor mutations have been isolated in Aspergillus nidulans by coreversion of alleles in physiologically unrelated genes namely, alX, sB, alcA, putative structural genes for allantoinase, sulphate permease and alcohol dehydrogenase respectively. The suppressors are allele specific, gene unspecific. Those described map in four loci, suaA, B, C, D. suaA and suaB are on linkage group III, suaC and suaD on VII. suaB111, suaD103 and suaD108 are semi-dominant in their suppression of alX4 and sB43, suaA101, suaA105 and suaC10. are recessive and have a pleiotropic effect on morphology. SuaC109 is cold sensitive for growth as is sua115, an unmapped mutation on linkage group III which is similar in morphology to suaC109. The two mutations, suaA101 and suaA105 have different spectra of suppression and morphologies. suaA105 weakly suppresses alX4 and sB43 whereas suaA101 strongly suppresses these and alcA125. suaD103 and suaD108 have the same spectrum of suppression. The properties of these suppressors are consistent with their being informational suppressors are consistent with their being informational suppressors of the nonsense type.

Alleles↗
PubMed1978

A mutation in the xanthine dehydrogenase (purine hydroxylase I) of Aspergillus nidulans resulting in altered specificity. Implications for the geometry of the active site.

A point mutation in the structural gene for purine hydroxylase I (xanthine dehydrogenase) of Aspergillus nidulans results in several dramatic pleiotropic effects. The mutant enzyme oxidises 2-hydroxypurine at position 6 rather than 8, shows a 70-fold reduction in the V for hypoxanthine, and loses the ability to accept xanthine as a substrate. Allopurinol, a powerful pseudoirreversible inhibitor of the wild type enzyme, behaves as a good substrate of the mutant enzyme. We propose that the substrate and inhibitor specificities of the enzymes depend on the relative position of an orientating site ann a catalytic site. All the properties of the mutant enzyme can be explained by assuming that the mutation results in a change of the relative positions of the catalytic and orientating sites. We have assumed that the catalytic site comprises a Mo(VI) atom and an--S-group as proposed by Coughlan [FEBS Lett. 81, 1--9 (1977)] and the orientating site is a lysyl residue. While these assumptions are not strictly necessary for the construction of an abstract geometric model, they are consistent with other data bearing on the structure of the active site of the molybdenum-containing hydroxylases.

Allopurinol↗
PubMed1978

The genetic control of the molybdoflavoproteins in Aspergillus nidulans. IV. A comparison between purine hydroxylase I and II.

The purine hydroxylases I and II of Aspergillus nidulans [previously called xanthine dehydrogenases I and II: Scazzocchio, Holl and Foguelman, Eur. J. Biochem. 36, 428--445 (1973)] have been studied in crude extracts. The two enzymes differ in their substrate specificities, purine hydroxylase II being able to accept nicotinate as a substrate and unable to hydroxylate xanthine. The kinetics of inhibition with allopurinol and oxypurinol are also different, the two analogues being pseudo-irreversible inhibitors of purine hydroxylase I, while allopurinol is a competitive inhibitor of purine hydroxylase II and oxypurinol shows anti-competitive inhibition. Differences in electro-phoretic mobility and molecular size are also shown. We have failed to show the formation of hybrid purine hydroxylase I/II molecules. While a common evolutionary origin of the purine hydroxylases could be postulated, the data reveal a considerable divergence.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1978

A mutation defective in the xanthine alternative pathway of Aspergillus nidulans: its use to investigate the specificity of uaY mediated induction.

In Aspergillus nidulans uric acid can be produced from xanthine via purine hydroxylase I (xanthine dehydrogenase) or via the xanthine alternative pathway (Darlington and Scazzocchio, Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 166, 569--571; 1968). A mutation defective in the xanthine alternative pathway of Aspergillus nidulans is described. By combining this mutation with hxB-20 which results in complete loss of purine hydroxylase I and II activities, but which conserves cross-reacting material, it is possible to block completely uric acid production and thus investigate which are the effective in vivo inducers of three enzymes under the control of the positive regulatory gene uaY: adenine deaminase, purine hydroxylase I (measured as cross-reacting material) and urate oxidase. It is concluded that uric acid is the only effective physiological inducer, while its 2 and 8 thio-analogues serve as gratuitous inducers.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1977

The genetic control of molybdoflavoproteins in Aspergillus nidulans. A xanthine dehydrogenase I half-molecule in cnx- mutant strains of Aspergillus nidulans.

The cnx- group of mutants of Aspergillus nidulans lacks xanthine dehydrogenase (xanthine: NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.1.37) and nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.3) activities and are thought to be defective in the synthesis of a molybdenum-containing cofactor, 'cnx', common to xanthine dehydrogenase and nitrate reductase [Pateman, J.A., Rever, B.M., Cove, D.J. and Roberts, D.B. (1964) Nature (Lond.) 201, 58-60]. The cnx cofactor has a role in maintaining the aggregated multimeric structure of nitrate reductase [MacDonald, D.W., Cove, D.J. and Coddington, A. (1974) Mol. Gen. Genet. 128, 187-199]. We report here that, in cnx- mutants grown under conditions inducing xanthine dehydrogenase I, a species cross-reacting with antisera to the native enzyme and of half its molecular weight is present, together with cross-reacting molecules of similar molecular weight to the native enzyme. This suggests that the cnx cofactor has a role in maintaining the aggregated structure of xanthine dehydrogenase I. Both cross-reacting species are capable of passing reducing equivalents from NADH to a tetrazolium salt, showing that the cnx cofactor is not necessary for enzymic activity towards NADH.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1975

Pyrimidine biosynthesis in Aspergillus nidulans. Isolation and characterisation of mutants resistant to fluoropyrimidines.

Mutants resistant to 5-fluorouracil, 5-fluorouridine and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine have been selected in Aspergillus nidulans. Growth tests combined with genetic analysis showed that mutations conferring resistance to fluoropyrimidines could occur in at least seven genes. Three of these fulE, fulF and furA were concerned with either the uptake of pyrimidines or their conversion to uridine monophosphate. The other four genes did not affect these functions. Mutations in fulA probably confer resistance by lowering ornithine transcarbamoylase, thereby making the normally arginine-specific carbamoyl phosphate pool available for increased uracil synthesis. Mutations in fulD may make the arginine-specific carbamoyl phosphate synthetase insensitive to inhibition or repression by arginine, and so lead to increased carbamoyl phosphate pool sizes, and increased uracil synthesis. Both fulA and fulD mutants suppress pyrA mutants which lack the uracil-specific carbamoyl phosphate synthetase. Mutations in fulB and fulC do not suppress pyrA, and so may act more directly to increase uracil synthesis. The synthesis of aspartate carbamoyl transferase in fulB7 strains is not repressed by uracil. fulC mutants are closely linked to the pyrA, B, C, N region which codes for the first two enzymes of pyrimidine biosynthesis, and may result in these enzymes being less sensitive to inhibition by uracil.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1975

Initiator constitutive mutation with an 'up-promoter' effect in Aspergillus nidulans.

A mutation leading to strong constitutivity for a uric acid-xanthine permease in the lower eukaryote Aspergillus nidulans has been found to be tightly linked to the putative structural gene whose expression it controls in the cis configuration. In addition, it increases the maximal induced level of transport 2.5-fold. This is the first demonstration of an initiator or promoter mutation in an eukaryote.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1975

Cytoplasmic and nuclear mutations to chloramphenicol resistance in Aspergillus nidulans.

Two chloramphenicol resistance mutations out of 123 tested in Aspergillus nidulans are inherited extranuclearly as judged by transmissibility in heterokaryons, lack of segregation at meiosis, and independent segregation from all of the eight nuclear linkage groups. They do not recombine with each other. However, experiments in collaboration with G. Turner and R.T. Rowlands show that they do recombine with cytoplasmic mutations to oligomycin resistance (Rowlands and Turner, 1973) and cold-sensitivity (Waldron and Roberts, 1973). These cytoplasmic chloramphenicol resistance mutations are stable and do not affect growth or morphology on antibiotic-free media. Nuclear mutations to chloramphenicol resistance map at a minimum of three loci. At one of these loci, most, but not all, mutations lead pleiotropically to cycloheximide hypersensitivity, and most of these, but not all, also confer pleiotropic hypersensitivity to salicylhydroxamic acid.

Aspergillus nidulans↗