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I Chuma

Publications and source records attributed to I Chuma.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Meiotic behavior of a supernumerary chromosome in Magnaporthe oryzae.

A 1.2-Mb DNA band from an isolate of Magnaporthe oryzae was detected in a pulsed-field gel. A chromosomal entity corresponding to this band was observed at the mitotic metaphase stage. This minichromosome, carrying many transposable elements and two telomeres, was transmitted to ascosporic F(1) cultures in a non-Mendelian manner with frequent changes in its size and number. Segregation analysis with RFLP markers indicated that the minichromosome underwent structural rearrangements, such as deletion and duplication, not only during meiosis but also after meiosis. An ectopic sister chromatid recombination may cause the size variation of the minichromosomes.

Blotting, Southern↗

Pyret, a Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposon in Magnaporthe grisea contains an extra domain between the nucleocapsid and protease domains.

A novel Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposon, named Pyret, was identified in the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe grisea (anamorph Pyricularia oryzae). Pyret-related elements were distributed in a wide range of Pyricularia isolates from various gramineous plants. The Pyret element is 7250 bp in length with a 475 bp LTR and one conceptual ORF. The ORF contains seven nonsense mutations in the reading frame, indicating that the Pyret clone is lightly degenerate. Comparative domain analysis among retroelements revealed that Pyret exhibits an extra domain (WCCH domain) beyond the basic components of LTR retrotransposons. The WCCH domain consists of approximately 300 amino acids and is located downstream of the nucleocapsid domain. The WCCH domain is so named because it contains two repeats of a characteristic amino acid sequence, W-X(2)-C-X(4)-C-X(2)-H-X(3)-K. A WCCH motif-like sequence is found in the precoat protein of some geminiviruses, viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and also in an Arabidopsis protein of unknown function. Interestingly, detailed sequence analysis of the gag protein revealed that Pyret, as well as some other chromodomain-containing LTR retrotransposons, displays significant sequence homology with members of the gammaretroviruses (MLV-related retroviruses) in the capsid and nucleocapsid domains. This suggests that chromodomain-containing LTR retrotransposons and gammaretroviruses may share a common ancestor with the gag protein.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Comparative analyses of the distribution of various transposable elements in Pyricularia and their activity during and after the sexual cycle.

We examined the distribution and activity of six transposable elements found in the blast fungus, Pyricularia spp. Sixty-eight isolates from various gramineous plants were used for the survey, and the elements were plotted on a dendrogram constructed on the basis of their rDNA-ITS2 sequences. MGR586 and Pot2 (Class II elements), Mg-SINE (SINE-like element) and MGR583 (LINE-like retrotransposon) were widely distributed among the Pyricularia isolates, suggesting that they are old elements which arose in, or invaded, the Pyricularia population at very early stages in its evolution. By contrast, the distribution of the LTR-retrotransposons MAGGY and Grasshopper was limited or sporadic, suggesting that they are relatively new elements which recently invaded the Pyricularia population by means of horizontal transfer events. The activity of these elements was evaluated by Southern analysis in progenies derived from a cross between a Setaria isolate and a Triticum isolate. Many new MAGGY signals were observed, which were absent in the parental isolates, at various stages of the sexual cycle and following vegetative growth. In contrast, the other elements yielded few, if any, such signals. Analysis of the sequences flanking the new MAGGY insertions revealed that they were each associated with a 5-bp target-site duplication at both ends of the insertion. These data suggested that MAGGY was the most active of the elements tested for transposition in Pyricularia.

Blotting, Southern↗