In vitro Reconstruction of Fungal Chromosomes

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Arnold 9630910 Physical maps of whole chromosomes have played an essential role in a number of fundamental breakthroughs in genetics. Completion of a high resolution physical map of the model genetic system. Neurospora crassa, is likely to open up new avenues of research on the molecular and evolutionary genetics of fungi. In completing a preliminary 29 kilobase (kb) resolution physical map of the 31 megabase Aspergillus nidulans genome, a striking observation was made. There is an alternating banding pattern in the distribution of repeated sequences along each chromosome. This observation has implications for development, functional organization of genomes, chromosome structure and function, recombination, and genome evolution. In this project the biological question is whether or not this banding pattern in repeated sequences is found in another filamentous fungus, N.crassa genome will be completed using an NSF-funded robotics workstation. The distribution of cDNAs will be correlated with the distribution of repeated sequences in collaboration with an NSF-funded cDNA sequencing project. A number of important discoveries about the structure and function of DNA have been made in the filamentous fungi, Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa. Their fungal relatives are a daily part of our lives as causes of plant and animal disease, food spoilage, and the manufacture of industrial enzymes and chemicals. Relatives of these fungi are involved in everything from the making of soy sauce, cheeses, and other dairy products to the manufacturing of penicillin and various textiles. In this project new genome technologies will be introduced into the fungal genetics community to transform how genetics is done. The new genome technologies will chart the entire genetic blueprint of these organisms, and allow this genetic blueprint to be understood and manipulated. The applications of this project are likely to have an impact on genetics in general as well as applications in agriculture, and industry.