MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF ASEXUAL DEVELOPMENT IN FUNGI

真菌作为病原体直接影响动物和人类的健康， 特别是在免疫受损的个体中。 他们也是 造成粮食作物的疾病和腐败， 影响人类健康。 对分子机制的理解 丝状真菌中的控制基因表达将有助于提供 深入了解需要制定的战略，对真菌感染的生活 有机体 无性发育是大多数真菌生命周期中的一个关键阶段。 该项目将侧重于了解发展与 基因表达。 丝状子囊菌粗糙脉孢菌是 特别适合这些研究，因为它具有丰富的遗传和 无性孢子发育过程中的简单发育 阵 分子生物学方法在肿瘤治疗中的应用进展 对N.克拉萨极大地促进了无性生殖的检查 发展 N. crassa是最高度发达的系统之一， 分析丝状真菌中的基因表达。 该项目的具体目标是确定基因调控 参与控制无性发育的机制。粗鲁。 启动子分析将鉴定DNA序列元件， 基因的发育表达。 蛋白质因子的生化分析 与这些DNA序列结合的分子将精确地定义 顺式和反式作用调节元件。 在一种补充方法中， 在时间或空间调节中改变的突变体， 将分离发育中表达的基因。 表征 这些突变体将定义参与控制 这种真菌孢子的形成。 这项工作也将有助于我们 对真核生物基因表达的一般理解。

Fungi directly affect the health of animals and humans as pathogens, particularly in immunologically compromised individuals. They also are responsible for causing disease and spoilage of food crops that indirectly impact human health. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing gene expression in the filamentous fungi will help provide the insight needed to develop strategies against fungal infection of living organisms. Asexual development is a critical phase in the fife cycle of most fungi. This project will focus on understanding the interaction of development and gene expression. The filamentous ascomycete Neurospora crassa is particularly suited for these studies because of the wealth of genetic and biochemical data available and its simple development during asexual spore formation. Recent progress in applying molecular biological approaches to the study of N. crassa has greatly facilitated examination of asexual development. N. crassa is one of the most highly developed systems for analyzing gene expression in filamentous fungi. The specific goal of this project is to determine the genetic regulatory mechanisms involved in controlling asexual development in N. crassa. Promoter analyses will identify DNA sequence elements required for developmental expression of genes. Biochemical analyses of protein factors that bind to these DNA sequences will precisely define the interaction of cis- and trans-acting regulatory elements. In a complementary approach, mutants that are altered in the temporal or spatial regulation of developmentally expressed genes will be isolated. Characterization of these mutants will define the regulatory network involved in controlling spore formation in this fungus. This work will also contribute to our general understanding of gene expression in eukaryotic organisms.