Identifying 5-flanking sequences of glycogen synthase (GSN) gene of Neurospora crassa involved in transcription control

• Grant number: 07/00683-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2007
• End date: December 31, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Maria Celia Bertolini
• Grantee: Flávia Magazoni Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The project of the student is part of a major project in the laboratory, which is focused in the study of the regulatory mechanisms involved in the Neurospora crassa glycogen metabolism. The cDNA encoding glycogen synthase was isolated and gene expression analysis showed that transcription regulation is under control mechanisms different from those described for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The 5´-flanking region of the gene contains many DNA regulatory elements, which are recognized and bound by nuclear proteins present during the vegetative growth of the fungus and when the cells are exposed to stress, such as heat shock. The identification of these proteins is under investigation. Another important question relates to the identification of which nucleotide sequences of the 5´-flanking region are important for basal transcription, the main purpose of the present project.