Two Origins for the Gene Encoding [alpha]-Isopropylmalate Synthase in Fungi

The biosynthesis of leucine is a biochemical pathway common to prokaryotes, plants and fungi, but absent from humans and animals. The pathway is a proposed target for antimicrobial therapy. Here we identified the leuA gene encoding [alpha]-isopropylmalate synthase in the zygomycete fungus Phycomyces...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2010-07, Vol.5 (7), p.e11605
Main Authors: Larson, Erica M, Idnurm, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino acids
Analysis
Ascomycetes
Basidiomycetes
Cladistic analysis
Fungi
Genes
Phycomyces
Phycomyces blakesleeanus
Phylogeny
Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Zygomycetes
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Summary:The biosynthesis of leucine is a biochemical pathway common to prokaryotes, plants and fungi, but absent from humans and animals. The pathway is a proposed target for antimicrobial therapy. Here we identified the leuA gene encoding [alpha]-isopropylmalate synthase in the zygomycete fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus using a genetic mapping approach with crosses between wild type and leucine auxotrophic strains. To confirm the function of the gene, Phycomyces leuA was used to complement the auxotrophic phenotype exhibited by mutation of the leu3.sup.+ gene of the ascomycete fungus Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the leuA gene in Phycomyces, other zygomycetes, and the chytrids is more closely related to homologs in plants and photosynthetic bacteria than ascomycetes or basidiomycetes, and suggests that the Dikarya have acquired the gene more recently. The identification of leuA in Phycomyces adds to the growing body of evidence that some primary metabolic pathways or parts of them have arisen multiple times during the evolution of fungi, probably through horizontal gene transfer events.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0011605