A new method for wakening silent genes

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07353
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied microbiology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Horiuchi Hiroyuki 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 教授 (00209280)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 糸状菌 / プロテインキナーゼC / 二次代謝

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The functions of protein kinase C (PKC) in filamentous fungi remain largely unknown. Aspergillus nidulans is one of the model filamentous fungus and there is a PKC-encoding gene, pkcA, in its genome. In our previous study, we showed that pkcA is essential for the growth of A. nidulans and that pkcA is involved in the cell wall integrity pathway and the establishment of cell polarity. In this study, to clarify the function of PkcA in the synthesis of secondary metabolites, we analyzed it using the pkcA-ts mutant in which the activity of PkcA was temperature sensitive and the R429A mutant that produces an activated form of PkcA under the control of the alcA promoter of A. nidulans. We identified a gene cluster that is involved in the production of a secondary metabolite using these strains.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学