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Identification of the sex genes in an early diverged fungus.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Idnurm, A; Walton, FJ; Floyd, A; Heitman, J
Published in: Nature
January 10, 2008

Sex determination in fungi is controlled by a small, specialized region of the genome in contrast to the large sex-specific chromosomes of animals and some plants. Different gene combinations reside at these mating-type (MAT) loci and confer sexual identity; invariably they encode homeodomain, alpha-box, or high mobility group (HMG)-domain transcription factors. So far, MAT loci have been characterized from a single monophyletic clade of fungi, the Dikarya (the ascomycetes and basidiomycetes), and the ancestral state and evolutionary history of these loci have remained a mystery. Mating in the basal members of the kingdom has been less well studied, and even their precise taxonomic inter-relationships are still obscure. Here we apply bioinformatic and genetic mapping to identify the sex-determining (sex) region in Phycomyces blakesleeanus (Zygomycota), which represents an early branch within the fungi. Each sex allele contains a single gene that encodes an HMG-domain protein, implicating the HMG-domain proteins as an earlier form of fungal MAT loci. Additionally, one allele also contains a copy of a unique, chromosome-specific repetitive element, suggesting a generalized mechanism for the earliest steps in the evolution of sex determination and sex chromosome structure in eukaryotes.

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Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

Publication Date

January 10, 2008

Volume

451

Issue

7175

Start / End Page

193 / 196

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Sex Determination Processes
  • Sex
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
  • Recombination, Genetic
  • Phylogeny
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • High Mobility Group Proteins
  • Heterozygote
  • HMG-Box Domains
  • Genes, Mating Type, Fungal
 

Citation

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Idnurm, A., Walton, F. J., Floyd, A., & Heitman, J. (2008). Identification of the sex genes in an early diverged fungus. Nature, 451(7175), 193–196. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06453
Idnurm, Alexander, Felicia J. Walton, Anna Floyd, and Joseph Heitman. “Identification of the sex genes in an early diverged fungus.Nature 451, no. 7175 (January 10, 2008): 193–96. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06453.
Idnurm A, Walton FJ, Floyd A, Heitman J. Identification of the sex genes in an early diverged fungus. Nature. 2008 Jan 10;451(7175):193–6.
Idnurm, Alexander, et al. “Identification of the sex genes in an early diverged fungus.Nature, vol. 451, no. 7175, Jan. 2008, pp. 193–96. Pubmed, doi:10.1038/nature06453.
Idnurm A, Walton FJ, Floyd A, Heitman J. Identification of the sex genes in an early diverged fungus. Nature. 2008 Jan 10;451(7175):193–196.
Journal cover image

Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

Publication Date

January 10, 2008

Volume

451

Issue

7175

Start / End Page

193 / 196

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Sex Determination Processes
  • Sex
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
  • Recombination, Genetic
  • Phylogeny
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • High Mobility Group Proteins
  • Heterozygote
  • HMG-Box Domains
  • Genes, Mating Type, Fungal