The mating types ofPodospora anserina : functional analysis and sequence of the fertilization domains

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Abstract
The two idiomorphic alleles calledmat + andmat −, which control the mating types inPodospora anserina, have been cloned.Mat + andmat − encompass 3.8 kb and 4.7 kb respectively, of unrelated DNA sequences flanked by common sequences. Subcloning allowed the identification and localization in each locus of the gene that controls fertilization, probably by determining the mating type. Themat + gene, calledFPR1, encodes a protein with a potential DNA-binding HMG domain. The presence of this motif suggests that theFPR1 polypeptide may act as a transcriptional factor. Themat − gene calledFMR1 encodes a protein containing a motif that is also found in proteins controlling mating functions inSaccharomyces cerevisiae andNeurospora crassa. The role of this motif has not yet been established. Unlike themat + locus, where theFPR1 gene seems to represent the major information, themat − locus contains information necessary for the post-fertilization steps of the sexual cycle besides theFMR1 gene.