IDENTIFICATION, CLONING AND SEQUENCE OF THE ASPERGILLUS-NIGER AREA WIDE DOMAIN REGULATORY GENE CONTROLLING NITROGEN-UTILIZATION

The gene encoding the positive-acting regulator of nitrogen metabolite repression (AREA) has been cloned and characterised from the industri ally important filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. The deduced amino acid sequence has an overall level of identity with its homologues fr om other fungal species which varies between 32 and 72%. This gene (ar eA(nig)) complements the A. nidulans areA(r)-18 loss-of-function mutat ion. Sequences upstream of the structural gene contain several putativ e GATA-type zinc finger protein-binding motifs, Northern analysis indi cates the synthesis of multiple transcripts, the major species being a pproximately 2.95 kb and 3.1 kb. Maximal expression of areA(nig) is ob served under conditions of nitrogen starvation and is mainly due to an increase in the level of the shorter transcript. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience B.V.