Structure of the arginase coding gene and its transcript in Aspergillus nidulans

The arginase structural gene (agaA) from Aspergillus nidulans has been clon ed and characterised. Depending on the growth conditions of the mycelium, t ranscripts of this gene have different 5' ends. These differences could res ult either from the presence of multiple transcription initiation sites or from differential processing of mRNA. The agaA mRNA has a long 5'UTR with a potentially complex secondary structure. Putative arginine binding aptamer s were found in this UTR suggesting interesting possibilities for regulatio n of the agaA expression.