Cloning and functional characterization of the gene encoding the transcription factor Ace1 in the basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Abstract

In this report we describe the isolation and characterization of a gene encoding the transcription factor Ace 1 (Activation protein of cup 1 Expression) in the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Pc-ace 1 encodes a predicted protein of 633 amino acids containing the copper-fist DNA binding domain typically found in fungal transcription factors such as Ace 1 Mac 1 and Haa 1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Pc-ace 1 gene is localized in Scaffold 5, between coordinates 220841 and 222983. A S. cerevisiae ace 1 null mutant strain unable to grow in high-copper medium was fully complemented by transformation with the cDNA of Pc-ace 1. Moreover, Northern blot hybridization studies indicated that Pc-ace 1 cDNA restores copper inducibility of the yeast cup 1 gene, which encodes the metal-binding protein metallothionein implicated in copper resistance. To our knowledge, this is first report describing an Ace 1 transcription factor in basidiomycetes.