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Eukaryotic Cell, February 2004, p. 232-240, Vol. 3, No. 1
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.1.232-240.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A WD40 Repeat Protein Regulates Fungal Cell Differentiation and Can Be Replaced Functionally by the Mammalian Homologue Striatin

Stefanie Pöggeler and Ulrich Kück*

Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany

Received 29 August 2003/ Accepted 24 October 2003

Fruiting body development in fungi is a complex cellular differentiation process that is controlled by more than 100 developmental genes. Mutants of the filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora showing defects in fruiting body formation are pertinent sources for the identification of components of this multicellular differentiation process. Here we show that the sterile mutant pro11 carries a defect in the pro11 gene encoding a multimodular WD40 repeat protein. Complementation analysis indicates that the wild-type gene or C-terminally truncated versions of the wild-type protein are able to restore the fertile phenotype in mutant pro11. PRO11 shows significant homology to several vertebrate WD40 proteins, such as striatin and zinedin, which seem to be involved in Ca2+-dependent signaling in cells of the central nervous system and are supposed to function as scaffolding proteins linking signaling and eukaryotic endocytosis. Cloning of a mouse cDNA encoding striatin allowed functional substitution of the wild-type protein with restoration of fertility in mutant pro11. Our data strongly suggest that an evolutionarily conserved cellular process controlling eukaryotic cell differentiation may regulate fruiting body formation.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany. Phone: 0049-234-3226212. Fax: 0049-234-3214184. E-mail: Ulrich.Kueck{at}ruhr-uni-bochum.de.

{dagger} Dedicated to K. Esser on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Eukaryotic Cell, February 2004, p. 232-240, Vol. 3, No. 1
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.1.232-240.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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