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Eukaryotic Cell, June 2004, p. 806-814, Vol. 3, No. 3
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.3.806-814.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Gß-Subunit-Encoding Gene bpp1 Controls Cyclic-AMP Signaling in Ustilago maydis

Philip Müller,^1,2, Andreas Leibbrandt,^1,3, Hedwich Teunissen,² Stephanie Cubasch,¹ Christian Aichinger,^1,4 and Regine Kahmann^1,2*

Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität-München, D-80638 Munich,¹ Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg,² Roche Diagnostics GmbH, 82377 Penzberg, Germany,⁴ Institut für Virologie, A-1210 Vienna, Austria³

Received 19 March 2004/ Accepted 31 March 2004

In the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis, fusion of haploid cells is a prerequisite for infection. This process is controlled by a pheromone-receptor system. The receptors belong to the seven-transmembrane class that are coupled to heterotrimeric G proteins. Of four G subunits in U. maydis, only gpa3 has a function during mating and cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling. Activation of the cAMP cascade induces pheromone gene expression; however, it does not lead to the induction of conjugation tubes seen after pheromone stimulation. To investigate the possibility that a Gß subunit participates in pheromone signaling, we isolated the single ß subunit gene, bpp1, from U. maydis. bpp1 deletion mutants grew filamentously and showed attenuated pheromone gene expression, phenotypes associated with gpa3 strains. In addition, a constitutively active allele of gpa3 suppressed the phenotype of the bpp1 deletion strains. We suggest that Bpp1 and Gpa3 are components of the same heterotrimeric G protein acting on adenylyl cyclase. Interestingly, while gpa3 strains are impaired in pathogenicity, bpp1 mutants are able to induce plant tumors. This could indicate that Gpa3 operates independently of Bpp1 during pathogenic development.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse, D-35043 Marburg, Germany. Phone: 496421178501. Fax: 496421178509. E-mail: Kahmann{at}staff.uni-marburg.de.

These authors contributed equally to the work.

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Eukaryotic Cell, June 2004, p. 806-814, Vol. 3, No. 3
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.3.806-814.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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