The STE20/germinal center kinase POD6 interacts with the NDR kinase COT1 and is involved in polar tip extension in Neurospora crassa.

ABSTRACT: Members of the Ste20 and NDR protein kinase families are important for normal cell differentiation and morphogenesis in various organisms. We characterized POD6 (NCU02537.2), a novel member of the GCK family of Ste20 kinases that is essential for hyphal tip extension and coordinated branch formation in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. pod-6 and the NDR kinase mutant cot-1 exhibit indistinguishable growth defects, characterized by cessation of cell elongation, hyperbranching, and altered cell-wall composition. We suggest that POD6 and COT1 act in the same genetic pathway, based on the fact that both pod-6 and cot-1 can be suppressed by 1) environmental stresses, 2) altering protein kinase A activity, and 3) common extragenic suppressors (ropy, as well as gul-1, which is characteriz

SUBMITTER: Seiler S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1593175 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature