Heterochromatic marks are associated with the repression of secondary metabolism clusters in Aspergillus nidulans.

ABSTRACT: Fungal secondary metabolites are important bioactive compounds but the conditions leading to expression of most of the putative secondary metabolism (SM) genes predicted by fungal genomics are unknown. Here we describe a novel mechanism involved in SM-gene regulation based on the finding that, in Aspergillus nidulans, mutants lacking components involved in heterochromatin formation show de-repression of genes involved in biosynthesis of sterigmatocystin (ST), penicillin and terrequinone A. During the active growth phase, the silent ST gene cluster is marked by histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation and contains high levels of the heterochromatin protein-1 (HepA). Upon growth arrest and activation of SM, HepA and trimethylated H3K9 levels decrease concomitantly with increasing levels of acetyla

SUBMITTER: Reyes-Dominguez Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2904488 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature