The cfp genes (cfp-1 and cfp-2) of Neurospora crassa: a tale of a bunch of filaments, one enzyme, and two genes

TEMPORINI, ED, FOLCO, HD, ROSA, AL

Genes, Genomics and Bioinformatics

Año: 2005; p. 301 - 330

For over three decades, scientists have been puzzled by the observation of cryptic filamentous structures in the cytoplasm of filamentous fungi. This chapter describes major developments in the characterization of 8 to 10-nm in diameter cytoplasmic filaments from Neurospora crassa. We review the studies that demonstrated that these structures are made of the tetrameric protein pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), a key enzyme catalyzing the branch-point step between the respiration and fermentation pathways in fungi. Similar arrangements of PDC have been found in N. tetrasperma, Podospora anserina and Sordaria macrospora, showing that PDC filaments are ubiquitous structures in fungi. A complex array of signals, and possibly alternative splicing, modulate the expression of the genes cfp-1 and cfp-2 encoding PDC in N. crassa. Challenging future studies should address the relationship between the supramolecular organization and function of PDC in filamentous fungi.