Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A putative mitochondrial fission gene from the ectomycorrhizal ascomycete Tuber borchii Vittad.: cloning, characterisation and phylogeny

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Current Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mitochondrial binary division is a complex process occurring in multiple steps, mediated by several proteins. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a mitochondrial membrane protein, Fis1p, is required for the proper assembly of the mitochondrial division apparatus. In this study, we report the cloning, characterisation and phylogenetic analysis of Tbfis1, a gene from the ectomycorrhizal ascomycetous truffle Tuber borchii, encoding for an orthologue of S. cerevisiae Fis1p. The Tbfis1 coding region consists of a 468-nucleotide open reading frame interrupted by four introns, which encodes for a polypeptide of 155 amino acids, having a predicted transmembrane domain structure typical of the Fis1p Family. Southern blot analysis revealed that Tbfis1 is a single-copy gene in the T. borchii genome. Tbfis1 is highly expressed during the first stages of T. borchii fruit body ripening, while its expression decreases during T. borchii mycelium ageing. Also, Virtual Northern blot analysis revealed Tbfis1 expression in the symbiotic phase of the fungus life cycle. Phylogenetic analysis allowed the identification of Tbfis1 orthologues in filamentous fungi, yeasts, plants, worms, flies and mammals, indicating that the function of the protein coded by this gene has been conserved during evolution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1A–C.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3A, B.
Fig. 4A–D.
Fig. 5A, B.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amicucci A, Zambonelli A, Giomaro G, Potenza L, Stocchi V (1998) Identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi of the genus Tuber by species-specific ITS primers. Mol Ecol 7:273–277

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Attardi G, Schatz G (1988) Biogenesis of mitochondria. Annu Rev Cell Biol 4:289–333

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Balestrini R, Mainieri D, Soragni E, Garnero L, Rollino S, Viotti A, Ottonello S, Bonfante P (2000) Differential expression of chitin Synthase III and IV mRNAs in ascomata of Tuber borchii Vittad. Fungal Genet Biol 23:219–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bereiter-Hahn J, Voth M (1994) Dynamics of mitochondria in living cells: shape changes, dislocations, fusion, and fission of mitochondria. Microsc Res Tech 27:198–219

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bleazard W, McCaffery JM, King EJ, Bale S, Mozdy A, Tieu Q, Nunnari J, Shaw JM (1999) The dynamin-related GTPase Dnm1 regulates mitochondrial fission in yeast. Nat Cell Biol 1:298–304

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bliek AM van der (2000) A mitochondrial division apparatus take shape. J Cell Biol 151:F1–F4

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bonham MJ, Danielpour D (1996) Improved purification and yields of RNA by Rneasy. Biotechniques 21:57–60

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Breathnach R, Benoist C, O′Hare K, Gannon F, Chambon P (1978) Ovalbumin gene: evidence for a leader sequence in mRNA and DNA sequences at the exon–intron boundaries. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 75:4853–4857

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brunk UT, Terman A (2002) The mitochondrial-–lysosomal axis theory of ageing. Eur J Biochem 269:1996–2002

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dayhoff MO, Eck RV (1968) Atlas of protein sequence and structure 1967–1968. National Biomedical Research Foundation, Silver Spring, Md.

  • Dayhoff MO, Schwartz RM, Orcutt BC (1979) A model of evolutionary change in proteins. In: Dayhoff MO (ed) Atlas of protein sequence and structure, vol 5, suppl 3. National Biomedical Research Foundation, Silver Spring, Md.

  • Erland S, Henrion B, Martin F, Glover LA, Alexander IJ (1994) Identification of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Tylospora fibrillosa Donk by RFLP analysis of the PCR-amplified ITS and IGS regions of the ribosomal DNA. New Phytol 126:525–532

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Felsenstein J (2002) PHYLIP: phylogenetic inference package, ver 3.6. University of Washington, Seattle

  • Gurr SJ, Unkles SE, Kinghorn JR (1987) The structure and organisation of nuclear genes of filamentous fungi. In: Kinghorn JR (ed) Gene structure in eukaryotic microbes. IRL Press, Oxford, pp 93–99

  • Hermann GJ, Shaw JM (1998) Mitochondrial dynamics in yeast. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 14:265–303

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kozak M (1981) Composition and analysis of sequences upstream from the translational start site in eukaryotic mRNAs. Nucleic Acids Res 12:857–872

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin F, Perotto S, Bonfante P (2000) Mycorrhizal fungi: a fungal community at the interface between soil and roots. In: Pinton R, Varanini Z, Nannipieri P (eds) The rhizosphere. Dekker, New York

  • Miyakawa I, Aoi H, Sando N, Kuroiwa T (1984) Fluorescence microscopic studies of mitochondrial nucleoids during meiosis and sporulation in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Cell Sci 66:21–38

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Molina R (1979) Pure culture synthesis and host specificity of red adler mycorrhizae. Can J Bot 57:1223–1228

    Google Scholar 

  • Mozdy AD, McCaffery JM, Shaw JM (2000) Dnm1p GTPase-mediated mitochondrial fission is a multi-step process requiring the novel integral membrane component Fis1p. J Cell Biol 151:367–379

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson J, Persson B, Heijne G von (2000) Consensus predictions of membrane protein topology. FEBS Lett 486:267–269

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Otsuga D, Keegan BR, Brisch E, Thatcher JW, Hermann JG, Bleazard W, Shaw JM (1998) The dynamin-related GTPase, Dnm1p, controls mitochondrial morphology in yeast. J Cell Biol 143:333–349

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Page RDM (1996) TREEVIEW: an application to display phylogenetic trees on personal computers. Comput Appl Biosci 12:357–358

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pegler DN, Spooner BM, Young LY (1993) British truffles. A revision of British hypogeous fungi. Royal Botanic Gardens, London

  • Polidori E, Agostini D, Zeppa S, Potenza L, Palma F, Sisti D, Stocchi V (2002) Identification of differentially expressed cDNA clones in Tilia platyphyllos–Tuber borchii ectomycorrhizae using a differential screening approach. Mol Genet Genome 266:858–864

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saltarelli R, Ceccaroli P, Vallorani L, Zambonelli A, Citterio B, Malatesta M, Stocchi V (1998) Mycol Res 102:403–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sambrook J, Fritsch EF, Maniatis T (1989) Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Springs Harbor, N.Y.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw JM, Nunnari J (2002) Mitochondria dynamics and division in budding yeast. Trends Cell Biol 12:178–184

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Short JM, Fernandez JM, Sorge JA, Huse WD (1988) Lambda ZAP: a bacteriophage lambda expression vector with in vivo excision properties. Nucleic Acids Res 16:7583–7600

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sisti D, Zambonelli A, Giomaro G, Rossi I, Ceccaroli P, Citterio B, Benedetti PA, Stocchi V (1998) In vitro mycorrhizal synthesis of micropropagated Tilia platyphyllos Scop. plantlets with Tuber borchii Vittad. mycelium in pure culture. Acta Hortic 457:379–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith SE, Read DJ (1997) Mycorrhizal symbiosis. Academic Press, New York

  • Tieu Q, Okreglak V, Naylor K, Nunnari J (2002) The WD repeat protein, Mdv1p, functions as a molecular adapter by interacting with Dnm1p and Fis1p during mitochondrial fission. J Cell Biol 158:445–452

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace DC (1999) Mitochondrial diseases in man and mouse. Science 283:1482–1488

    Google Scholar 

  • Yaffe MP (1999) The machinery of mitochondrial inheritance and behavior. Science 283:1493–1497

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon Y, McNiven MA (2001) Mitochondrial division: new partners in membrane pinching. Curr Biol 11: R67–R70

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zambonelli A, Iotti M, Rossi I, Hall I (2000) Interaction between Tuber borchii and other ectomycorrhizal fungi in a field plantation. Mycol Res 104:698–702

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeppa S, Potenza L, Vallorani L, Guescini M, Ciarmela P, Stocchi V (2001) Biotechnol Lett 23:17–20

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeppa S, Guidi C, Zambonelli A, Potenza L, Vallorani L, Pierleoni R, Sacconi C, Stocchi V (2002) Identification of putative genes involved in the development of Tuber borchii fruit body by mRNA differential display in agarose gel. Curr Genet 42:161–168

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Progetto Strategico CNR-Regioni-Province ″Biotecnologia dei funghi eduli ectomicorrizici: dalle applicazioni agro-forestali a quelle agro-alimentari″ of the National Research Council, Italy.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Chimica Biologica ″Giorgio Fornaini″, Università degli Studi di Urbino ″Carlo Bo″, via Saffi 2, PU 61029, Urbino, Italy

    C. Guidi, L. Potenza & V. Stocchi

  2. Istituto di Ricerca sulla Attività Motoria, Università degli Studi di Urbino ″Carlo Bo″, via Sasso 75/G, PU 61029, Urbino, Italy

    S. Zeppa, E. Barbieri & E. Polidori

  3. Dipartimento di Protezione e Valorizzazione Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna, via Filippo Re 8, 40126, Bologna, Italy

    A. Zambonelli

Authors
  1. C. Guidi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Zeppa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Barbieri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. Zambonelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. E. Polidori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. L. Potenza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. V. Stocchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. Stocchi.

Additional information

Communicated by M. Brunner

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Guidi, C., Zeppa, S., Barbieri, E. et al. A putative mitochondrial fission gene from the ectomycorrhizal ascomycete Tuber borchii Vittad.: cloning, characterisation and phylogeny. Curr Genet 44, 148–154 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-003-0430-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-003-0430-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation