Czaja Wioletta, Miller Karen Y, Skinner Michael K, Miller Bruce L
1] Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236, USA [2] School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236, USA [3] Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA.
1] Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236, USA [2] Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA.
Nat Commun. 2014 Nov 17;5:5434. doi: 10.1038/ncomms6434.
Sex determination in animals and fungi is regulated by specific sex-determining genes. The Aspergillus nidulans mating type gene matA and the human SRY (Sex-Determining Region Y) encode proteins containing a single HMG (high-mobility group) domain. Analysis of the amino-acid sequence of MatA and SRY transcription factors revealed significant structural similarity. The human SRY protein is able to functionally replace MatA and drives the sexual cycle in the fungus A. nidulans. Functional studies indicate that SRY drives early fruiting body development, and hybrid MatA protein carrying the SRY HMG box is fully capable of driving both early and late stages of sexual development, including gametogenesis. Our data suggest that SRY and MatA are both structurally and functionally related and conserved in regulating sexual processes. The fundamental mechanisms driving evolution of the genetic pathways underlying sex determination, sex chromosomes and sexual reproduction in eukaryotes appear similar.
动物和真菌中的性别决定由特定的性别决定基因调控。构巢曲霉的交配型基因matA和人类的SRY（Y染色体性别决定区）编码含有单个HMG（高迁移率族）结构域的蛋白质。对MatA和SRY转录因子的氨基酸序列分析显示出显著的结构相似性。人类SRY蛋白能够在功能上替代MatA，并驱动构巢曲霉的有性生殖周期。功能研究表明，SRY驱动早期子实体发育，携带SRY HMG框的杂交MatA蛋白完全能够驱动有性发育的早期和晚期阶段，包括配子发生。我们的数据表明，SRY和MatA在结构和功能上都相关，并且在调节有性过程中是保守的。驱动真核生物中性别决定、性染色体和有性生殖的遗传途径进化的基本机制似乎是相似的。
