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Journal of Bacteriology, May 2000, p. 2376-2386, Vol. 182, No. 9
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

A Rac Homolog Is Required for Induction of Hyphal Growth in the Dimorphic Yeast Yarrowia lipolytica

Cleofe A. R. Hurtado,1 Jean-Marie Beckerich,2 Claude Gaillardin,2 and Richard A. Rachubinski1,*

Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada,1 and Laboratoire de Genetique des Microorganismes, INRA-CNRS, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France2

Received 12 January 2000/Accepted 31 January 2000

Dimorphism in fungi is believed to constitute a mechanism of response to adverse conditions and represents an important attribute for the development of virulence by a number of pathogenic fungal species. We have isolated YlRAC1, a gene encoding a 192-amino-acid protein that is essential for hyphal growth in the dimorphic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica and which represents the first Rac homolog described for fungi. YlRAC1 is not an essential gene, and its deletion does not affect the ability to mate or impair actin polarization in Y. lipolytica. However, strains lacking functional YlRAC1 show alterations in cell morphology, suggesting that the function of YlRAC1 may be related to some aspect of the polarization of cell growth. Northern blot analysis showed that transcription of YlRAC1 increases steadily during the yeast-to-hypha transition, while Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA suggested the presence of several RAC family members in Y. lipolytica. Interestingly, strains lacking functional YlRAC1 are still able to grow as the pseudohyphal form and to invade agar, thus pointing to a function for YlRAC1 downstream of MHY1, a previously isolated gene encoding a C2H2-type zinc finger protein with the ability to bind putative stress response elements and whose activity is essential for both hyphal and pseudohyphal growth in Y. lipolytica.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Medical Sciences Building 5-14, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada. Phone: (780) 492-9868. Fax: (780) 492-9278. E-mail: rick.rachubinski{at}ualberta.ca.

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2000, p. 2376-2386, Vol. 182, No. 9
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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