Circadian rhythms in Neurospora crassa: Clock gene homologues in fungi

Analysis of 17 fungal and yeast genomes revealed homologues of key clock genes in several species.

• Homologues of the frq, wc-1, wc-2, and vvd genes, associated with the Neurospora crassa clock, are found in Magnaporthe grisea, Gibberella zeae, and Podospora anserina.
• Some distantly related fungi, like Rhizopus oryzae, lack frq homologues.
• Fungi such as Aspergillus nidulans do not have frq but contain homologues of other clock-related genes (wc).
• Out of 11 clock-controlled genes identified in Neurospora, all have homologues in other fungal species.
• The ccg-8 gene from N. crassa shows similarities to opi1p, a gene in yeast involved in regulating inositol, suggesting potential rhythmic regulation of inositol.

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