Abstract
Mating type genes control self/non‐self recognition during fertilization, karyogamy and meiosis in the filamentous fungi. Aspergillus nidulans matA is a homolog of the human sex‐determining factor SRY. The developmentally regulated matA gene shows strict chromosomal position effect, suggesting that epigenetic events could be involved in silencing its expression in a sub‐population of cells. This chromosomal domain includes other coordinately regulated genes, one of which is a non‐coding RNA, jgaA. This non‐coding RNA is a member of a large family of eukaryotic RNAs that represent genomic “dark matter” and which have potential roles in gene silencing. Transcription of jgaA and SYG1, a human homolog of the Xenotropic and polytropic retrovirus receptor (XPR1), are convergent with a 30 bp overlap. Northern Blot analysis demonstrated that jgaA is co‐regulated with matA during sexual development in A. nidulans. A gene deletion of the jgaA shows a 42% decrease in the number of cleistothecia produced per plate. Quantitative RT‐PCR has revealed an up‐regulation of the G protein‐couple receptor (gprB), and change the expression level of SYG1 in the null strain. As well, qRT‐PCR has shown jgaA to be a gene regulator of SYG1 dependent on the RNA interference pathway.
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