MSH6 — Aspergillus fumigatus

Summary

AFU4G08300 (AfMSH6) encodes a DNA mismatch repair protein belonging to the MutS/MSH family, with ATP hydrolase activity and the ability to bind mispaired DNA, G/T mismatches, Holliday junctions, and single-base insertions or deletions. The protein localises to the nucleus, nuclear chromosome, and sites of double-strand breaks. AfMSH6 is associated with maintenance of DNA repeat elements, meiotic and mitotic mismatch repair, replication fork arrest, interstrand crosslink repair, and gene conversion at the mating-type locus. Phenotypic associations include absent X-ray resistance, increased transposable element transposition, delayed pexophagy and sporulation, arrested or delayed meiosis, abnormal chronological lifespan, decreased fermentative metabolism, increased chromosome/plasmid maintenance, and altered cell cycle progression including G2 phase duration and metaphase-anaphase transition delay. Related genes in other species link the family to mismatch recognition.