NIT1 — Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A4

Summary

ANIA_08417 (AnNIT1, NIT1) on chromosome 5 of Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A4 encodes a CN hydrolase domain-containing protein belonging to the carbon-nitrogen hydrolase superfamily and the aspartate/glutamate/hydantoin racemase family, with amino-acid racemase activity. The gene is associated with nitrate metabolism and assimilation, appressorium formation, and hyphal growth, and its product localises to the cytoplasm, cytosol, and nucleus. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to altered anaerobic growth, chronological lifespan, starvation resistance, competitive fitness, vacuolar morphology, and chemical resistance, as well as to plant pathogens such as Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum.