MEI4 — Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici 4287

Summary

FOXG_01874 (FoMEI4, also known as FoSEP1) on chromosome 5 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici 4287 encodes a forkhead-domain transcription factor with both DNA-binding transcription activator and repressor activity specific to RNA polymerase II. The gene is associated with the meiotic cell cycle, including entry into meiosis and regulation of the mitotic-to-meiotic cell cycle switch, as well as negative regulation of pseudohyphal growth and filamentous growth. It is linked to division septum assembly, cell morphogenesis, DNA damage response, and positive regulation of ribosomal protein gene transcription. The product localises to chromatin and the nucleus. Studies of related forkhead-family genes in other species link the family to loss of pathogenicity and reduced virulence, and to traits such as germination rate and inflorescence number.