rac-1 — Neurospora crassa

Summary

NCU02160, designated rac-1 on Neurospora crassa chromosome 1, encodes a small GTPase of the Rho family, possessing GTPase activity, GDP and GTP binding, and protein kinase activator activity. The gene is associated with the regulation of cell morphogenesis, bipolar cell growth, chemotropism, tube development, and cell-cell fusion. It is linked to cortical cytoskeleton organization, cell wall modification, and the regulation of exocytosis, vesicle-mediated transport, and endocytic recycling. The product localizes to the hyphal tip polarisome, Spitzenkörper, exocytic vesicles, and the 1,3-beta-glucan synthase complex. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to virulence modulation, including hypervirulence and loss of pathogenicity, though these associations are not established for N. crassa.