AREA — Schizosaccharomyces pombe 972h-

Summary

SPCC1902.01 (AREA, also known as gaf1) on chromosome 3 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe encodes a GATA transcription factor with DNA-binding transcription activator and repressor activity specific to RNA polymerase II. It is associated with the regulation of nitrogen utilization, nitrate assimilation, arginine breakdown, TOR and TORC1 signaling, response to starvation, cell growth regulation, G1 phase, sporulation, mating, translation, dephosphorylation, detoxification, and chromatin modeling. The gene is linked to numerous phenotypes including increased entry into G0, increased survival in stationary phase, increased resistance to hydrostatic pressure, X-rays, alkaline pH, cold, and osmotic stress, as well as abnormal autophagy and pexophagy, decreased apoptosis, and altered fermentative and respiratory metabolism. It localizes to the nucleus, cytoplasm, cytosol, and cell division site. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to nitrogen content, nitrate transport, and virulence.