Therefore, the role of the RING-finger peroxins in meiosis is not conserved in filamentous ascomycetes. Peroxisomes are organelles found in eukaryotic cells and contain a variety of proteins, including enzymes for the β-oxidation of fatty acids and, often, the glyoxylate cycle (reviewed in Platta & Erdmann, 2007). Nuclear-encoded proteins are transported across the peroxisomal membrane

selleckchem into the matrix. There are two predominant classes of peroxisomal targeting sequences (PTSs) that determine matrix targeting – a C-terminal tripeptide (PTS1) present in the majority of proteins targeted to peroxisomes (Brocard & Hartig, 2006) and a less common PTS2 N-terminal sequence (Petriv et al., 2004). Proteins called peroxins, encoded by pex genes, are required

for the biogenesis and proliferation of peroxisomes and for the import of matrix proteins. Genome sequencing has shown that fungal peroxins are conserved across eukaryotic phyla (Kiel et al., 2006; Kiel & van der Klei, www.selleckchem.com/products/PF-2341066.html 2009). Many peroxins are peroxisomal membrane proteins (PMPs) while others are soluble cycling receptors that recognize proteins resulting in import. Pex5 is the specific receptor for the import of PTS1 proteins, while Pex7/Pex20 comprise the receptor for PTS2 proteins. After docking at the membrane and release of cargo proteins into the peroxisome, Pex5 and Pex7 receptors must be recycled to the cytoplasm by specific peroxins such as Pex1 and Pex6. A large complex of PMPs forms the importomer required for the import of all matrix proteins (Rayapuram & Subramani, 2006). These include Pex14 and Pex13, which form the docking complex that interacts with Pex5 and Pex7, and also include the RING-finger complex proteins, Pex2, Pex10 and Pex12. In the fungus Podospora anserina, a heterothallic Sordariomycete, it why has been found that loss-of-function mutations in the genes encoding the RING-finger peroxins result in an inability to grow on oleic acid as the carbon source and no import of PTS1- or PTS2-containing proteins. However, an additional phenotype is observed.

In homozygous crosses with deletions of pex2, pex10 or pex12, no meiotic spores (ascospores) are produced due to a complete absence of meiosis resulting from a block at the dikaryotic stage (Berteaux-Lecellier et al., 1995; Peraza-Reyes et al., 2008). It appears that this phenotype is not correlated with a loss of protein import because homozygous crosses with pex5 pex7 double deletion strains, lacking both PTS1 and PTS2 receptors, are capable of meiosis (Bonnet et al., 2006). Therefore, a specific role for the RING-finger complex, independent of peroxisome function, has been suggested (Peraza-Reyes et al., 2008). We have studied pex mutants in Aspergillus nidulans (Hynes et al., 2008). This species is in the class Eurotiomycetes and differs from the Sordariomycete P.