Cloning of the sterol C-14 reductase gene of the tomato pathogenic fungus Septoria lycopersici and its complementation of the erg-3 mutation of Neurospora crassa

Abstract

We have cloned the erg-3 gene, which encodes the ergosterol biosynthetic enzyme sterol C-14 reductase, from the tomato pathogenic fungusSeptoria lycopersici. Its nucleotide sequence, reported here, encodes a 512-amino-acid polypeptide with 54% sequence identity to sterol C-14 reductase ofNeurospora crassa. TheSeptoria gene complemented the pisatin-sensitive, tomatine-resistant and female-sterile phenotypes of a Neurospora erg-3 mutant.