Light-regulated protein and poly(A)+ mRNA synthesis in Neurospora crassa

We have examined the effect of illumination upon the patterns of protein synthesis in the filamentous ascomycete Neurospora crassa by pulse labelling and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Light did not affect overall rates of protein synthesis but did induce the synthesis of six novel polypeptides whose appearance followed a temporally regulated pattern. When translation products of mRNA from illuminated cultures and dark control cultures were compared it was found that the synthesis of five out of six of the polypeptides specific to illuminated cultures could be seen in vitro. We believe that this is consistent with the hypothesis that light regulates the transcription of some genes in N. crassa, although we cannot exclude effects on mRNA stability or the control of precursor splicing.