The ATP synthase subunit 9 gene of Aspergillus nidulans: sequence and transcription

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of the Aspergillus nidulans nuclear gene oliC31, which encodes subunit 9 of mitochondrial ATP synthase. The open reading frame contains no introns and specifies a predicted protein of 143 amino acids comprising a pre-sequence of 62 residues and a mature protein of 81 residues. The amino acid homology with the equivalent Neurospora crassa protein is 50% for the pre-sequence and 80% for the mature protein. A comparison with this and other imported mitochondrial proteins has revealed conserved regions which may be important for transport or subsequent processing. Multiple transcription initiation and polyadenylation sites have been identified. The promoter region of the oliC31 gene is characterised by long pyrimidine-rich tracts preceding the transcription initiation sites.