Nutritional and growth control of ribosomal protein mRNA and rRNA in Neurospora crassa

The effects of changing growth rates on the levels of 40S pre-rRNA and two r-protein mRNAs were examined to gain insight into the coordinate transcriptional regulation of ribosomal genes in the ascomycete fungus Neurospora crassa. Growth rates were varied either by altering carbon nutritional conditions, or by subjecting the isolates to inositol-limiting conditions. During carbon up- or down-shifts, r-protein mRNA levels were stoichiometrically coordinated. Changes in 40S pre-rRNA levels paralleled those of the r-protein mRNAs but in a non-stoichiometric manner. Comparison of crp-2 mRNA levels with those of a crp-2::qa-2 fusion gene indicated no major effect from changes in crp-2 mRNA stability. Crp-2 promoter mutagenesis experiments revealed that two elements of the crp-2 promoter, -95 to -83 bp (Dde box) and -74 to -66 bp (CG repeat) important for transcription under constant growth conditions, are also critical for transcriptional regulation by a carbon source. Ribosomal protein mRNA and rRNA levels were unaffected by changes in growth rates when the cultures were grown under inositol-limiting conditions, suggesting that, under these conditions, transcription of the ribosomal genes in N.crassa was regulated independently of growth rate.