Abstract

A gene (ERG11) encoding cytochrome P450 sterol 14α-demethylase (P45014DM) was isolated from the maize pathogen, Ustilago maydis, by amplifying part of the coding region of the gene using PCR and by employing the amplified DNA fragment as a hybridization probe to recover the complete gene from an U. maydisλEMBL3 genomic library. The deduced amino acid sequence of the U. maydis gene showed homology to P45014DMs from other organisms and contained specific motifs which were hallmarks of P450s. Expression of the gene in an U. maydis mutant (A20) deficient in P45014DM led to only a partial restoration of P45014DM activity. Accumulation of ergosta-7,22-dienol and ergost-7-enol in A20 transformants containing the ERG11 gene implied that an additional mutation affecting sterol Δ5,6-desaturase activity accompanied the P45014DM lesion.

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