Summary: The fluffy (fl) gene of Neurospora crassa is required for asexual sporulation and encodes an 88 kDa polypeptide containing a typical fungal Zn₂Cys₆ DNA‐binding motif. Identification of genes regulated by fl will provide insight into how fungi regulate growth during morphogenesis. As a step towards identifying the target genes on which FL may act, we sought to define target sequences to which the FL protein binds. The DNA binding domain of FL was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion with glutathione S‐transferase (GST) and purified using glutathione‐sepharose affinity chromatography. The DNA binding sites were selected and amplified by means of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐mediated random‐site selection method involving affinity bead‐binding and gel mobility shift analysis. Sequencing and comparison of the selected clones suggested that FL binds to the motif 5′‐CGG(N)₉CCG‐3′. A potential binding site was found in the promoter region of the eas (ccg‐2) gene, which encodes a fungal hydrophobin. In vitro competitive binding assays revealed a preferred binding site for FL in the eas promoter, 5′‐CGGAAGTTTC CTCCG‐3′, which is located 1498 bp upstream of the eas translation initiation codon. In vivo experiments using a foreign DNA sequence tag also confirmed that this sequence resides in a region required for FL regulation. In addition, yeast one hybrid experiments demonstrated that the C‐terminal portion of FL functions in transcriptional activation. Transcriptional profiling was used to identify additional potential targets for regulation by fl.

Black rot disease in orchids is caused by the water mold Phytophthora palmivora. To gain better biocontrol performance, several factors affecting growth and antifungal substance production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa RS1 were verified. These factors include type and pH of media, temperature, and time for antifungal production. The results showed that the best conditions for P. aeruginosa RS1 to produce the active compounds was cultivating the bacteria in Luria-Bertani medium at pH 7.0 for 21 h at 37 °C. The culture filtrate was subjected to stepwise ammonium sulfate precipitation. The precipitated proteins from the 40% to 80% fraction showed antifungal activity and were further purified by column chromatography. The eluted proteins from fractions 9–10 and 33–34 had the highest antifungal activity at about 75% and 82% inhibition, respectively. SDS-PAGE revealed that the 9–10 fraction contained mixed proteins with molecular weights of 54 kDa, 32 kDa, and 20 kDa, while the 33–34 fraction contained mixed proteins with molecular weights of 40 kDa, 32 kDa, and 29 kDa. Each band of the proteins was analyzed by LC/MS to identify the protein. The result from Spectrum Modeler indicated that these proteins were closed similarly to three groups of the following proteins; catalase, chitin binding protein, and protease. Morphological study under scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the partially purified proteins from P. aeruginosa RS1 caused abnormal growth and hypha elongation in P. palmivora. The bacteria and/or these proteins may be useful for controlling black rot disease caused by P. palmivora in orchid orchards.