Characterization of the formate (for) locus, which encodes the cytosolic serine hydroxymethyl-transferase of Neurospora crassa

Serine hydroxymethyl-transferase (SHMT) occupies a central position in one-carbon (C sub(1)) metabolism, catalyzing the reaction of serine and tetrahydrofolate to yield glycine and 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate. Methylene-tetrahydrofolate serves as a donor of C sub(1) units for the synthesis of numerous compounds, including purines, thymidylate, lipids, and methionine. We provide evidence that the formate (for) locus of Neurospora crassa) encodes cytosolic SHMT. The for super(+) gene encodes a polypeptide of 479 amino acids which shows significant similarity to amino acid sequences of SHMT from bacterial and mammalian sources (47 and 60% amino acid identity, respectively). The for super(+) mRNA has several different start and stop sites.