{
  "abstract": "The Sk-3 selfish genetic element in Neurospora fungi is transmitted to offspring in a biased manner through spore killing. In crosses between an Sk-3 strain and a Spore killing-sensitive (Sk-S) strain, nearly all offspring that fail to inherit Sk-3 are killed. Although a mutation called rfk-2UV, which disrupts spore killing by Sk-3, was isolated in an earlier work, its precise location within the Sk-3 element was not identified. Here, we demonstrate that rfk-2UV is a T>G transversion mutation within a protein coding gene called rfk-2. The rfk-2 gene is located on Chromosome III, and it encodes a transcript that undergoes RNA splicing and at least two RNA editing events. One of these editing events changes a UAG stop codon to a UGG tryptophan codon and allows for production of a 102 amino acid protein. Additionally, while our results demonstrate that rfk-2 is required for spore killing, they also show that it is insufficient for the process. Sk-3 is thus more complex than previously anticipated. Rather than using a single gene to produce its killer, Sk-3 requires multiple genes to kill spores and break the rules of Mendelian Inheritance.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Illinois State University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "S. Sultana"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Mahmud"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Jazireian"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Lohmar"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. Brown"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "T. M. Hammond"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. Rhoades"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4tx93evkvjc7h.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.07.749943",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.07.749943v1.full",
  "id": "4tx93evkvjc7h",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.07.749943v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "genetics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Fungal and yeast genetics research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212453516",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.07.749943v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-07",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4tx93evkvjc7h.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:51Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.07.749943",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.07.749943v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:genetics",
      "subfield": "genetics-genomics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Molecular characterization of required for killing-2: a gene required for spore killing by Neurospora Sk-3.",
  "title_text": "Molecular characterization of required for killing-2: a gene required for spore killing by Neurospora Sk-3.",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:51Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4tx93evkvjc7h",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}