ABSTRACT. The RNA biogenesis machinery of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was assessed by comparative analyses of PbAESTs (P. brasiliensis assembled expressed sequence tags (ESTs)) with sequences from Saccharomyces cerevisiae MIPS database. PbAESTs related to almost all categories of S. cerevisiae RNA biogenesis were found. Two of the 12 S. cerevisiae RNA Pol II core subunits, Rpb3 and Rpb7, were found, probably reflecting the growth phase from which the cDNA libraries used in ESTs generation were constructed, as well as the low abundance of some of these transcripts. We have also found orthologs to TATA-box-binding protein (TBP), and at least one subunit of each TBP-associated factors (TFII) in P. brasiliensis transcriptome, except TFIIB. Genes associated to the chromatin remodeling complex, as well as transcription factors probably involved in the control of genes associated to a sexual cycle and virulence, were also identified. With respect to the pre-mRNA processing, 65 PbAEST orthologs to S. cerevisiae basal splicing machinery and 21 orthologs of 5’- and 3’-end formation processes were found. Components involved in RNA interference were detected, suggesting that this gene expression regulation mechanism is probably used by P. brasiliensis. Twelve PbAESTs related to Pol I and Pol III machineries were assigned as S. cerevisiae orthologs. Finally, 25 and 10 PbAESTs associated to rRNA and tRNA processing, respectively, were detected. Taken together, our results enable us to depict, for the first time, a global view of transcription and RNA processing in P. brasiliensis.

Key words: Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Transcriptome analysis, Expressed sequence tag, Transcription, RNA modifications, Splicing