title: Mutations in cyr1 and pat1 reveal pheromone-induced G1 arrest in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
abstract: Investigations into sexual differentiation and pheromone response in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe are complicated by the need to first starve the cells of nitrogen. Most mating-related experiments are therefore performed on non-dividing cells. Here we overcome this problem by using two mutants that bypass the nutritional requirements and respond to the M-factor mating pheromone in rich medium. The first mutant lacks the cyr1 gene which encodes adenylate cyclase and these cells contain no measurable amounts of cAMP. When M-factor is added to a growing h+ cyr1- strain it causes a transient G1 arrest of cell division, transcription of mat1-Pm, and elongation of the cells to form shmoos. The second mutant contains the temperature-sensitive pat1-114 allele. At 30 degrees C this mutant was previously shown not only to bypass the nutritional signal but also to stop growing in a state derepressed for pheromone-controlled functions. We now report that an h+ pat1-114 strain growing mitotically at 23 degrees C responds to M-factor. This shows that the pat1 protein kinase can be tuned to derepress nutritional signalling while repressing the other stages in the differentiation process.
authors.affiliation: School of Biochemistry, University of Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D002455:Cell Division; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D016193:G1 Phase; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D007700:Kinetics; D000072235:Mating Factor; D016296:Mutagenesis; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D010675:Pheromones / Q000235:genetics; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D010675:Pheromones; D000072235:Mating Factor; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases