title: The role of Cdc42 in signal transduction and mating of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: The small G-protein Cdc42 functions in many eukaryotic signal transduction pathways. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cells with defective Cdc42 fail to induce mating-specific genes in response to mating factor and to adopt the proper morphology for conjugation. Here we show that the failure of mating factor-induced transcription is largely the indirect result of arrest at a specific cell cycle position and/or the accumulation of high levels of the Cln1/2-Cdc28 kinase, a known repressor of mating factor signal transduction. Cdc42-defective cells with restored transcriptional induction have a partially restored mating ability but are still defective in the morphological response to mating factor. These results show that Cdc42 is not required for transduction of the mating factor signal per se but that it is essential for proper mating factor-induced morphogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Oehlen
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Cross
mesh_terms: D017489:CDC28 Protein Kinase, S cerevisiae / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D016213:Cyclins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005838:Genotype; D000072235:Mating Factor; D009024:Morphogenesis; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010675:Pheromones / Q000494:pharmacology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D020846:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
chemical_list: C082719:CLN1 protein, S cerevisiae; C082721:CLN2 protein, S cerevisiae; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D016213:Cyclins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D010675:Pheromones; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D000072235:Mating Factor; D017489:CDC28 Protein Kinase, S cerevisiae; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D020846:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein, Saccharomyces cerevisiae