title: Characterization of a Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant deficient in UDP-galactose transport activity.
abstract: In fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the carbohydrate components of the cell wall consist of galactomannan, unlike in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We previously found that the disruption of gms1+, a gene encoding the UDP-galactose transporter required for the synthesis of galactomannan, led to the complete defect of cell surface galactosylation in Sz. pombe. The Deltagms1 strain is therefore useful for the analysis of physiological properties of galactose residues in Sz. pombe. The deletion strain of gms1+ was viable; however, itshowed an aberrant cell morphology and increased sensitivities to digestion with beta-glucanase and to various drugs, such as hygromycin B, sodium orthovanadate and Calcofluor white. A reduction of galactomannan layers of the cell wall in the Deltagms1 strain was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopic analyses. The addition of osmotic stabilizer suppressed the morphologic defect of the Deltagms1 cells, while other phenotypes were weakly suppressed. The Deltagms1 (h90) strain was incapable of sexual conjugation during nutritional starvation. These results suggest that the cell surface galactosylation is required not only for non-sexual flocculation but also for sexual conjugation in Sz. pombe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Kagawa University, Miki-cho, Kagawa 761-0795, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Konomi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osumi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takegawa
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006031:Glycosylation; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013012:Sorbitol; D014531:Uridine Diphosphate Galactose / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099237:UDP-Galactose Translocators
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; D013012:Sorbitol; D014531:Uridine Diphosphate Galactose; D000099237:UDP-Galactose Translocators