Regulation of polarized growth initiation and termination cycles by the polarisome and Cdc42 regulators.
The dynamic regulation of polarized cell growth allows cells to form structures of defined size and shape. We have studied the regulation of polarized growth using mating yeast as a model. Haploid yeast cells treated with high concentration of pheromone form successive mating projections that initiate and terminate growth with regular periodicity. The mechanisms that control the frequency of growth initiation and termination under these conditions are not well understood. We found that the polarisome components Spa2, Pea2, and Bni1 and the Cdc42 regulators Cdc24 and Bem3 control the timing and frequency of projection formation. Loss of polarisome components and mutation of Cdc24 decrease the frequency of projection formation, while loss of Bem3 increases the frequency of projection formation. We found that polarisome components and the cell fusion proteins Fus1 and Fus2 are important for the termination of projection growth. Our results define the first molecular regulators that control the timing of growth initiation and termination during eukaryotic cell differentiation.
Bidlingmaier
Scott
S
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.
Snyder
Michael
M
D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D002459:Cell Fusion; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005838:Genotype; D000072235:Mating Factor; D010455:Peptides / Q000502:physiology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
D010455:Peptides; D000072235:Mating Factor; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein