title: Pheromone-regulated sumoylation of transcription factors that mediate the invasive to mating developmental switch in yeast.
abstract: A fundamental question in biology is how different signaling pathways use common signaling proteins to attain different developmental outcomes. The yeast transcription factor Ste12 is required in at least two distinct signaling processes, each regulated by many of the same protein kinases. Whereas Ste12-Ste12 homodimers promote transcription of genes required for mating, Ste12-Tec1 heterodimers activate genes required for invasive growth. We report that Ste12 and Tec1 undergo covalent modification by the ubiquitin-related modifier SUMO. Stimulation by mating pheromone promotes sumoylation of Ste12 and diminishes the sumoylation of Tec1. In the absence of sumoylation Tec1 is more rapidly degraded. We propose that pheromone-regulated sumoylation of Ste12 and Tec1 promotes a developmental switch from the invasive to the mating differentiation program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7260, USA.
authors.forename: Yuqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Henrik G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Dohlman
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D019281:Dimerization; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D010675:Pheromones; C489241:STE12 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins; C069926:TEC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025801:Ubiquitin; D004247:DNA; C075580:FUS3 protein, S cerevisiae; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases