title: Signaling crosstalk: integrating nutrient availability and sex.
abstract: In yeast, the mating response pathway is activated when a peptide pheromone binds to a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptor, which leads to the activation of a mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade and the stimulation of mating behavior. However, when nutrients in the environment are limiting, stimulation of the mating response would be maladaptive. A study indicates that the signaling pathways that respond to nutrient availability dampen the mating response by directly phosphorylating Gpa1, the G protein α subunit that initiates the mating response pathway. Snf1, the yeast homolog of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, is a highly conserved kinase that maintains energy homeostasis in response to nutrient limitation. The study found that the upstream kinases and phosphatase that control the activity of Snf1 also act on Gpa1 and provide a direct means to coordinate cell behavior and integrate the mating response with nutrient sensing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA. mcs2@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Martin C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000502:physiology; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C048632:MF(ALPHA)1 protein, S cerevisiae; D011498:Protein Precursors; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C071570:SNF1-related protein kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C084293:GPA1 protein, S cerevisiae; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11