title: Schizosaccharomyces japonicus: the fission yeast is a fusion of yeast and hyphae.
abstract: The clade of Schizosaccharomyces includes 4 species: S. pombe, S. octosporus, S. cryophilus, and S. japonicus. Although all 4 species exhibit unicellular growth with a binary fission mode of cell division, S. japonicus alone is dimorphic yeast, which can transit from unicellular yeast to long filamentous hyphae. Recently it was found that the hyphal cells response to light and then synchronously activate cytokinesis of hyphae. In addition to hyphal growth, S. japonicas has many properties that aren't shared with other fission yeast. Mitosis of S. japonicas is referred to as semi-open mitosis because dynamics of nuclear membrane is an intermediate mode between open mitosis and closed mitosis. Novel genetic tools and the whole genomic sequencing of S. japonicas now provide us with an opportunity for revealing unique characters of the dimorphic yeast.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Genetics Laboratory, Genetic Strains Research Centre, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan; Department of Genetics, Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan.
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niki
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D025301:Hyphae / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D008027:Light; D008540:Meiosis; D008938:Mitosis; D010802:Phylogeny; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
keywords: Schizosaccharomyces; bioresource; dimorphic yeast; light response; mitosis