Functional conservation between Schizosaccharomyces pombe ste8 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE11 protein kinases in yeast signal transduction

TY - JOUR

T1 - Functional conservation between Schizosaccharomyces pombe ste8 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE11 protein kinases in yeast signal transduction

AU - Styrkársdóttir, U

AU - Egel, R

AU - Nielsen, O

AU - Nielsen, Olaf

PY - 1992/10/1

Y1 - 1992/10/1

N2 - In fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), the mat1-Pm gene, which is required for entry into meiosis, is expressed in response to a pheromone signal. Cells carrying a mutation in the ste8 gene are unable to induce transcription of mat1-Pm in response to pheromone, suggesting that the ste8 gene product functions in the signal transduction pathway. The ste8+ gene encodes a 659 amino acid putative protein kinase, which is identical to the previously identified byr2 suppressor of the ras1 defect. Furthermore, ste8+ is highly homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE11 gene, which functions in signal transduction in budding yeast. Expression of the S. cerevisiae STE11 gene in S. pombe ste8 mutants restores the ability to transcribe mat1-Pm in response to pheromone. Also, such cells become capable of conjugation and sporulation. When mat1-Pm is artifically expressed from a heterologous promoter, ste8 mutant cells will enter meiosis. This demonstrates that the meiotic defect of ste8 mutants is due to the absence of the mat1-Pm gene product.

AB - In fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), the mat1-Pm gene, which is required for entry into meiosis, is expressed in response to a pheromone signal. Cells carrying a mutation in the ste8 gene are unable to induce transcription of mat1-Pm in response to pheromone, suggesting that the ste8 gene product functions in the signal transduction pathway. The ste8+ gene encodes a 659 amino acid putative protein kinase, which is identical to the previously identified byr2 suppressor of the ras1 defect. Furthermore, ste8+ is highly homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE11 gene, which functions in signal transduction in budding yeast. Expression of the S. cerevisiae STE11 gene in S. pombe ste8 mutants restores the ability to transcribe mat1-Pm in response to pheromone. Also, such cells become capable of conjugation and sporulation. When mat1-Pm is artifically expressed from a heterologous promoter, ste8 mutant cells will enter meiosis. This demonstrates that the meiotic defect of ste8 mutants is due to the absence of the mat1-Pm gene product.

KW - Amino Acid Sequence

KW - Base Sequence

KW - Biological Evolution

KW - Blotting, Northern

KW - DNA, Fungal

KW - Fungal Proteins

KW - Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal

KW - Genetic Complementation Test

KW - MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases

KW - Molecular Sequence Data

KW - Mutation

KW - Protein-Tyrosine Kinases

KW - Restriction Mapping

KW - Saccharomyces cerevisiae

KW - Schizosaccharomyces

KW - Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins

KW - Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

KW - Signal Transduction

KW - Transcription, Genetic

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 1435723

SN - 0026-8925

VL - 235

SP - 122

EP - 130

JO - Molecular and General Genetics MGG

JF - Molecular and General Genetics MGG

IS - 1

ER -