Abstract
We previously identified two genes, mfm1 and mfm2, with the potential to encode the M-factor mating pheromone of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (J. Davey, EMBO J. 11:951-960, 1992), but further analysis revealed that a mutant strain lacking both genes still produced active M-factor. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of a third M-factor gene, mfm3. A mutant lacking all three genes fails to produce M-factor, indicating that all functional M-factor genes now have been identified. The triple mutant exhibits an absolute mating defect in M cells, a defect that is not rescued by addition of exogenous M-factor. A mutational analysis reveals that all three mfm genes contribute to the production of M-factor. Their transcription is limited to M cells and requires the mat1-Mc and ste11 gene products. Each gene is induced when the cells are starved of nitrogen and further induced by a pheromone signal. Additionally, the signal transduction machinery associated with the pheromone response is required for transcription of the mfm genes in both stimulated and unstimulated cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Molecular and Cellular Biology |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Pages (from-to) | 3895-905 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| ISSN | 0270-7306 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 1994 |
Keywords
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Base Sequence
- Cloning, Molecular
- Conserved Sequence
- DNA Primers
- Genes, Fungal
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Mutagenesis
- Open Reading Frames
- Peptide Biosynthesis
- Peptides
- Pheromones
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Restriction Mapping
- Schizosaccharomyces
- Sequence Deletion
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
- Transcription, Genetic