scholarly journals A Role for a Protease in Morphogenic Responses during Yeast Cell Fusion

1998 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
pp. 1473-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Elia ◽  
Lorraine Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fusion ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Small Gtpase ◽  
Mating Types ◽  
Cell Wall Degradation ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Pheromone Signaling ◽  
Bud Site ◽  
Inducible Gene

Cell fusion during yeast mating provides a model for signaling-controlled changes at the cell surface. We identified the AXL1 gene in a screen for genes required for cell fusion in both mating types during mating. AXL1 is a pheromone-inducible gene required for axial bud site selection in haploid yeast and for proteolytic maturation of a-factor. Two other bud site selection genes, RSR1, encoding a small GTPase, and BUD3, were also required for efficient cell fusion. Based on double mutant analysis, AXL1 in a MATα strain acted genetically in the same pathway with FUS2, a fusion-dedicated gene. Electron microscopy of axl1, rsr1, and fus2 prezygotes revealed similar defects in nuclear migration, vesicle accumulation, cell wall degradation, and membrane fusion during cell fusion. The axl1 and rsr1 mutants exhibited defects in pheromone-induced morphogenesis. AXL1 protease function was required in MATα strains for fusion during mating. The ability of the Rsr1p GTPase to cycle was required for efficient cell fusion, as it is for bud site selection. During conjugation, vegetative functions may be redeployed under the control of pheromone signaling for mating purposes. Since Rsr1p has been reported to physically associate with Cdc24p and Bem1p components of the pheromone response pathway, we suggest that the bud site selection genes Rsr1p and Axl1p may act to mediate pheromone control of Fus2p-based fusion events during mating.

scholarly journals Interactions between the ankyrin repeat-containing protein Akr1p and the pheromone response pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
L R Kao ◽  
J Peterson ◽  
R Ji ◽  
L Bender ◽  
A Bender
Keyword(s):  
G Protein ◽  
Synthetic Lethality ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Multicopy Suppressor ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Bud Emergence ◽  
Pheromone Signaling ◽  
Two Hybrid ◽  
Inducible Gene

Akr1p, which contains six ankyrin repeats, was identified during a screen for mutations that displayed synthetic lethality with a mutant allele of the bud emergence gene BEM1. Cells from which AKR1 had been deleted were alive but misshapen at 30 degrees C and inviable at 37 degrees C. During a screen for mutants that required one or more copies of wild-type AKR1 for survival at 30 degrees C, we isolated mutations in GPA1, which encodes the G alpha subunit of the pheromone receptor-coupled G protein. (The active subunit of this G protein is G beta gamma, and G alpha plays an inhibitory role in G beta gamma-mediated signal transduction.) AKR1 could serve as a multicopy suppressor of the lethality caused by either loss of GPA1 or overexpression of STE4, which encodes the G beta subunit of this G protein, suggesting that pheromone signaling is inhibited by overexpression of Akr1p. Mutations in AKR1 displayed synthetic lethality with a weak allele of GPA1 and led to increased expression of the pheromone-inducible gene FUS1, suggesting that Akr1p normally (and not just when overexpressed) inhibits signaling. In contrast, deletion of BEM1 resulted in decreased expression of FUS1, suggesting that Bem1p normally facilitates pheromone signaling. During a screen for proteins that displayed two-hybrid interactions with Akr1p, we identified Ste4p, raising the possibility that an interaction between Akr1p and Ste4p contributes to proper regulation of the pheromone response pathway.

scholarly journals Prey sensing and response in a nematode-trapping fungus is governed by the MAPK pheromone response pathway

Genetics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 217 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng-An Chen ◽  
Hung-Che Lin ◽  
Frank C Schroeder ◽  
Yen-Ping Hsueh
Keyword(s):  
Mapk Pathway ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Molecular Signature ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Interspecies Interactions ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Pheromone Signaling

Abstract Detection of surrounding organisms in the environment plays a major role in the evolution of interspecies interactions, such as predator–prey relationships. Nematode-trapping fungi (NTF) are predators that develop specialized trap structures to capture, kill, and consume nematodes when food sources are limited. Despite the identification of various factors that induce trap morphogenesis, the mechanisms underlying the differentiation process have remained largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the highly conserved pheromone-response MAPK pathway is essential for sensing ascarosides, a conserved molecular signature of nemaotdes, and is required for the predatory lifestyle switch in the NTF Arthrobotrys oligospora. Gene deletion of STE7 (MAPKK) and FUS3 (MAPK) abolished nematode-induced trap morphogenesis and conidiation and impaired the growth of hyphae. The conserved transcription factor Ste12 acting downstream of the pheromone-response pathway also plays a vital role in the predation of A. oligospora. Transcriptional profiling of a ste12 mutant identified a small subset of genes with diverse functions that are Ste12 dependent and could trigger trap differentiation. Our work has revealed that A. oligospora perceives and interprets the ascarosides produced by nematodes via the conserved pheromone signaling pathway in fungi, providing molecular insights into the mechanisms of communication between a fungal predator and its nematode prey.

scholarly journals MAPK modulation of yeast pheromone signaling output and the role of phosphorylation sites in the scaffold protein Ste5

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1037-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Winters ◽  
Peter M. Pryciak
Keyword(s):  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Scaffold Protein ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Phosphorylation Sites ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Negative Feedback Loops ◽  
Pheromone Signaling ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) mediate numerous eukaryotic signaling responses. They also can modulate their own signaling output via positive or negative feedback loops. In the yeast pheromone response pathway, the MAPK Fus3 triggers negative feedback that dampens its own activity. One target of this feedback is Ste5, a scaffold protein that promotes Fus3 activation. Binding of Fus3 to a docking motif (D motif) in Ste5 causes signal dampening, which was proposed to involve a central cluster of phosphorylation sites in Ste5. Here, we reanalyzed the role of these central sites. Contrary to prior claims, phosphorylation-mimicking mutations at these sites did not impair signaling. Also, the hyperactive signaling previously observed when these sites were mutated to nonphosphorylatable residues arose from their replacement with valine residues and was not observed with other substitutes. Instead, a cluster of N-terminal sites in Ste5, not the central sites, is required for the rapid dampening of initial responses. Further results suggest that the role of the Fus3 D motif is most simply explained by a tethering effect that promotes Ste5 phosphorylation, rather than an allosteric effect proposed to regulate Fus3 activity. These findings substantially revise our understanding of how MAPK feedback attenuates scaffold-mediated signaling in this model pathway.

Pheromonal regulation and sequence of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SST2 gene: a model for desensitization to pheromone

1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 4169-4177
Author(s):  
C Dietzel ◽  
J Kurjan
Keyword(s):  
Copy Number ◽  
Open Reading Frame ◽  
Mating Types ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Functional Region ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Low Copy Number ◽  
Dna Fragment ◽  
Beta Galactosidase

Strains of both haploid mating types containing sst2 mutations are altered in response to pheromone; MATa sst2 cells are supersensitive to alpha-factor, and MAT alpha sst2 cells are supersensitive to a-factor. This phenotype suggests that SST2 encodes a component of the pheromone response pathway that is common to both mating types. We have cloned the SST2 gene by isolation of multicopy plasmids that complement the sst2-1 mutation. One such plasmid contained a 4.5-kilobase HindIII fragment that was able to complement the sst2-1 mutation in high or low copy number, integrated at the SST2 locus, and resulted in an sst2 phenotype when disrupted, indicating that this fragment contained the SST2 gene. We identified the functional region of the complementing DNA fragment by transposon mutagenesis. Sequencing of this fragment identified an open reading frame encoding 698 amino acids at a position that correlated well with the functional region. Expression of an Sst2-beta-galactosidase fusion was haploid specific and induced by exposure to pheromone. We discuss a model in which induction of the SST2 product results in inhibition of a component of the pheromone response pathway, resulting in desensitization to pheromone.

scholarly journals Pheromonal regulation and sequence of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SST2 gene: a model for desensitization to pheromone.

1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 4169-4177 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Dietzel ◽  
J Kurjan
Keyword(s):  
Copy Number ◽  
Open Reading Frame ◽  
Mating Types ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Functional Region ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Low Copy Number ◽  
Dna Fragment ◽  
Beta Galactosidase

Strains of both haploid mating types containing sst2 mutations are altered in response to pheromone; MATa sst2 cells are supersensitive to alpha-factor, and MAT alpha sst2 cells are supersensitive to a-factor. This phenotype suggests that SST2 encodes a component of the pheromone response pathway that is common to both mating types. We have cloned the SST2 gene by isolation of multicopy plasmids that complement the sst2-1 mutation. One such plasmid contained a 4.5-kilobase HindIII fragment that was able to complement the sst2-1 mutation in high or low copy number, integrated at the SST2 locus, and resulted in an sst2 phenotype when disrupted, indicating that this fragment contained the SST2 gene. We identified the functional region of the complementing DNA fragment by transposon mutagenesis. Sequencing of this fragment identified an open reading frame encoding 698 amino acids at a position that correlated well with the functional region. Expression of an Sst2-beta-galactosidase fusion was haploid specific and induced by exposure to pheromone. We discuss a model in which induction of the SST2 product results in inhibition of a component of the pheromone response pathway, resulting in desensitization to pheromone.

scholarly journals Mot3, a Zn Finger Transcription Factor That Modulates Gene Expression and Attenuates Mating Pheromone Signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 879-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatoly V Grishin ◽  
Michael Rothenberg ◽  
Maureen A Downs ◽  
Kendall J Blumer
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
G Protein ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Mating Pheromone ◽  
Pheromone Signaling ◽  
Yeast Genes

Abstract In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mating pheromone response is initiated by activation of a G protein- and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-dependent signaling pathway and attenuated by several mechanisms that promote adaptation or desensitization. To identify genes whose products negatively regulate pheromone signaling, we screened for mutations that suppress the hyperadaptive phenotype of wild-type cells overexpressing signaling-defective G protein β subunits. This identified recessive mutations in MOT3, which encodes a nuclear protein with two Cys2-His2 Zn fingers. MOT3 was found to be a dosage-dependent inhibitor of pheromone response and pheromone-induced gene expression and to require an intact signaling pathway to exert its effects. Several results suggested that Mot3 attenuates expression of pheromone-responsive genes by mechanisms distinct from those used by the negative transcriptional regulators Cdc36, Cdc39, and Mot2. First, a Mot3-lexA fusion functions as a transcriptional activator. Second, Mot3 is a dose-dependent activator of several genes unrelated to pheromone response, including CYC1, SUC2, and LEU2. Third, insertion of consensus Mot3 binding sites (C/A/T)AGG(T/C)A activates a promoter in a MOT3-dependent manner. These findings, and the fact that consensus binding sites are found in the 5′ flanking regions of many yeast genes, suggest that Mot3 is a globally acting transcriptional regulator. We hypothesize that Mot3 regulates expression of factors that attenuate signaling by the pheromone response pathway.

scholarly journals SEC3 Mutations Are Synthetically Lethal With Profilin Mutations and Cause Defects in Diploid-Specific Bud-Site Selection

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 495-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
B K Haarer ◽  
A Corbett ◽  
Y Kweon ◽  
A S Petzold ◽  
P Silver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Synthetic Lethal ◽  
Abnormal Growth ◽  
Colony Color ◽  
Synthetically Lethal ◽  
Homozygous Diploid ◽  
Bud Site ◽  
Wild Type Yeast

Abstract Replacement of the wild-type yeast profilin gene (PFY1) with a mutated form (pfy1-111) that has codon 72 changed to encode glutamate rather than arginine results in defects similar to, but less severe than, those that result from complete deletion of the profilin gene. We have used a colony color-sectoring assay to identify mutations that cause pfy1-111, but not wild-type, cells to be inviable. These profilin synthetic lethal (psl) mutations result in various degrees of abnormal growth, morphology, and temperature sensitivity in PFY1 cells. We have examined psl1 strains in the most detail. Interestingly, these strains display a diploid-specific defect in bud-site selection; haploid strains bud normally, while homozygous diploid strains show a dramatic increase in random budding. We discovered that PSL1 is the late secretory gene, SEC3, and have found that mutations in several other late secretory genes are also synthetically lethal with pfy1-111. Our results are likely to reflect an interdependence between the actin cytoskeleton and secretory processes in directing cell polarity and growth. Moreover, they indicate that the secretory pathway is especially crucial for maintaining budding polarity in diploids.

scholarly journals Signal-mediated localization of Candida albicans pheromone response pathway components

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Carolina Borges Pereira Costa ◽  
Raha Parvizi Omran ◽  
Chris Law ◽  
Vanessa Dumeaux ◽  
Malcolm Whiteway
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Nuclear Localization ◽  
Map Kinases ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Localization Signal ◽  
In Cells

Abstract Candida albicans opaque cells release pheromones to stimulate cells of opposite mating type to activate their pheromone response pathway. Although this fungal pathogen shares orthologous proteins involved in the process with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the pathway in each organism has unique characteristics. We have used GFP-tagged fusion proteins to investigate the localization of the scaffold protein Cst5, as well as the MAP kinases Cek1 and Cek2, during pheromone response in C. albicans. In wild-type cells, pheromone treatment directed Cst5-GFP to surface puncta concentrated at the tips of mating projections. These puncta failed to form in cells defective in either the Gα or β subunits. However, they still formed in response to pheromone in cells missing Ste11, but with the puncta distributed around the cell periphery in the absence of mating projections. These puncta were absent from hst7Δ/Δ cells, but could be detected in the ste11Δ/Δ hst7Δ/Δ double mutant. Cek2-GFP showed a strong nuclear localization late in the response, consistent with a role in adaptation, while Cek1-GFP showed a weaker, but early increase in nuclear localization after pheromone treatment. Activation loop phosphorylation of both Cek1 and Cek2 required the presence of Ste11. In contrast to Cek2-GFP, which showed no localization signal in ste11Δ/Δ cells, Cek1-GFP showed enhanced nuclear localization that was pheromone independent in the ste11Δ/Δ mutant. The results are consistent with CaSte11 facilitating Hst7-mediated MAP kinase phosphorylation and also playing a potentially critical role in both MAP kinase and Cst5 scaffold localization.

scholarly journals A Role for the Actin Cytoskeleton of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Bipolar Bud-Site Selection

1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley Yang ◽  
Kathryn R. Ayscough ◽  
David G. Drubin
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Mitotic Checkpoint ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Mother And Daughter ◽  
Mother Cells ◽  
Bud Site

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells select bud sites according to one of two predetermined patterns. MATa and MATα cells bud in an axial pattern, and MATa/α cells bud in a bipolar pattern. These budding patterns are thought to depend on the placement of spatial cues at specific sites in the cell cortex. Because cytoskeletal elements play a role in organizing the cytoplasm and establishing distinct plasma membrane domains, they are well suited for positioning bud-site selection cues. Indeed, the septin-containing neck filaments are crucial for establishing the axial budding pattern characteristic of MATa and MATα cells. In this study, we determined the budding patterns of cells carrying mutations in the actin gene or in genes encoding actin-associated proteins: MATa/α cells were defective in the bipolar budding pattern, but MATa and MATα cells still exhibit a normal axial budding pattern. We also observed that MATa/α actin cytoskeleton mutant daughter cells correctly position their first bud at the distal pole of the cell, but mother cells position their buds randomly. The actin cytoskeleton therefore functions in generation of the bipolar budding pattern and is required specifically for proper selection of bud sites in mother MATa/α cells. These observations and the results of double mutant studies support the conclusion that different rules govern bud-site selection in mother and daughter MATa/α cells. A defective bipolar budding pattern did not preclude an sla2-6 mutant from undergoing pseudohyphal growth, highlighting the central role of daughter cell bud-site selection cues in the formation of pseudohyphae. Finally, by examining the budding patterns of mad2-1 mitotic checkpoint mutants treated with benomyl to depolymerize their microtubules, we confirmed and extended previous evidence indicating that microtubules do not function in axial or bipolar bud-site selection.

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