Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1984 Nov;4(11):2420–2427. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.11.2420

Negative regulation of STE6 gene expression by the alpha 2 product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

K L Wilson, I Herskowitz
PMCID: PMC369073  PMID: 6096697

Abstract

The alpha 2 product of the alpha mating type locus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is proposed to be a negative regulator of a set of dispersed genes concerned with specialized properties of a cells. This set of genes includes those, termed a-specific STE genes (STE2, STE6, and STE14), which are required for mating by a cells but not by alpha cells. We cloned the STE6 gene to determine whether its expression is limited to a cells and, if so, whether its expression is inhibited in alpha cells by the alpha 2 product. Expression of STE6 was assayed in two ways: by blot hybridization, RNA and by beta-galactosidase activity in strains carrying a STE6-lacZ hybrid gene. We found that STE6 expression was limited to a cells and was negatively regulated by the alpha 2 product. STE6 RNA was not detectable in strains containing the wild-type alpha 2 gene product. Expression of STE6 was at least 150-fold lower in alpha cells than in a cells, based on beta-galactosidase activities in a and alpha cells carrying the STE6-lacZ gene. These results confirmed that the alpha 2 product is a negative regulator of gene expression and showed that it acts at the level of RNA production. We also examined the phenotype of a mutant carrying an insertion mutation of the STE6 gene, the ste6::lacZ allele. In addition, an a-specific defect in mating, this mutant was greatly reduced (but not completely deficient) in a-factor production. Other phenotypes characteristic of a cells--Barrier activity, agglutination, and response to alpha-factor--were normal. STE6 thus appears to be necessary for biosynthesis of a-factor.

Full text

PDF
2420

Images in this article

2424Image
on p.2424
2424Image
on p.2424

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beggs J. D. Transformation of yeast by a replicating hybrid plasmid. Nature. 1978 Sep 14;275(5676):104–109. doi: 10.1038/275104a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bolivar F., Rodriguez R. L., Greene P. J., Betlach M. C., Heyneker H. L., Boyer H. W., Crosa J. H., Falkow S. Construction and characterization of new cloning vehicles. II. A multipurpose cloning system. Gene. 1977;2(2):95–113. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Broach J. R., Strathern J. N., Hicks J. B. Transformation in yeast: development of a hybrid cloning vector and isolation of the CAN1 gene. Gene. 1979 Dec;8(1):121–133. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(79)90012-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Casadaban M. J., Martinez-Arias A., Shapira S. K., Chou J. Beta-galactosidase gene fusions for analyzing gene expression in escherichia coli and yeast. Methods Enzymol. 1983;100:293–308. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)00063-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chan R. K., Melnick L. M., Blair L. C., Thorner J. Extracellular suppression allows mating by pheromone-deficient sterile mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Bacteriol. 1983 Aug;155(2):903–906. doi: 10.1128/jb.155.2.903-906.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chan R. K., Otte C. A. Isolation and genetic analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants supersensitive to G1 arrest by a factor and alpha factor pheromones. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 Jan;2(1):11–20. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.1.11. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chan R. K., Otte C. A. Physiological characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants supersensitive to G1 arrest by a factor and alpha factor pheromones. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 Jan;2(1):21–29. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.1.21. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Derman E., Krauter K., Walling L., Weinberger C., Ray M., Darnell J. E., Jr Transcriptional control in the production of liver-specific mRNAs. Cell. 1981 Mar;23(3):731–739. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90436-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Duntze W., MacKay V., Manney T. R. Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a diffusible sex factor. Science. 1970 Jun 19;168(3938):1472–1473. doi: 10.1126/science.168.3938.1472. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Elder R. T., St John T. P., Stinchcomb D. T., Davis R. W., Scherer S., Davis R. W. Studies on the transposable element Ty1 of yeast. I. RNA homologous to Ty1. II. Recombination and expression of Ty1 and adjacent sequences. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1981;45(Pt 2):581–591. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1981.045.01.075. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Guarente L., Ptashne M. Fusion of Escherichia coli lacZ to the cytochrome c gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Apr;78(4):2199–2203. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.4.2199. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hall M. N., Hereford L., Herskowitz I. Targeting of E. coli beta-galactosidase to the nucleus in yeast. Cell. 1984 Apr;36(4):1057–1065. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90055-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hartwell L. H. Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae unresponsive to cell division control by polypeptide mating hormone. J Cell Biol. 1980 Jun;85(3):811–822. doi: 10.1083/jcb.85.3.811. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hartwell L. H. Synchronization of haploid yeast cell cycles, a prelude to conjugation. Exp Cell Res. 1973 Jan;76(1):111–117. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(73)90425-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hicks J. B., Herskowitz I. Evidence for a new diffusible element of mating pheromones in yeast. Nature. 1976 Mar 18;260(5548):246–248. doi: 10.1038/260246a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Jensen R., Sprague G. F., Jr, Herskowitz I. Regulation of yeast mating-type interconversion: feedback control of HO gene expression by the mating-type locus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 May;80(10):3035–3039. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.10.3035. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Julius D., Blair L., Brake A., Sprague G., Thorner J. Yeast alpha factor is processed from a larger precursor polypeptide: the essential role of a membrane-bound dipeptidyl aminopeptidase. Cell. 1983 Mar;32(3):839–852. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90070-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Klar A. J., Strathern J. N., Broach J. R., Hicks J. B. Regulation of transcription in expressed and unexpressed mating type cassettes of yeast. Nature. 1981 Jan 22;289(5795):239–244. doi: 10.1038/289239a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kurjan J., Herskowitz I. Structure of a yeast pheromone gene (MF alpha): a putative alpha-factor precursor contains four tandem copies of mature alpha-factor. Cell. 1982 Oct;30(3):933–943. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90298-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Leibowitz M. J., Wickner R. B. A chromosomal gene required for killer plasmid expression, mating, and spore maturation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Jun;73(6):2061–2065. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.6.2061. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Mackay V., Manney T. R. Mutations affecting sexual conjugation and related processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I. Isolation and phenotypic characterization of nonmating mutants. Genetics. 1974 Feb;76(2):255–271. doi: 10.1093/genetics/76.2.255. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Mackay V., Manney T. R. Mutations affecting sexual conjugation and related processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. II. Genetic analysis of nonmating mutants. Genetics. 1974 Feb;76(2):273–288. doi: 10.1093/genetics/76.2.273. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Manney T. R., Woods V. Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistant to the alpha mating-type factor. Genetics. 1976 Apr;82(4):639–644. doi: 10.1093/genetics/82.4.639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Nasmyth K. A., Reed S. I. Isolation of genes by complementation in yeast: molecular cloning of a cell-cycle gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Apr;77(4):2119–2123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.4.2119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Nasmyth K. A., Tatchell K., Hall B. D., Astell C., Smith M. A position effect in the control of transcription at yeast mating type loci. Nature. 1981 Jan 22;289(5795):244–250. doi: 10.1038/289244a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rose M., Casadaban M. J., Botstein D. Yeast genes fused to beta-galactosidase in Escherichia coli can be expressed normally in yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Apr;78(4):2460–2464. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.4.2460. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Rothstein R. J. One-step gene disruption in yeast. Methods Enzymol. 1983;101:202–211. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)01015-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Scherer S., Davis R. W. Replacement of chromosome segments with altered DNA sequences constructed in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Oct;76(10):4951–4955. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.10.4951. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Sprague G. F., Jr, Blair L. C., Thorner J. Cell interactions and regulation of cell type in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1983;37:623–660. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.37.100183.003203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Sprague G. F., Jr, Herskowitz I. Control of yeast cell type by the mating type locus. I. Identification and control of expression of the a-specific gene BAR1. J Mol Biol. 1981 Dec 5;153(2):305–321. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90280-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Sprague G. F., Jr, Jensen R., Herskowitz I. Control of yeast cell type by the mating type locus: positive regulation of the alpha-specific STE3 gene by the MAT alpha 1 product. Cell. 1983 Feb;32(2):409–415. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90460-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Sprague G. F., Jr, Rine J., Herskowitz I. Control of yeast cell type by the mating type locus. II. Genetic interactions between MAT alpha and unlinked alpha-specific STE genes. J Mol Biol. 1981 Dec 5;153(2):323–335. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90281-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Stinchcomb D. T., Struhl K., Davis R. W. Isolation and characterisation of a yeast chromosomal replicator. Nature. 1979 Nov 1;282(5734):39–43. doi: 10.1038/282039a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Strathern J., Hicks J., Herskowitz I. Control of cell type in yeast by the mating type locus. The alpha 1-alpha 2 hypothesis. J Mol Biol. 1981 Apr 15;147(3):357–372. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90488-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Struhl K., Stinchcomb D. T., Scherer S., Davis R. W. High-frequency transformation of yeast: autonomous replication of hybrid DNA molecules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Mar;76(3):1035–1039. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.3.1035. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Thomas P. S. Hybridization of denatured RNA and small DNA fragments transferred to nitrocellulose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Sep;77(9):5201–5205. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.9.5201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Wickner R. B. Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that incorporate deoxythymidine-5'-monophosphate into deoxyribonucleic acid in vivo. J Bacteriol. 1974 Jan;117(1):252–260. doi: 10.1128/jb.117.1.252-260.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Molecular and Cellular Biology are provided here courtesy of Taylor & Francis

RESOURCES