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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1976 Jun;73(6):2061–2065. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.6.2061

A chromosomal gene required for killer plasmid expression, mating, and spore maturation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

M J Leibowitz, R B Wickner
PMCID: PMC430448  PMID: 778853

Abstract

"Killer" strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are those that harbor a double-stranded RNA plasmid and secrete a toxin that kills only strains not carrying this plasmid (sensitives). Two chromosomal genes (kex1 and kex2) are required for the secretion of toxin by plasmid-carrying strains. The kex2 gene, which maps at a site distinct from the mating-type locus, is also required for normal mating by alpha strains and meiotic sporulation in all strains. Strains that are alpha mating-type and kex2 fail to secrete the pheromone alpha-factor or to respond to the alpha-factor II pheromone which causes a morphological change, but they do respond to alpha-factor I which causes G1 arrest in alpha cells. Strains that are alpha mating-type and kex2 show no defect in mating; pheromone secretion, or response to alpha-factor. Diploids that are homozygous for the kex2 mutation, unlike wildtype or heterozygous diploids, fail to undergo sporulation, with the defect occurring in the final spore maturation stage. These same defects in the sexual cycle are present in all kex2 mutants independent of the presence of the "killer" plasmid.

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Selected References

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

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