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. 1992 Dec;11(13):4815–4824. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05587.x

The protein kinase homologue Ste20p is required to link the yeast pheromone response G-protein beta gamma subunits to downstream signalling components.

E Leberer 1, D Dignard 1, D Harcus 1, D Y Thomas 1, M Whiteway 1
PMCID: PMC556957  PMID: 1464311

Abstract

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae the G-protein beta gamma subunits have been shown to trigger downstream events of the pheromone response pathway. We have identified a new gene, designated STE20, which encodes a protein kinase homologue with sequence similarity to protein kinase C, which is required to transmit the pheromone signal from G beta gamma to downstream components of the signalling pathway. Overproduction of the kinase suppresses the mating defect of dominant-negative G beta mutations providing genetic evidence for an interaction with G beta, and epistasis experiments show that this kinase functions after or at the same point as G beta gamma, but before any of the other currently identified components of the signalling pathway. This points to a potentially new mechanism of G-protein mediated signal transduction, the activation of a protein kinase through G beta gamma.

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