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Genetics, Vol 127, 299-307, Copyright © 1991
INVESTIGATIONS |
Role of {alpha}-Factor and the MF{alpha}1 {alpha}-Factor Precursor in Mating in Yeast
S. Caplan and J. Kurjan
Current address: Department of Human Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
The peptide pheromones secreted by a and {alpha} cells (called a-factor and {alpha}-factor, respectively) are each encoded by two structural genes. For strains of either mating type, addition of exogenous pheromone does not alleviate the mating defect of mutants with disruptions of both structural genes. In addition, a particular insertion mutation in the major {alpha}-factor structural gene (MF{alpha}1) that should result in an altered product inhibits {alpha} mating. These results suggested that the pheromone precursors (the MF{alpha}1 pro region in particular) might play a second role in mating separate from the role of pheromone production. To analyze the role of {alpha}-factor and the MF{alpha}1 precursor in {alpha} mating, we have constructed two classes of mutants. The mating defects of mutants that should produce the MF{alpha}1 pro region peptide but no {alpha}-factor could not be alleviated by addition of exogenous {alpha}-factor in crosses to a wild-type a strain, indicating that the previous results were not due to an inability of the disruption mutants to produce the pro region peptide. Mutants able to produce {alpha}-factor, but with a variety of alterations in MF{alpha}1 precursor structure, mated at levels proportional to the levels of {alpha}-factor produced, suggesting that the only role of the {alpha}-factor precursor in mating is to produce {alpha}-factor. Both of these results argue against a role for the MF{alpha}1 pro region separate from its role in {alpha}-factor production. We also describe results that show that in vivo production of {alpha}-factor' (the form of {alpha}-factor encoded by one of the two {alpha}-factor repeats of MF{alpha}2) is equivalent to the major form of {alpha}-factor for induction of all responses necessary for mating. We discuss the implications of these results on the role of the pheromones in mating.
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