Abstract
CELL polarization requires that a cellular axis or cell-surface site be chosen and that the cytoskeleton be organized with respect to it. Details of the link between the cytoskeleton and the chosen axis or site are not clear1. Cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibit cell polarization in two phases of their life cycle, during vegetative growth and during mating, which reflects responses to intracellular and extracellular signals, respectively. Here we describe the isolation of two mutants defective specifically in cell polarization in response to peptide mating pheromones. The mutants carry special alleles (denoted bem1-s) of the BEM1 gene required for cell polarization during vegetative growth2,3. Unlike other beml mutants, the bem1-s mutants are normal for vegetative growth. Complete deletion of BEM1 leads to the defect in polarization of vegetative cells seen in beml mutants23. The predicted sequence of the BEM1 protein (Bem1p) reveals two copies of a domain (denoted SH3) that is found in many proteins associated with the cortical cytoskeleton and which may mediate binding to actin or some other component of the cell cortex4,5. The sequence of Bemlp and the properties of mutants defective in this protein indicate that it may link the cytoskeleton to morphogenetic determinants on the cell surface.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Luna, E. J. Curr. Opinion Cell Biol. 3, 120–126 (1991).
Bender, A. & Pringle, J. R. Molec. cell. Biol. 11, 1295–1305 (1991).
Chant, J., Corrado, K., Pringle, J. R. & Herskowitz, I. Cell 65, 1213–1224 (1991).
Rodaway, A. R. F., Sternberg, M. J. E. & Bentley, D. L. Nature 342, 624 (1990).
Drubin, D., Mulholland, J., Zhu, Z. & Botstein, D. Nature 343, 288–290 (1990).
Pringle, J. R. et al. Meth. Cell Biol. 31, 357–435 (1989).
Chang, F. & Herskowitz, I. Cell 63, 999–1011 (1990).
Novick, P. & Botstein, D. Cell 40, 405–416 (1985).
Haarer, B. K. et al. J. Cell Biol. 110, 105–114 (1990).
Chant, J. & Herskowitz, I. Cell 65, 1203–1212 (1991).
Ruggieri, R. et al. Molec. cell. Biol. (in the press).
Jackson, C. L. & Hartwell, L. H. Cell 63, 1039–1051 (1990).
Konopka, J. B., Jenness, D. D. & Hartwell, L. H. Cell 54, 609–620 (1988).
Jackson, C. L., Konopka, J. B. & Hartwell, L. H. Cell 67, 389–402 (1991).
Gehrung, S. & Snyder, M. J. Cell Biol. 111, 1451–1464 (1990).
Trueheart, J., Boeke, J. D. & Fink, G. R. Molec cell. Biol. 7, 2316–2328 (1987).
Rothstein, R. Meth. Enzym. 101, 202–209 (1983).
Rose, M. D., Novick, P., Thomas, J. H., Botstein, D. & Fink, G. R. Gene 60, 237–243 (1987).
Pearson, W. R. & Lipman, D. J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 2444–2448 (1988).
Jung, G., Korn, E. D. & Hammer, J. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 6720–6724 (1987).
Kitamura, N., Kitamura, A., Toyoshima, K., Hirayama, Y. & Yoshida, M. Nature 297, 205–208 (1982).
Takeya, T. & Hanafusa, H. Cell 32, 881–890 (1983).
Wasenius, V.-M. et al. J. Cell Biol. 108, 79–93 (1989).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chenevert, J., Corrado, K., Bender, A. et al. A yeast gene (BEM1) necessary for cell polarization whose product contains two SH3 domains. Nature 356, 77–79 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/356077a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/356077a0
This article is cited by
-
Redundancy and the role of protein copy numbers in the cell polarization machinery of budding yeast
Nature Communications (2023)
-
Evolutionary dynamics in the fungal polarization network, a mechanistic perspective
Biophysical Reviews (2017)
-
Deoxyribozymes and bioinformatics: complementary tools to investigate axon regeneration
Cell and Tissue Research (2012)
-
Phosphatidylserine is polarized and required for proper Cdc42 localization and for development of cell polarity
Nature Cell Biology (2011)
-
The BEM46-like protein appears to be essential for hyphal development upon ascospore germination in Neurospora crassa and is targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum
Current Genetics (2009)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.