Control of Yeast Cell Types by Mobile Genes: a Test

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 1979 Oct 1

PMID 14627013

Citations 16

Authors

P J Kushner

L C Blair

I Herskowitz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae changes cell types by switching the alleles of the mating type locus (MAT) from a to alpha and vice versa. In the cassette model, these switches, --e.g, from a to alpha--occur when a replica of silent alpha information (an alpha "cassette") replaces the resident a cassette at the mating type locus and is thereby expressed. We have identified a mutation in the locus postulated to be the silent alpha information (HMLalpha) and find that a mutation is introduced into the mating type locus as a result of interconversion: HMLalpha(-) MATalpha cells switch to MATa and then to MATalpha(-). The MATalpha(-) mutation leads to defective mating and behaves like some previously identified MATalpha(-) mutations. These observations satisfy the prediction of the cassette and controlling element models that genetic information is transmitted from HMLalpha to the mating type locus.

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The trans action of HMRa in mating type interconversion.

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