The protein kinases Rck1 and Rck2 inhibit meiosis in budding yeast

The genes RCK1 and RCK2 of budding yeast were initially identified as suppressors of checkpoint mutations in fission yeast. Here, we show that homozygous diploid rck1/rck1 mutants in standard sporulation medium enter meiosis in about half the time required by wild-type cells. A similar, but weaker, effect is seen in rck2/rck2 mutants, whereas double homozygous rck1/rck1 rck2/rck2 mutants display a phenotype similar to that of the rck1/rck1 single mutants. In diploids with mutations in either of the meiotic checkpoint genes MEC1 and RAD24, overexpression of RCK1 or RCK2 reduces meiotic proficiency, most prominently seen with RCK2. The rate of meiotic recombination was unaltered in rck1 and rck2 mutants. There is a transient shift in the relative abundance of the two RCK2 transcripts in meiotic cells. We propose that one function of Rck1 and Rck2 is to inhibit meiosis.