Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Labelling and Visualization of Mitochondrial Genome Expression Products in Baker's Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
08:33

Labelling and Visualization of Mitochondrial Genome Expression Products in Baker's Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: April 11, 2021

4.9K

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants lacking a functional vacuole are defective for aspects of the pheromone response

V Dulić1, H Riezman

  • 1Biocenter, University of Basel, Switzerland.

Journal of Cell Science
|November 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Vacuolar protein sorting mutants, like end1, cannot form functional vacuoles and show defects in yeast pheromone response. Proper vacuole biogenesis is crucial for optimal mating signal processing and cellular responses in yeast.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Yeast Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) mutants, specifically class C VPS mutants, are characterized by a lack of functional vacuoles.
  • These mutants exhibit shared phenotypes including temperature sensitivity and inability to utilize nonfermentable carbon sources.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of vacuole biogenesis in yeast pheromone response.
  • To characterize the specific defects in pheromone signaling pathways within class C VPS mutants.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of alpha-factor internalization and degradation in end1, vps16, vps18, and vps33 mutants.
  • Assessment of alpha-factor-induced projection formation.
  • Detailed examination of early (STE2 and FUS1 induction) and late pheromone response pathways in the end1 mutant.

Main Results:

  • All four class C VPS mutants (end1, vps16, vps18, vps33) internalize but fail to degrade alpha-factor.
  • These mutants display significant defects in alpha-factor-induced projection formation.
  • The end1 mutant shows defective induction of FUS1 (early response) and cell cycle arrest (late response), while STE2 induction (early response) remains normal.

Conclusions:

  • The biogenesis of a functional vacuole is essential for optimal yeast pheromone response.
  • Specific steps in the pheromone signaling pathway are differentially affected by the absence of a functional vacuole.

More Related Videos

Cycloheximide Chase Analysis of Protein Degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae09:05

Cycloheximide Chase Analysis of Protein Degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: April 18, 2016

30.0K
Directed Evolution Method in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Mutant Library Creation and Screening10:50

Directed Evolution Method in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Mutant Library Creation and Screening

Published on: April 1, 2016

11.5K

Related Concept Videos

Lumber Defects01:23

Lumber Defects

Lumber defects, which can affect both the appearance and structural integrity of wood, include a variety of growth and manufacturing flaws. Growth defects such as knots and knotholes occur where branches were once attached to the tree trunk, with knotholes forming when these knots fall out. Other natural defects include decay and insect damage, which compromise the wood's strength and durability.
Shakes are minor fractures that run along or across the wood's annual rings, while wane is...
563
Quantitative Aspects of Drug-Receptor Interaction01:30

Quantitative Aspects of Drug-Receptor Interaction

The receptor occupancy theory connects a drug's response to the number of occupied receptors. With higher drug concentrations, more receptors are occupied, leading to increased responses. The formation of drug-receptor complexes involves association and dissociation rates, which reach equilibrium when the forward and backward reactions are equal. The equilibrium association constant (Ka) and its inverse, the equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd), indicate drug affinity. Higher Ka and lower...
1.8K
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts01:57

Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts

Groups of proteins may form a complex where each protein in this complex has a different role in the overall execution of the complex’s function. Often some of the proteins in the complex can be replaced by a closely related variant to give a complex that contains many of the same components yet is functionally distinct.
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order...
3.0K
Responses to Drought and Flooding02:41

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
12.1K
Functional Groups02:45

Functional Groups

Functional groups are a group of atoms with characteristic properties, which when linked to the carbon skeleton of a molecule, alter the properties of that molecule. For example, the presence of certain functional groups on a molecule will make them hydrophilic, whereas others will make them hydrophobic. These functional groups are an indispensable part of organic chemistry and important components of biological molecules, such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Each...
89.6K
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress02:45

Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
14.9K