Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
07:55
A Deep-sequencing-assisted, Spontaneous Suppressor Screen in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Published on: March 7, 2019
Functional repurposing revealed by comparing S. pombe and S. cerevisiae genetic interactions
Adam Frost1, Marc G Elgort, Onn Brandman
1Department of Biochemistry, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, 84112, USA. frost@biochem.utah.edu
Cell
|June 12, 2012
Summary
Comparing yeast species reveals conserved and repurposed genetic interactions. Key discoveries include new roles for ER stress sensors, ESCRT factors in cell division, and the STRIPAK complex in mitosis.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Genetic interaction maps reveal functional relationships between genes.
- Comparing genetic interactions across species highlights conserved and divergent biological processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct a genetic interaction map for Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast).
- To compare this map with that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) to identify conserved and diverged genetic relationships.
- To investigate functional repurposing of orthologous gene complexes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic pairwise genetic interaction screening in S. pombe.
- Comparative analysis of genetic interaction maps between S. pombe and S. cerevisiae.
- Experimental validation of identified functional repurposing events in S. pombe and mammalian cells.
Main Results:
- A comprehensive genetic interaction map was generated for approximately 40% of nonessential S. pombe genes.
- Widespread conservation of genetic relationships was observed, but significant functional repurposing of orthologous complexes was also identified.
- Three specific instances of functional repurposing were validated: (1) Ire1 and Gpt1 in ER stress response, (2) ESCRT factors in spindle-pole-body duplication, and (3) the STRIPAK complex in mitotic progression.
Conclusions:
- Genetic interactions are largely conserved between fission and budding yeast, but functional repurposing drives evolutionary divergence.
- The identified functional repurposing events reveal novel roles for conserved protein complexes in distinct cellular processes.
- These findings have implications for understanding genetic systems evolution and utilizing model organisms in research.
Related Concept Videos
01:57Protein 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 to...
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 to...
02:53Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
01:22Bioreactor Controls-III
Strain improvement is a foundational strategy in industrial microbiology aimed at maximizing microbial productivity, particularly because natural isolates typically yield commercially valuable products in very low concentrations. Although optimizing the culture medium and environmental conditions can improve yields, these adjustments are inherently limited by the organism’s genetic potential. As a result, the focus shifts toward genetic modifications to enhance biosynthetic capacity. The...