Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 18, 2025
05:39
Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: December 2, 2022
3.0K
Mobile DNAs and switching mating types in yeast
1Department of Biological Science, University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, New York, United States.
Elife
|June 10, 2020
Summary
The gene enabling yeast mating type switching evolved from the newly discovered weird HO gene family. This finding sheds light on the evolutionary origins of mating type determination in budding yeast.
Area of Science:
- * Molecular Biology
- * Evolutionary Genetics
- * Yeast Genetics
Background:
- * Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) exhibits mating type switching, a crucial process for its life cycle.
- * The HO gene is known to be essential for initiating mating type switching.
- * The evolutionary origins of the HO gene and its role in mating have remained largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the evolutionary history of the HO gene.
- * To identify the ancestral gene family from which the HO gene originated.
- * To understand the implications of this discovery for yeast mating type determination.
Main Methods:
- * Comparative genomics analysis of HO and related genes across different yeast species.
- * Phylogenetic analysis to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships.
- * Functional analysis of putative ancestral genes.
Main Results:
- * A novel gene family, termed "weird HO", was discovered.
- * The HO gene was found to have evolved from this newly identified gene family.
- * Evidence suggests a conserved function related to DNA processing or regulation in the weird HO family.
Conclusions:
- * The HO gene's origin traces back to the ancient weird HO gene family.
- * This discovery provides a new perspective on the evolution of mating type switching mechanisms.
- * Understanding the ancestral gene family can offer insights into the regulation and function of HO.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Yeast Signaling
16.9K
Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...
16.9K
02:08Gene Conversion
10.5K
Other than maintaining genome stability via DNA repair, homologous recombination plays an important role in diversifying the genome. In fact, the recombination of sequences forms the molecular basis of genomic evolution. Random and non-random permutations of genomic sequences create a library of new amalgamated sequences. These newly formed genomes can determine the fitness and survival of cells. In bacteria, homologous and non-homologous types of recombination lead to the evolution of new...
10.5K
01:57Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts
2.8K
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...
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...
2.8K