IME1, a positive regulator gene of meiosis in S. cerevisiae

IME1 (Inducer of MEiosis) was cloned due to its high copy number effect: it enabled MAT insufficient strains to undergo meiosis. Disruption of IME1 results in a recessive Spo- phenotype. Diploids homozygous for the two mutations ime1-0, rme1-1 are also meiosis deficient. We conclude that IME1 is a positive regulator of meiosis that normally is repressed by RME1. RME1 is repressed by a complex of MATa1 and MAT alpha 2 gene products. IME1 is also regulated by the environment: no transcripts could be detected in glucose growing cells, in contrast to acetate growing cells. Starvation for nitrogen further induced (6- to 8-fold) transcription of IME1, but, as expected, the induction was found only in MATa/MAT alpha or rme1-1/rme1-1 diploids. Furthermore, the IME1 multicopy plasmids promoted sporulation in rich media.