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Updated: Aug 14, 2025
Microscopy of Fission Yeast Sexual Lifecycle
Published on: March 9, 2016
The Fission Yeast Mating-Type Switching Motto: "One-for-Two" and "Two-for-One"
Benoît Arcangioli1, Serge Gangloff1,2
1Genome Dynamics Unit, Genomes and Genetics Department, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an ascomycete fungus that divides by medial fission; it is thus commonly referred to as fission yeast, as opposed to the distantly related budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The reproductive lifestyle of S. pombe relies on an efficient genetic sex determination system generating a 1:1 sex ratio and using alternating haploid/diploid phases in response to environmental conditions. In this review, we address how one haploid cell manages to generate two sister cells with opposite mating types, a prerequisite to conjugation and meiosis. This mating-type switching process depends on two highly efficient consecutive asymmetric cell divisions that rely on DNA replication, repair, and recombination as well as the structure and components of heterochromatin. We pay special attention to the intimate interplay between the genetic and epigenetic partners involved in this process to underscore the importance of basic research and its profound implication for a better understanding of chromatin biology.
Insights
Fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) achieves a 1:1 sex ratio through two asymmetric cell divisions, enabling mating-type switching. This process involves DNA replication, repair, recombination, and heterochromatin, crucial for understanding chromatin biology.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Schizosaccharomyces pombe, or fission yeast, divides by medial fission.
- Its reproductive lifestyle depends on a genetic sex determination system ensuring a 1:1 sex ratio and alternating ploidy phases.
- This system is essential for conjugation and meiosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanisms by which a single haploid cell generates two sister cells with opposite mating types.
- To explore the genetic and epigenetic factors governing mating-type switching in fission yeast.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on mating-type switching in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
- Focus on the roles of DNA replication, repair, recombination, and heterochromatin structure.
Main Results:
- Mating-type switching relies on two consecutive, highly efficient asymmetric cell divisions.
- These divisions are intricately linked with DNA replication, repair, recombination, and heterochromatin components.
- A complex interplay between genetic and epigenetic factors drives the process.
Conclusions:
- Understanding mating-type switching in fission yeast provides critical insights into chromatin biology.
- The research highlights the importance of basic research in unraveling fundamental biological processes.
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