Shared and redundant proteins coordinate signal cross-talk between MAPK pathways in yeast

All cells must detect, interpret, and adapt to multiple and concurrent stimuli. While signaling pathways are highly specialized, different pathways often share components or have components with overlapping functions. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway has two seemingly redundant branches, mediated by Sln1 and Sho1. Both branches are activated by osmotic pressure, leading to phosphorylation of the MAPKs Hog1 and Kss1. The mating pathway is activated by pheromone, leading to phosphorylation of the MAPKs Fus3 and Kss1. Given that Kss1 is shared by the two pathways, we investigated its role in signal coordination. We activated both pathways with a combination of salt and pheromone, in cells lacking the shared MAPK and in cells lacking either of the redundant branches of the HOG pathway. By systematically evaluating MAPK activation, translocation, and transcription programs, we determined that Sho1 mediates cross talk between the HOG and mating pathways and does so through Kss1. Further, we show that Kss1 initiates a transcriptional program that is distinct from that induced by Hog1 and Fus3. Our findings reveal how redundant and shared components coordinate concurrent signals and thereby adapt to sudden environmental changes.