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Updated: Jan 16, 2026
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Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast
Published on: February 20, 2017
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The origin of septin ring size control in budding yeast
Igor V Kukhtevich1, Sebastian Persson2,3, Francesco Padovani1
1Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
The EMBO Journal
|October 2, 2025
Summary
Cell size regulation is key. In yeast, positive feedback and increased polarity proteins explain how Cdc42-driven septin ring size scales with cell size, revealing mechanisms of cellular structure control.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Organelle and cellular structure size must be coordinated with overall cell size.
- Cdc42-driven polarization and septin ring formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae exemplify size scaling, but mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the control mechanisms of septin ring size.
- Understand how septin ring diameter scales with cell size.
Main Methods:
- Live-cell imaging
- Genetic perturbations
- Three-dimensional mathematical modeling
- Yeast polarization studies
Main Results:
- Positive feedback in the polarization pathway and increased polarity proteins with cell growth explain Cdc42 cluster and septin ring diameter scaling.
- Disruption of formin Bni1 leads to disrupted actin cables, diffuse exocytosis, and enlarged septin rings.
Conclusions:
- The study elucidates the origin of septin ring size control through an integrative approach.
- Findings provide insights into the coordination of cellular structure size with cell growth.
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