Magnesium ions and the control of the cell cycle in yeast

A study has been made of the role of magnesium ions in cell division cycle control in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and the budding yeast, Kluyveromyces fraglis. Synchronization of cell division in these organismms can be induced by restoring magnesium to magnesium-exhausted cultures. In S. pombe, a correlation exists between the time taken for cells to enter the first synchronous division and the period of magnesium exhaustion. During short-term incubation in magnesium-deficient media, S. pombe cells are observed to continue growth in length, but they fail to make a cell plate and divide; long-term magnesium deficiency results in the production of aberrant cell forms, and a reduction in viability. Analysis of total cell magnesium in cultures of both S. pombe and K. fragilis, synchronized by various induction and selection procedures, revealed that there is a fairly steady fall in magnesium concentration as cells grow, terminating in a rapid influx of magnesium just before cell division. This leads to the hypothesis that falling magnesium concentration may act as a transducer of cell size, eventually triggering spindle formation and a membrane change which permits rapid uptake of magnesium to a concentration which brings about spindle breakdown. The hypothesis was tested directly using the divalent cation ionophore, A23187, in the absence of calcium ions; the results obtained showed that a short pulse of A23187, very late in the cell cycle, accelerated cells into division and shortened the subsequent cycle. The hypothesis is discussed in relation to current models of cell cycle regulation.