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Regulating the HO endonuclease in yeast

¹Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

|April 1, 1993

Summary

Yeast mating-type switching relies on HO endonuclease gene transcription. A protein called Swi5 may provide mother cells with a memory, persisting after degradation in daughter cells.

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Area of Science:

Cell biology
Molecular biology
Genetics

Background:

Mating-type switching in yeast is crucial for sexual reproduction.
The HO endonuclease gene's transcription pattern dictates this switching.
This pattern is specific to mother cells, occurring in late G1, but absent in daughter cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying mother-cell-specific HO gene transcription.
To identify the factors responsible for the temporal and cell-type specificity of HO expression.
To explore the potential role of protein persistence as a cellular memory mechanism.

Main Methods:

Analysis of transcription patterns of the HO endonuclease gene.
Identification and characterization of the transcription factors involved (SBF and Swi5).
Investigating the synthesis, nuclear entry, and degradation of Swi5 protein in mother and daughter cells.

Main Results:

HO gene transcription is regulated by the heteromeric factor SBF (Swi4 and Swi6) for late-G1 specificity.
Mother-cell specificity is mediated by the Swi5 transcription factor.
Swi5 is synthesized in G2/M, enters nuclei post-mitosis, and is rapidly degraded, with potential persistence in mother cells.

Conclusions:

The persistence of Swi5 protein in mother cells, escaping degradation, may serve as a molecular memory.
This persistent Swi5, active when SBF is available in late G1, contributes to mother-cell-specific HO transcription.
Understanding this mechanism provides insights into cell-fate determination and epigenetic memory in eukaryotes.

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