Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Scientific Correspondence
  • Published:

Protease helps yeast find mating partners

Nature volume 396, pages 422–423 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

The choice of mating partner by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae involves the detection of mating pheromones produced by other yeast cells. A cell that is capable of mating deduces the position of its nearest mating partner from the spatial gradient of pheromone. While studying this process, we realized that, in the presence of many potential mating partners, the gradient might not point in the direction of the nearest partner. Here we show that degradation of some of the mating pheromone by protease enzymes helps to align the gradient in the direction of the nearest partner, which increases mating efficiency.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Protease secretion improves detection of the nearest mating partner.

References

  1. Jackson, C. & Hartwell, L. H. Cell 63, 1039–1051 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Jackson, C. & Hartwell, L. H. Mol. Cell. Biol. 10, 787–796 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Segall, J. E. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 90, 8332–8336 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Hicks, J. B. & Herskowitz, I. Nature 260, 246–248 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ciejek, E. & Thorner, J. Cell 18, 623–635 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sprague, G. F. & Herskowitz, I. J. Mol. Biol. 153, 305–321 (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chan, R. K. & Otte, C. A. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2, 11–20 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Manney, T. R. J. Bacteriol. 155, 291–301 (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Steden, M., Betz, R. & Duntze, W. Mol. Gen. Genet. 219, 439–444 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Wasserman, D. & Freeman, M. Trends Cell Biol. 7, 431–436 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Physics and Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, New Jersey, USA

    Naama Barkai & Mark D. Rose

  2. NEC Research Institute, 4 Independence Way, Princeton, 08540, New Jersey, USA

    Ned S. Wingreen

Authors
  1. Naama Barkai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark D. Rose
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ned S. Wingreen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barkai, N., Rose, M. & Wingreen, N. Protease helps yeast find mating partners. Nature 396, 422–423 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/24760

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/24760

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing