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.

  • Article
  • Published:

Activation of meiosis and sporulation by repression of the RME1 product in yeast

Nature volume 319, pages 738–742 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

The ability of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to enter meiosis and sporulate is conferred by the a1-α2 regulatory activity of the mating-type locus. We have cloned the RME1 gene and show that: the RME1 transcript is repressed by a1-α2 in a/α cells; overexpression of the RME1 product in a/α cells blocks sporulation; and inactivation of RME1 by a null mutation constructed in vitro permits cells lacking a1-α2 activity to sporulate. The RME1 product thus inhibits meiosis; the mating-type locus permits entry into meiosis by repression of RME1.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Herskowitz, I. & Oshima, Y. in The Molecular Biology of the Yeast Saccharomyces: Life Cycle and Inheritance (eds Strathern, J. N., Jones, E. W. & Broach, J. R.) 181–209 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Sprague, G. F. Jr, Blair, L. C. & Thorner, J. A. Rev. Microbiol. 37, 623–660 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Esposito, R. E. & Klapholz, S. in The Molecular Biology of the Yeast Saccharomyces: Life Cycle and Inheritance (eds Strathern, J. N., Jones, E. W. & Broach, J. R.) 211–287 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Roman, H., Phillips, M. M. & Sands, S. M. Genetics 40, 546–561 (1955).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Kassir, Y. & Simchen, G. Genetics 82, 187–206 (1976).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Rine, J. D., Sprague, G. F. Jr & Herskowitz, I. Molec. cell. Biol. 1, 958–960 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Klar, A. J. S., Strathern, J. N., Broach, J. R. & Hicks, J. B. Nature 289, 239–244 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Nasmyth, K. A., Tatchell, K., Hall, B. D., Astell, C. & Smith, M. Nature 289, 244–250 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Jensen, R., Sprague, G. F. Jr & Herskowitz, I. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 3035–3039 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Elder, R. T., St John, T. P., Stinchcomb, D. T. & Davis, R. W. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 45, 581–584 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Strathern, J. N., Hicks, J. B. & Herskowitz, I. J. molec. Biol. 147, 357–372 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Hopper, A. K. & Hall, B. D. Genetics 80, 41–59 (1975).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Hinnen, A., Hicks, J. B. & Fink, G. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 1929–1933 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Orr-Weaver, T. L., Szostak, J. W. & Rothstein, R. J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 6354–6358 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Rothstein, R. J. Meth. Enzym. 101, 202–211 (1983).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Southern, E. J. molec. Biol. 98, 503–517 (1975).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Thomas, P. S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 5201–5205 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. MacKay, V. & Manney, T. R. Genetics 76, 273–288 (1974).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Botstein, D. et al. Gene 8, 17–24 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Sherman, F. & Roman, H. Genetics 48, 255–261 (1963).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Culbertson, M. R., Charnas, L., Johnson, M. T. & Fink, G. R. Genetics 86, 745–764 (1977).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Hopper, A. K. & Hall, B. D. Genetics 80, 61–76 (1975).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Roth, R. & Fogel, S. Molec. gen. Genet. 112, 295–305 (1971).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Wagstaff, J. E., Klapholz, S. & Esposito, R. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 2986–2990 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Matsumoto, K., Uno, I. & Ishikawa, T. Cell 32, 417–423 (1983).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Iino, Y. & Yamamoto, M. Molec. gen. Genet. 198, 416–421 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Nurse, P. Molec. gen. Genet. 198, 497–502 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Iino, Y. & Yamamoto, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 2447–2451 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Tsuboi, M. Molec. gen. Genet. 182, 1–6 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Kraig, E. & Haber, J. E. J. Bact. 144, 1098–1112 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Clancy, M. J. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 3000–3004 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Percival-Smith, A. & Segall, J. Molec. cell. Biol. 4, 142–150 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Weir-Thompson, E. M. & Dawes, I. W. Molec. cell. Biol. 4, 695–702 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Kurtz, S. & Lindquist, S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 7323–7327 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Tatchell, K., Nasmyth, K. A., Hall, B. D., Astell, C. & Smith, M. Cell 27, 25–35 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Sprague, G. F. Jr & Herskowitz, I. J. molec. Biol. 153, 305–321 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Wilson, K. L. & Herskowitz, I. Molec. cell. Biol. 4, 2420–2427 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Bolivar, F. et al. Gene 2, 95–113 (1977).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Struhl, K., Stinchcomb, D. T., Scherer, S. & Davis, R. W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 1035–1039 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Norrander, J., Kempe, T. & Messing, J. Gene 26, 101–106 (1983).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Johnson, A. D. & Herskowitz, I. Cell 42, 237–247 (1985).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Aaron P. Mitchell & Ira Herskowitz

Authors
  1. Aaron P. Mitchell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ira Herskowitz
    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

Mitchell, A., Herskowitz, I. Activation of meiosis and sporulation by repression of the RME1 product in yeast. Nature 319, 738–742 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/319738a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/319738a0

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