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.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A yeast gene (BEM1) necessary for cell polarization whose product contains two SH3 domains

Abstract

CELL polarization requires that a cellular axis or cell-surface site be chosen and that the cytoskeleton be organized with respect to it. Details of the link between the cytoskeleton and the chosen axis or site are not clear1. Cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibit cell polarization in two phases of their life cycle, during vegetative growth and during mating, which reflects responses to intracellular and extracellular signals, respectively. Here we describe the isolation of two mutants defective specifically in cell polarization in response to peptide mating pheromones. The mutants carry special alleles (denoted bem1-s) of the BEM1 gene required for cell polarization during vegetative growth2,3. Unlike other beml mutants, the bem1-s mutants are normal for vegetative growth. Complete deletion of BEM1 leads to the defect in polarization of vegetative cells seen in beml mutants23. The predicted sequence of the BEM1 protein (Bem1p) reveals two copies of a domain (denoted SH3) that is found in many proteins associated with the cortical cytoskeleton and which may mediate binding to actin or some other component of the cell cortex4,5. The sequence of Bemlp and the properties of mutants defective in this protein indicate that it may link the cytoskeleton to morphogenetic determinants on the cell surface.

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

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Luna, E. J. Curr. Opinion Cell Biol. 3, 120–126 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bender, A. & Pringle, J. R. Molec. cell. Biol. 11, 1295–1305 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Chant, J., Corrado, K., Pringle, J. R. & Herskowitz, I. Cell 65, 1213–1224 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Rodaway, A. R. F., Sternberg, M. J. E. & Bentley, D. L. Nature 342, 624 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Drubin, D., Mulholland, J., Zhu, Z. & Botstein, D. Nature 343, 288–290 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Pringle, J. R. et al. Meth. Cell Biol. 31, 357–435 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chang, F. & Herskowitz, I. Cell 63, 999–1011 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Novick, P. & Botstein, D. Cell 40, 405–416 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Haarer, B. K. et al. J. Cell Biol. 110, 105–114 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Chant, J. & Herskowitz, I. Cell 65, 1203–1212 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ruggieri, R. et al. Molec. cell. Biol. (in the press).

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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Konopka, J. B., Jenness, D. D. & Hartwell, L. H. Cell 54, 609–620 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Jackson, C. L., Konopka, J. B. & Hartwell, L. H. Cell 67, 389–402 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Gehrung, S. & Snyder, M. J. Cell Biol. 111, 1451–1464 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Trueheart, J., Boeke, J. D. & Fink, G. R. Molec cell. Biol. 7, 2316–2328 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Rothstein, R. Meth. Enzym. 101, 202–209 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Rose, M. D., Novick, P., Thomas, J. H., Botstein, D. & Fink, G. R. Gene 60, 237–243 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Pearson, W. R. & Lipman, D. J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 2444–2448 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Jung, G., Korn, E. D. & Hammer, J. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 6720–6724 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Kitamura, N., Kitamura, A., Toyoshima, K., Hirayama, Y. & Yoshida, M. Nature 297, 205–208 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Takeya, T. & Hanafusa, H. Cell 32, 881–890 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Wasenius, V.-M. et al. J. Cell Biol. 108, 79–93 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chenevert, J., Corrado, K., Bender, A. et al. A yeast gene (BEM1) necessary for cell polarization whose product contains two SH3 domains. Nature 356, 77–79 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/356077a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/356077a0

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

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