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The scaffold protein Ste5 directly controls a switch-like mating decision in yeast

Author

Listed:
  • Mohan K. Malleshaiah

    (Département de Biochimie,)

  • Vahid Shahrezaei

    (Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus)

  • Peter S. Swain

    (McGill University, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montréal, Québec H3G 1Y6, Canada
    Centre for Systems Biology at Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh)

  • Stephen W. Michnick

    (Département de Biochimie,
    Centre Robert-Cedergren, Bio-Informatique et Génomique Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale centre-ville Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada)

Abstract

Speed dating in yeast Before mating, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cell must detect a partner cell in the vicinity that is expressing large amounts of a sex pheromone. The pheromone detection system involves the MAP kinase signal transduction cascade, and the potential partner that secretes the highest pheromone levels is the one chosen. A study combining experiment and mathematical modelling shows that the mating decision is an all-or-none 'switch-like' response: for mating to initiate the pheromone must be at a critical concentration around the yeast cell and if this level is not reached, the yeast cell continues to reproduce asexually. The decision is taken quickly, within 2 minutes of initial contact with the pheromone. The scaffold protein Ste5, which binds MAPK cascade components in an active complex, is the direct modulator of the pheromone's action. If similar ultrasensitive mechanisms occur in mammalian signalling pathways, they may be particularly vulnerable to mutations that lead to disease and could thus prove to be important therapeutic targets.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohan K. Malleshaiah & Vahid Shahrezaei & Peter S. Swain & Stephen W. Michnick, 2010. "The scaffold protein Ste5 directly controls a switch-like mating decision in yeast," Nature, Nature, vol. 465(7294), pages 101-105, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:465:y:2010:i:7294:d:10.1038_nature08946
    DOI: 10.1038/nature08946
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Anders & Bhaswar Ghosh & Timo Glatter & Victor Sourjik, 2020. "Design of a MAPK signalling cascade balances energetic cost versus accuracy of information transmission," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Pengjie Hu & Hao Ding & Huimin Liu & Yulin Yang & Lei Chen & Guang-Jun He & Weixin Ke & Ping Zhu & Xiuyun Tian & Yan Peng & Zhenghao Shen & Xiaoxia Yao & Changyu Tao & Ence Yang & Guojian Liao & Xiao , 2022. "Regulatory basis for reproductive flexibility in a meningitis-causing fungal pathogen," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Andreas Petrides & Glenn Vinnicombe, 2018. "Enzyme sequestration by the substrate: An analysis in the deterministic and stochastic domains," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-23, May.

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