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Sci. Signal., 16 August 2011
Vol. 4, Issue 186, p. ra54
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2001763]

RESEARCH ARTICLES

Editor's Summary

Enhancing Attraction to the Opposite Sex
Budding yeast exist as two sexes, MATa and MATα, and the different cell types locate their opposite-sex partners through the release of pheromones; MATα cells secrete the pheromone α-factor, which stimulates growth toward and eventual mating with MATa cells. Jin et al. used simulation and experimental validation to gain insight into the mechanisms by which the secreted protease Bar1, which is produced by MATa cells and degrades α-factor, promotes efficient mating. Their results suggest that Bar1 reshapes the gradient around the MATa cells, enabling them to sharpen the pheromone gradient, move away from other MATa cells to reduce same-sex encounters, and search a larger area to find appropriate mates of the opposite sex.

Citation: M. Jin, B. Errede, M. Behar, W. Mather, S. Nayak, J. Hasty, H. G. Dohlman, T. C. Elston, Yeast Dynamically Modify Their Environment to Achieve Better Mating Efficiency. Sci. Signal. 4, ra54 (2011).

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Mate and fuse: how yeast cells do it.
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Open Bio 3, 130008
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Biogenesis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pheromone a-Factor, from Yeast Mating to Human Disease.
S. Michaelis and J. Barrowman (2012)
Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 76, 626-651
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