👤 L J Oehlen

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle is arrested in G1 phase by the mating factor pathway. Genetic evidence has suggested that the G1 cyclins Cln1, Cln2, and Cln3 are targets of this pathway whose inhibition results in G1 arrest. Inhibition of Cln1- and Cln2-associated kinase activity by the mating factor pathway acting through Far1 has been described. Here we report that Cln3-associated kinase activity is inhibited by mating factor treatment, with dose response and timing consistent with involvement in cell cycle arrest. No regulation of Cln3-associated kinase was observed in a fus3 kss1 strain deficient in mating factor pathway mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. Inhibition occurs mainly at the level of specific activity of Cln3-Cdc28 complexes. Inhibition of the C-terminally truncated Cln3-1-associated kinase is not observed; such truncations were previously identified genetically as causing resistance to mating factor-induced cell cycle arrest. Regulation of Cln3-associated kinase specific activity by mating factor treatment requires Far1. Overexpression of Far1 restores inhibition of C-terminally truncated Cln3-1-associated kinase activity. G2/M-arrested cells are unable to regulate Cln3-associated kinase, possibly because of cell cycle regulation of Far1 abundance. Inhibition of Cln3-associated kinase activity by the mating factor pathway may allow this pathway to block the earliest step in normal cell cycle initiation, since Cln3 functions as the most upstream G1-acting cyclin, activating transcription of the G1 cyclins CLN1 and CLN2 as well as of the S-phase cyclins CLB5 and CLB6. Show less

The G1 cyclin Cln2 negatively regulates the mating-factor pathway. In a genetic screen to identify factors required for this regulation, we identified an allele of CDC28 (cdc28-csr1) that blocked this function of Cln2. Cln2 immunoprecipitated from cdc28-csr1 cells was completely defective in histone H1 kinase activity, due to defects in Cdc28 binding and activation by Cln2. In contrast, Clb2-associated H1 kinase and Cdc28 binding was normal in immunoprecipitates from these cells. cdc28-csr1 was significantly deficient in other aspects of genetic interaction with Cln2. The cdc28-csr1 mutation was determined to be Q188P, in the T loop distal to most of the probable Cdk-cyclin interaction regions. We performed random mutagenesis of CDC28 to identify additional alleles incapable of causing CLN2-dependent mating-factor resistance but capable of complementing cdc28 temperature-sensitive and null alleles. Two such mutants had highly defective Cln2-associated kinase, but, surprisingly, two other mutants had levels of Cln2-associated kinase near to wild-type levels. We performed a complementary screen for CDC28 mutants that could cause efficient Cln2-dependent mating-factor resistance but not complement a cdc28 null allele. Most such mutants were found to alter residues essential for kinase activity; the proteins had little or no associated kinase activity in bulk or in association with Cln2. Several of these mutants also functioned in another assay for CLN2-dependent function not involving the mating-factor pathway, complementing the temperature sensitivity of a cln1 cln3 cdc28-csr1 strain. These results could indicate that Cln2-Cdc28 kinase activity is not directly relevant to some CLN2-mediated functions. Mutants of this sort should be useful in differentiating the function of Cdc28 complexed with different cyclin regulatory subunits. Show less

Transcriptional induction by the mating pheromone alpha-factor was monitored at different stages of the yeast cell cycle. G2/M-phase and pre-Start cells showed strong FUS1 mRNA induction, whereas in post-Start cells the signaling was reduced significantly. This reduction in signaling activity in post-Start cells was correlated with the presence of CLN1 or CLN2 transcripts and was not observed in synchronized cells lacking functional CLN1 and CLN2 genes. Activation of the Cln-Cdc28p kinase by overexpression of CLN2 from the GAL1 promoter strongly reduced FUS1 mRNA induction. CLN1 overexpression had a similar effect when the FAR1 gene, encoding a negative regulator of CLN1/2 function, was deleted. This reduction of pheromone signaling was specific for CLN1 and CLN2, as it was not observed when CLN3 was overexpressed. Inactivation of the Cln-Cdc28p kinase complex by thermal inactivation of temperature-sensitive Cdc28p prevented repression of FUS1 signaling. CLN2 overexpression suppressed the constitutive signaling and division-arrest phenotypes of cells with a disrupted gpa1 gene, indicating that the site of action for repression is downstream of the alpha-subunit (Gpa1p) of the heterotrimeric G protein. The repression at Start of pheromone signaling by Cln1-Cdc28p or Cln2-Cdc28p kinase complexes may contribute to the acquisition of pheromone resistance as cells execute Start. Show less