This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Arcangioli, B Articles by Klar, A J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Arcangioli, B Articles by Klar, A J

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Mol Cell Biol. 1994 March; 14(3): 2058-2065

Sap1, a protein that binds to sequences required for mating-type switching, is essential for viability in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Laboratory of Eukaryotic Gene Expression, NCI-Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Maryland 21702-1201.

ABSTRACT

The pattern of mating-type switching in cell pedigrees of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is dictated by the inheritance of specific DNA chains at the mating-type locus (mat1). The recombination event essential for switching is initiated by a site-specific double-strand break at mat1. The switch-activating protein, Sap1, binds in vitro to a mat1 cis-acting site that was shown earlier to be essential for efficient mating-type switching. We isolated the sap1 gene by using oligonucleotides corresponding to the amino acid sequence of purified Sap1 protein. The sequence of that gene predicted a 30-kDa protein with no significant homology to other canonical DNA-binding protein motifs. To facilitate its biochemical characterization, Sap1 was expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein expressed in bacteria displayed the same DNA-binding specificities as the protein purified from S. pombe. Interestingly, analysis of a sap1 null mutation showed that the gene is essential for growth even in a strain in which mating-type switching is prohibited because of a defect in generation of the double-strand break. Thus, the sap1 gene product implicated in mating-type switching is shown to be essential for cell viability.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Noguchi, C., Noguchi, E. (2007). Sap1 Promotes the Association of the Replication Fork Protection Complex With Chromatin and Is Involved in the Replication Checkpoint in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Genetics 175: 553-566 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Krings, G., Bastia, D. (2006). Molecular Architecture of a Eukaryotic DNA Replication Terminus-Terminator Protein Complex. Mol. Cell. Biol. 26: 8061-8074 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Krings, G., Bastia, D. (2005). Sap1p Binds to Ter1 at the Ribosomal DNA of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Causes Polar Replication Fork Arrest. J. Biol. Chem. 280: 39135-39142 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mejia-Ramirez, E., Sanchez-Gorostiaga, A., Krimer, D. B., Schvartzman, J. B., Hernandez, P. (2005). The Mating Type Switch-Activating Protein Sap1 Is Required for Replication Fork Arrest at the rRNA Genes of Fission Yeast. Mol. Cell. Biol. 25: 8755-8761 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lee, B.-S., Grewal, S. I. S., Klar, A. J. S. (2004). Biochemical Interactions between Proteins and mat1 cis-Acting Sequences Required for Imprinting in Fission Yeast. Mol. Cell. Biol. 24: 9813-9822 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• de Lahondes, R., Ribes, V., Arcangioli, B. (2003). Fission Yeast Sap1 Protein Is Essential for Chromosome Stability. Eukaryot Cell 2: 910-921 [Abstract] [Full Text]