« Previous AbstractSpecific decorations of 17-hydroxygeranyllinalool diterpene glycosides solve the autotoxicity problem of chemical defense in Nicotiana attenuata    Next AbstractThe Ustilago maydis Clp1 protein orchestrates pheromone and b-dependent signaling pathways to coordinate the cell cycle and pathogenic development »

J Cell Biol

Title:		"Prm1p, a pheromone-regulated multispanning membrane protein, facilitates plasma membrane fusion during yeast mating"
Author(s):		Heiman MG; Walter P;
Address:		"Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0448, USA"
Journal Title:		J Cell Biol
Year:		2000
Volume:		151
Issue:		3
Page Number:		719 - 730
DOI:		10.1083/jcb.151.3.719
ISSN/ISBN:		0021-9525 (Print) 1540-8140 (Electronic) 0021-9525 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Cell fusion occurs throughout development, from fertilization to organogenesis. The molecular mechanisms driving plasma membrane fusion in these processes remain unknown. While yeast mating offers an excellent model system in which to study cell fusion, all genes previously shown to regulate the process act at or before cell wall breakdown; i.e., well before the two plasma membranes have come in contact. Using a new strategy in which genomic data is used to predict which genes may possess a given function, we identified PRM1, a gene that is selectively expressed during mating and that encodes a multispanning transmembrane protein. Prm1p localizes to sites of cell-cell contact where fusion occurs. In matings between Deltaprm1 mutants, a large fraction of cells initiate zygote formation and degrade the cell wall separating mating partners but then fail to fuse. Electron microscopic analysis reveals that the two plasma membranes in these mating pairs are tightly apposed, remaining separated only by a uniform gap of approximately 8 nm. Thus, the phenotype of Deltaprm1 mutants defines a new step in the mating reaction in which membranes are juxtaposed, possibly through a defined adherence junction, yet remain unfused. This phenotype suggests a role for Prm1p in plasma membrane fusion"
Keywords:		"Amino Acid Sequence Base Sequence *Cell Fusion Cell Membrane/drug effects/metabolism/ultrastructure Cell Wall/drug effects/metabolism/ultrastructure Cloning, Molecular Conserved Sequence Diploidy Fungal Proteins/chemistry/genetics/*metabolism Gene Deletio;"
Notes:		"MedlineHeiman, M G Walter, P eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 2000/11/04 J Cell Biol. 2000 Oct 30; 151(3):719-30. doi: 10.1083/jcb.151.3.719"