Generation and characterization of temperature-sensitive alleles encoding GPI anchored proteins Psu1 and Dfg502 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

ABSTRACT

Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored proteins are implicated in remodeling of the yeast cell wall during growth and division. Schizosaccharomyces pombe proteins, Psu1 , Dfg501 , and Dfg502 are predicted GPI anchored proteins with likely cell wall modifying activity. Here, we isolated and characterized null and temperature-sensitive alleles that will allow further analysis of the function of these proteins and S. pombe cell wall formation. Our data confirm that Psu1 is necessary for cell separation, maintaining proper cell shape, and viability. Additionally, we found that Dfg501 and Dfg502 share a redundant and essential function necessary for cell separation and viability.