The cation-transporting P-type ATPase Cta4 is required for assembly of the forespore membrane in fission yeast

Sporulation: A response to starvation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe employs two main strategies to adapt to the environment and survive when starved for nutrients. The strategies employ sporulation via sexual differentiation and extension of the chronological lifespan. When a cell is exposed to nutrient starvation in the presence of a cell of the opposite sex, the cells undergo fusion through conjugation and sporulation through meiosis. S. pombe spores are highly resistant to diverse stresses and may survive for a very long time. In this minireview, among the various sexual differentiation processes induced by starvation, we focused on and summarized the findings of the molecular mechanisms of spore formation in fission yeast. Furthermore, comparative measurements of the chronological lifespan of stationary phase cells and G0 cells and the survival period of spore cells revealed that the spore cells survived for a long period, indicating the presence of an effective mechanism for survival. Currently, many molecules involved in sporulation and their functions are being discovered; however, our understanding of these is not complete. Further understanding of spores may not only deepen our comprehension of sexual differentiation but may also provide hints for sustaining life.

Coordinated Roles of the Putative Ceramide-Conjugation Protein, Cwh43, and a Mn2+-Transporting, P-Type ATPase, Pmr1, in Fission Yeast

Genetically controlled mechanisms of cell division and quiescence are vital for responding to changes in the nutritional environment and for cell survival. Previously, we have characterized temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of the cwh43 gene in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which is required for both cell proliferation and nitrogen starvation-induced G0 quiescence. Cwh43 encodes an evolutionarily conserved transmembrane protein that localizes in endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Defects in this protein fail to divide in low glucose and lose mitotic competence under nitrogen starvation, and also affect lipid metabolism. Here, we identified mutations of the pmr1 gene, which encodes an evolutionarily conserved Ca²⁺/Mn²⁺-transporting P-type ATPase, as potent extragenic suppressors of ts mutants of the cwh43 gene. Intriguingly, these pmr1 mutations specifically suppressed the ts phenotype of cwh43 mutants, among five P-type Ca²⁺- and/or Mn²⁺-ATPases reported in this organism. Cwh43 and Pmr1 co-localized in the ER. In cwh43 mutant cells, addition of excessive manganese to culture media enhanced the severe defect in cell morphology, and caused abnormal accumulation of a cell wall component, 1, 3-β-glucan. In contrast, these abnormal phenotypes were abolished by deletion of the pmr1 ⁺ gene, as well as by removal of Mn²⁺ from the culture medium. Furthermore, nutrition-related phenotypes of cwh43 mutant cells were rescued in the absence of Pmr1. Our findings indicate that the cellular processes regulated by Cwh43 are appropriately balanced with Pmr1-mediated Mn²⁺ transport into the ER.

Live observation of forespore membrane formation in fission yeast

Sporulation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a unique biological process in that the plasma membrane of daughter cells is assembled de novo within the mother cell cytoplasm. A double unit membrane called the forespore membrane (FSM) is constructed dynamically during meiosis. To obtain a dynamic view of FSM formation, we visualized FSM in living cells by using green fluorescent protein fused with Psy1, an FSM-resident protein, together with the nucleus or microtubules. The assembly of FSM initiates in prophase II, and four FSMs in a cell expand in a synchronous manner at the same rate throughout meiosis II. After the meiosis II completes, FSMs continue to expand until closure to form the prespore, a spore precursor. Prespores are initially ellipsoidal, and eventually become spheres. FSM formation was also observed in the sporulation-deficient mutants spo3, spo14, and spo15. In the spo15 mutant, the initiation of FSM formation was completely blocked. In the spo3 mutant, the FSM expanded normally during early meiosis II, but it was severely inhibited during late and postmeiosis, whereas in the spo14 mutant, membrane expansion was more severely inhibited throughout meiosis II. These observations suggest that FSM expansion is composed of two steps, early meiotic FSM expansion and late and post meiotic FSM expansion. Possible regulatory mechanisms of FSM formation in fission yeast are discussed.