Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Control of timing of cell cycle events in fission yeast by the wee 1+ gene

Abstract

The means by which cells control the timing of events in the cell division cycle have been investigated in depth recently. The existence of controls over the major events of DNA replication and mitosis has been demonstrated in several systems; controls of both events have been identified in the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The control points have been defined on the basis of cell cycle arrest caused by certain mutations1–4 or mating pheromones5, and by growth-related parameters3,6–10. Investigation of how the component processes, generally identified by specific genes, are organized into developmental pathways11,12 has provided much information on how the proper temporal order of events is maintained, but little is known about the control of the absolute timing of the component processes in the cycle. The time of completion of a gene-controlled process in the cell cycle can be estimated from the transition or execution point of a temperature-sensitive mutant defective in the particular gene13. In the fission yeast S. pombe the transition points of most mutants defective for mitosis are temporally clustered shortly before the event14, but the mechanism which maintains this coordination has not been investigated. I report here that the transition points of three genes required for mitosis are advanced in strains carrying a wee 1 mutation, whose best known effect is to reduce cell size at mitosis15. The observed advancement can be as much as 0.4 of the cycle, implicating the wee 1+ gene in a system which controls the timing and temporal coordination of developmental steps controlled by three mitotic genes.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Reed, S. I. Genetics 95, 561–577 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Piggott, J. R., Rai, R. & Carter, B. L. A. Nature 298, 391–393 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nurse, P. & Thuriaux, P. Genetics 96, 627–637 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Nurse, P. & Bisset, Y. Nature 292, 558–560 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hartwell, L. H., Culotti, J., Pringle, J. R. & Reid, B. J. Science 183, 46–51 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Johnston, G. C., Pringle, J. R. & Hartwell, L. H. Expl Cell Res. 105, 79–98 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Fantes, P. & Nurse, P. Expl Cell Res. 107, 377–386 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Sudbery, P. E., Goodey, A. R. & Carter, B. L. A. Nature 288, 401–404 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Tyson, C. B., Lord, P. G. & Wheals, A. E. J. Bact. 138, 92–98 (1979).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Lorincz, A. & Carter, B. L. A. J. gen. Microbiol. 113, 287–295 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Pringle, J. R. & Hartwell, L. H. Molecular Biology of the Yeast Saccharomyces (eds Strathern, J. N., Jones, E. W. & Broach, J. R.) (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Fantes, P. A. J. Cell Sci. 55, 383–402 (1982).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Pringle, J. R. J. cell. Physiol. 95, 393–405 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Nurse, P., Thuriaux, P. & Nasmyth, K. Molec. gen. Genet. 146, 167–178 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Thuriaux, P., Nurse, P. & Carter, B. Molec. gen. Genet. 161, 215–220 (1978).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Egel, R., Kohli, J., Thuriaux, P. & Wolf, K. A. Rev. Genet. 14, 77–108 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Fantes, P. A. Nature 279, 428–430 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Fantes, P. A. & Nurse, P. Expl Cell Res. 115, 317–329 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Nurse, P. Nature 256, 547–551 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Nasmyth, K. & Nurse, P. Molec. gen. Genet. 182, 119–124 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Roy, D. & Fantes, P. A. Curr. Genet. 6, 195–201 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fantes, P. Control of timing of cell cycle events in fission yeast by the wee 1+ gene. Nature 302, 153–155 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/302153a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/302153a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing