Search for: All records

AMA1 and SPS1 control distinct aspects of meiosis II spindle disassembly, with AMA1 affecting the loss of Ase1 and Cin8 during meiosis II spindle disassembly, while SPS1 affects Bim1. The Anaphase Promoting Complex and meiotic/mitotic exit pathways seem to regulate similar targets in meiosis as mitosis, despite utilizing meiosis-specific regulators in those pathways. 

During sporulation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, proper development of the prospore membrane is necessary for the formation of viable spores. The prospore membrane will eventually become the plasma membrane of the newly formed haploid spore and also serves as the template for the deposition of the spore wall. The prospore membrane is generated de novo during meiosis II and the growing edge of the prospore membrane is associated with the Leading Edge Protein (LEP) complex. We find that the Smk1 MAP kinase, along with its activator Ssp2, transiently localizes with the LEP during late meiosis II. SSP2 is required for the leading edge localization of Smk1; this localization is independent of the activation state of Smk1. Like other LEP components, the localization of Smk1 at the leading edge also depends on Ady3. Although prospore membrane development begins normally in smk1 and ssp2 mutants, late prospore membrane formation is disrupted, with the formation of ectopic membrane compartments. Thus, MAP kinase signaling plays an important role in the formation of the prospore membrane.