Extending the Schizosaccharomyces pombe molecular genetic toolbox.

Targeted alteration of the genome lies at the heart of the exploitation of S. pombe as a model system. The rate of analysis is often determined by the efficiency with which a target locus can be manipulated.

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe septation initiation network (SIN) is required for spore formation in meiosis.

When nutrients are abundant, S. pombe cells grow as rods, dividing by fission after formation of a medially placed cell wall or division septum. Septum formation is triggered by a group of proteins, called the septation initiation network or SIN, that trigger contraction of the acto-myosin contractile ring at the end of mitosis.