Sterol regulatory element binding protein is a principal regulator of anaerobic gene expression in fission yeast.

Fission yeast sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP), called Sre1p, functions in an oxygen-sensing pathway to allow adaptation to fluctuating oxygen concentrations. The Sre1p-Scp1p complex responds to oxygen-dependent sterol synthesis as an indirect measure of oxygen availability. To examine the role of Sre1p in anaerobic gene expression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we performed transcriptional profiling experiments after a shift to anaerobic conditions for 1.

SREBP pathway responds to sterols and functions as an oxygen sensor in fission yeast.

Cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis in mammals are controlled by SREBPs, a family of membrane bound transcription factors. Our studies identified homologs of SREBP, its binding partner SCAP, and the ER retention protein Insig in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, named sre1+, scp1+, and ins1+. Like SREBP, Sre1 is cleaved and activated in response to sterol depletion in a Scp1-dependent manner.