Generation and characterization of temperature-sensitive alleles of the glucanosyltransferase Gas1 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

The Gas family of β-1,3-glucanosyltransferases modify the cell wall by elongating β-1,3-glucan chains. While cells are inviable under standard laboratory growth conditions, they are viable in the presence of an osmotic stabilizer. Even under these conditions however, cells are slow-growing and display cell separation and morphology defects.