The roles of yeast formins and their regulators Bud6 and Bil2 in the pheromone response.

In response to pheromone extend a mating projection. This process depends on the formation of polarized actin cables which direct secretion to the mating tip and translocate the nucleus for karyogamy. Here, we demonstrate that proper mating projection formation requires the formin Bni1, as well as the actin nucleation promoting activities of Bud6, but not the formin Bnr1.

Dynamic remodeling of actin networks by cyclase-associated protein and CAP-Abp1 complexes.

How actin filaments are spatially organized and remodeled into diverse higher-order networks in vivo is still not well understood. Here, we report an unexpected F-actin "coalescence" activity driven by cyclase-associated protein (CAP) and enhanced by its interactions with actin-binding protein 1 (Abp1). We directly observe S.

Sequestration of the exocytic SNARE Psy1 into multiprotein nodes reinforces polarized morphogenesis in fission yeast.

Polarized morphogenesis is achieved by targeting or inhibiting growth in distinct regions. Rod-shaped fission yeast cells grow exclusively at their ends by restricting exocytosis and secretion to these sites. This growth pattern implies the existence of mechanisms that prevent exocytosis and growth along nongrowing cell sides.

Pak1 kinase controls cell shape through ribonucleoprotein granules.

Fission yeast cells maintain a rod shape due to conserved signaling pathways that organize the cytoskeleton for polarized growth. We discovered a mechanism linking the conserved protein kinase Pak1 with cell shape through the RNA-binding protein Sts5. Pak1 (also called Shk1 and Orb2) prevents Sts5 association with P bodies by directly phosphorylating its intrinsically disordered region (IDR).

Connecting cell polarity signals to the cytokinetic machinery in yeast and metazoan cells.

Polarized growth and cytokinesis are two fundamental cellular processes that exist in virtually all cell types. Mechanisms for asymmetric distribution of materials allow for cells to grow in a polarized manner. This gives rise to a variety of cell shapes seen throughout all cell types.

Fission yeast Pak1 phosphorylates anillin-like Mid1 for spatial control of cytokinesis.

Protein kinases direct polarized growth by regulating the cytoskeleton in time and space and could play similar roles in cell division. We found that the Cdc42-activated polarity kinase Pak1 colocalizes with the assembling contractile actomyosin ring (CAR) and remains at the division site during septation. Mutations in pak1 led to defects in CAR assembly and genetic interactions with cytokinesis mutants.

Physiological and transcriptomic characterization of submergence and reoxygenation responses in soybean seedlings.

Complete inundation at the early seedling stage is a common environmental constraint for soybean production throughout the world. As floodwaters subside, submerged seedlings are subsequently exposed to reoxygenation stress in the natural progression of a flood event. Here, we characterized the fundamental acclimation responses to submergence and reoxygenation in soybean at the seedling establishment stage.