N-terminal residues of the yeast pheromone receptor, Ste2p, mediate mating events independently of G1-arrest signaling.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mechanisms modulating the mating steps following cell cycle arrest are not well characterized. However, the N-terminal domain of Ste2p, a G protein-coupled pheromone receptor, was recently proposed to mediate events at this level. Toward deciphering receptor mechanisms associated with this mating functionality, scanning mutagenesis of targeted regions of the N-terminal domain has been completed.