The fission yeast mating pheromone P-factor: its molecular structure, gene structure, and ability to induce gene expression and G1 arrest in the mating partner.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe h+ cells secrete a diffusable mating pheromone called P-factor. Here we show that the map2 gene, a defect of which confers h(+)-specific sterility, encodes the precursor of P-factor. We purified P-factor from cells overexpressing map2 and determined its amino acid sequence. P-factor is a peptide of 23 residues, with the sequence Thr-Tyr-Ala-Asp-Phe-Leu-Arg-Ala-Tyr-Gln-Ser- Trp-Asn-Thr-Phe-Val-Asn-Pro-Asp-Arg-Pro-Asn-Leu. A synthetic peptide of this sequence gave the same specific activity and chromatographic profile as the purified P-factor, suggesting that P-factor is unmodified. h- cells starved for nutrition showed a morphological response to P-factor. Transcription of the sxa2 gene, which encodes a protease thought to degrade P-factor, was activated in these cells. The cry1 null mutant, which lacks adenylyl cyclase and has little intracellular cAMP, was susceptible to P-factor even in the presence of nutrients. Combination of the cyr1 and sxa2 mutations enhanced this susceptibility. P-factor induced not only responses toward mating but also arrest of the cell cycle at the G1 phase in h- cyr1 sxa2 cells. This proves that the S. pombe mating pheromone has the ability to arrest cell cycle progression, which has previously been obscured by the usual requirement for mating of nutritional starvation and subsequent growth arrest.