Multicellular Stalk-Like Structures in Saccharomyces cerevisiae |
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| Authors: | David Engelberg Avishai Mimran Horacio Martinetto Joel Otto Giora Simchen Michael Karin and Gerald R Fink |
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| Institution: | Department of Biological Chemistry1. and Department of Genetics,3. The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel; Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California 92093-06362.; and Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142-14794. |
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| Abstract: | Stalk formation is a novel pattern of multicellular organization. Yeast cells which survive UV irradiation form colonies that grow vertically to form very long (0.5 to 3.0 cm) and thin (0.5 to 4 mm in diameter) multicellular structures. We describe the conditions required to obtain these stalk-like structures reproducibly in large numbers. Yeast mutants, mutated for control of cell polarity, developmental processes, UV response, and signal transduction cascades were tested and found capable of forming stalk-like structures. We suggest a model that explains the mechanism of stalk formation by mechanical environmental forces. We show that other microorganisms (Candida albicans, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Escherichia coli) also form stalks, suggesting that the ability to produce stalks may be a general property of microorganisms. Diploid yeast stalks sporulate at an elevated frequency, raising the possibility that the physiological role of stalks might be disseminating spores. |
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