Functional analysis of spindle pole body functions during the meiotic cell division in S. cerevisiae

将环境信息转换为细胞信号是所有器官学中的一个基本问题。在发芽酵母配子发生(减数分裂和孢子形成)过程中，纺锤体极性对子代细胞数量的调节是一个模型过程，目的是研究细胞的营养状态是如何转座为特定反应的细节。外部营养素的数量(分级信号)必须被数字化，以获得准确的子细胞数量(一到四个)。决策过程的健全与否，决定着后代的存亡。参与控制配子数量的调节机制是基于对选定的中心体(纺锤体极体)的修饰。然而，关于纺锤体在减数分裂和孢子形成过程中形成纺锤体极性的分子机制却知之甚少。众所周知，年龄和遗传参与了调节机制，但还不清楚纺锤体的极性是由蛋白质含量的差异还是通过修饰建立的。我们将利用减数分裂同步化和一种新开发的减数分裂特异突变体的方法来研究星形微管、SPB成分和已知的有丝分裂纺锤体极性因素在减数分裂过程中对SPB激活的作用。总体而言，我们的目标是了解决策的联系：选择性是如何在分子水平上建立的。

Conversion of environmental information into cellular signals is a fundamental problem in all organ-isms. Regulation of daughter-cell number by spindle polarity during budding yeast gametogenesis (meiosis and spore formation) is a model process to study the details how the nutritional status of a cell is transposed into a specific response. The amount of external nutrients (a graded signal) has to be digitized to achieve a precise number of daughter cells (one to four). Soundness of the decision process decides about the survival of the offspring. The regulation mechanism involved in control of gamete numbers is based on modification of selected centrosomes (spindle pole bodies). However, few information is available about the molecular mechanism, which underlies spindle polarity estab-lishment during meiosis and spore formation. It is known that age and inheritance are involved in the regulatory mechanism, but it is unclear whether spindle polarity is established by differences in protein content or modifications. We will use meiotic synchronization and a newly developed method to create meiosis-specific mutants to study the role of astral microtubules, SPB components and known mitotic spindle polarity factors in SPB activation during meiosis. Overall, we aim to understand wiring of decision making: how is selectivity established at molecular level.