Genetic Control of Entry into Meiosis in Yeast

描述(由申请人提供)：环境响应途径是保守的信号转导途径的模型，也是微生物病原体毒力的决定因素。我们的研究集中在酵母细胞感知和响应外部pH变化的机制上。酿酒酵母芽生酵母菌在碱性pH条件下生长所需的两条途径：Rim101p途径和MdsSp途径。我们的广泛目标是了解每一条途径所识别的特定信号、信号转导机制以及与致病性有关的靶基因和功能。我们的实验方法主要使用遗传和细胞生物学方法。我们的具体目标是确定控制Rim101p途径活性的信号，确定Mds3p/Pmd1p与转录靶标的关系，并确定白念珠菌Rim101p和MdsSp靶基因在毒力中的作用。我们的工作与公共健康相关，提供了对传染病病原体如何能够在如此多不同的身体部位生长，以及它如何破坏我们的细胞而导致疾病和死亡的洞察。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Environmental response pathways are of interest as models for conserved signal transduction pathways and as determinants of virulence among microbial pathogens. Our studies have focused on the mechanisms through which yeast cells sense and respond to changes in external pH. Two pathways that are required for growth of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae at alkaline pH and whose homologs are required for full virulence of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans: the Rim101p pathway and the MdsSp pathway. Our broad objective is to understand, for each pathway, the specific signal that is recognized, the mechanism of signal transduction, and the target genes and functions that contribute to pathogenicity. Our experimental methods employ mainly genetic and cell biological methods. Our specific aims are to identify the signal that governs Rim101p pathway activity, to determine the relationship of Mds3p/Pmd1p to transcriptional targets, and to determine the roles of C. albicans Rim101p and MdsSp target genes in virulence. Our work is relevant to public health in providing insight into how an infectious disease agent is able to grow in so many different body sites, and how it damages our cells to cause disease and death.