Novel alleles of cdc13 and cdc2 isolated as suppressors of mitotic catastrophe in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Abstract

Cell cycle control in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe involves interplay amongst a number of regulatory molecules, including the cdc2, cdc13, cdc25, wee1, and mik1 gene products. Cdc2, Cdc13, and Cdc25 act as positive regulators of cell cycle progression at the G2/M boundary, while Wee1 and Miky1 play a negative regulatory role. Here, we have screened for suppressors of the lethal premature entry into mitosis, termed mitotic catastrophe, which results from simultaneous loss of function of both Wee1 and Mik1. Through such a screen, we hoped to identify additional components of the cell cycle regulatory network, and/or G2/M-specific substrates of Cdc2. Although we did not identify such molecules, we isolated a number of alleles of both cdc2 and cdc13, including a novel wee allele of cdc2, cdc2-5w. Here, we characterize cdc2-5w and two alleles of cdc13, which have implications for the understanding of details of the interactions amongst Cdc2, Cdc13, and Wee1.