Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
J. Bacteriol., 12 1996, 7144-7151, Vol 178, No. 24
WS Lo and AM Dranginis
We report the characterization of a gene encoding a novel flocculin related
to the STA genes of yeast, which encode secreted glucoamylase. The STA
genes comprise sequences that are homologous to the sporulation- specific
glucoamylase SGA and to two other sequences, S2 and S1. We find that S2 and
S1 are part of a single gene which we have named FLO11. The sequence of
FLO11 reveals a 4,104-bp open reading frame on chromosome IX whose
predicted product is similar in overall structure to the class of yeast
serine/threonine-rich GPI-anchored cell wall proteins. An amino-terminal
domain containing a signal sequence and a carboxy-terminal domain with
homology to GPI (glycosyl-phosphatidyl- inositol) anchor-containing
proteins are separated by a central domain containing a highly repeated
threonine- and serine-rich sequence. Yeast cells that express FLO11
aggregate in the calcium-dependent process of flocculation. Flocculation is
abolished when FLO11 is disrupted. The product of STA1 also is shown to
have flocculating activity. When a green fluorescent protein fusion of
FLO11 was expressed from the FLO11 promoter on a single-copy plasmid,
fluorescence was observed in vivo at the periphery of cells. We propose
that FLO11 encodes a flocculin because of its demonstrated role in
flocculation, its structural similarity to other members of the FLO gene
family, and the cell surface location of its product. FLO11 gene sequences
are present in all yeast strains tested, including all standard laboratory
strains, unlike the STA genes which are present only in the variant strain
Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus. FLO11 differs from all other
yeast flocculins in that it is located near a centromere rather than a
telomere, and its expression is regulated by mating type. Repression of
FLO11-dependent flocculation in diploids is conferred by the mating- type
repressor al/alpha2.
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology
FLO11, a yeast gene related to the STA genes, encodes a novel cell surface flocculin
Department of Biological Sciences, St. John's University, Jamaica, New York 11439, USA.
This article has been cited by other articles:
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology. For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»