Far protein deletion effects upon morphology during pheromone arrest (2012)

Undergraduate: Marie Balboa

Faculty Advisor: Beverly Errede
Department: Biology

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Cancer cells are characterized by uncontrolled cell cycle progression, which makes understanding cell cycle regulation an important scientific and medical focus. The cell cycle control genes and various molecular pathways regulating cell cycle of yeast and human cells are fairly similar. The FAR genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were identified by mutations that disrupt cell cycle arrest that occurs in response to mating pheromone. The arrangements and domains interactions of the Far complex are currently unknown. The goal of subsequent studies has been to understand the mechanism of regulation by these proteins. A set of strains from the yeast deletion collection knocking out the FAR genes were used to test the hypothesis that the Far protein complex might be essential for the Far1 independent arrest that is a prerequisite for yeast response to pheromone. The majority of the trials showed little difference between mutant and wild type strains. Future work however would concentrate upon the confirmation of a far3? strain. Far3 is proposed to be a central component of the Far complex and it is thought there should be some discernible reversal from the arrested morphology, or no continuation of pheromone arrest, when this protein is knocked out.