Activation of yeast mannan synthetase by alpha factor pheromone

Alterations in the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae induced by the alpha sex factor or a mutation in the cell cycle

We performed experiments in parallel to study the rate of synthesis of cell wall polysaccharides and the activity of glycosyl transferases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae after arrest of a cdc 28 mutant in G1 phase by either addition of alpha-factor or transfer to the non-permissive temperature. Both effectors brought about similar time-dependent increases in the rate of synthesis and deposition of the cell wall polysaccharides chitin, glucan and mannan. These changes in cell wall composition were accompanied by an increase in the specific activities of glucan and chitin synthetases. This increase was inhibited by cycloheximide suggesting that it represented de novo enzyme biosynthesis and not enzyme activation. Our data are consistent with the notion that both alpha-factor and the cdc 28 mutation affect the same stage-specific function that controls the temporal expression of glycosyl transferases.