Analysis of RIM11, a yeast protein kinase that phosphorylates the meiotic activator IME1

Control of meiotic entry by dual inhibition of a key mitotic transcription factor

The mitosis to meiosis transition requires dynamic changes in gene expression, but whether and how the mitotic transcriptional machinery is regulated during this transition is unknown. In budding yeast, SBF and MBF transcription factors initiate the mitotic gene expression program. Here, we report two mechanisms that work together to restrict SBF activity during meiotic entry: repression of the SBF-specific Swi4 subunit through LUTI-based regulation and inhibition of SBF by Whi5, a functional homolog of the Rb tumor suppressor. We find that untimely SBF activation causes downregulation of early meiotic genes and delays meiotic entry. These defects are largely driven by the SBF-target G1 cyclins, which block the interaction between the central meiotic regulator Ime1 and its cofactor Ume6. Our study provides insight into the role of SWI4LUTI in establishing the meiotic transcriptional program and demonstrates how the LUTI-based regulation is integrated into a larger regulatory network to ensure timely SBF activity.

Towards a Unified Understanding of Lithium Action in Basic Biology and its Significance for Applied Biology

Lithium has literally been everywhere forever, since it is one of the three elements created in the Big Bang. Lithium concentration in rocks, soil, and fresh water is highly variable from place to place, and has varied widely in specific regions over evolutionary and geologic time. The biological effects of lithium are many and varied. Based on experiments in which animals are deprived of lithium, lithium is an essential nutrient. At the other extreme, at lithium ingestion sufficient to raise blood concentration significantly over 1 mM/, lithium is acutely toxic. There is no consensus regarding optimum levels of lithium intake for populations or individuals-with the single exception that lithium is a generally accepted first-line therapy for bipolar disorder, and specific dosage guidelines for sufferers of that condition are generally agreed on. Epidemiological evidence correlating various markers of social dysfunction and disease vs. lithium level in drinking water suggest benefits of moderately elevated lithium compared to average levels of lithium intake. In contrast to other biologically significant ions, lithium is unusual in not having its concentration in fluids of multicellular animals closely regulated. For hydrogen ions, sodium ions, potassium ions, calcium ions, chloride ions, and magnesium ions, blood and extracellular fluid concentrations are closely and necessarily regulated by systems of highly selective channels, and primary and secondary active transporters. Lithium, while having strong biological activity, is tolerated over body fluid concentrations ranging over many orders of magnitude. The lack of biological regulation of lithium appears due to lack of lithium-specific binding sites and selectivity filters. Rather lithium exerts its myriad physiological and biochemical effects by competing for macromolecular sites that are relatively specific for other cations, most especially for sodium and magnesium. This review will consider what is known about the nature of this competition and suggest using and extending this knowledge towards the goal of a unified understanding of lithium in biology and the application of that understanding in medicine and nutrition.

Developmentally regulated internal transcription initiation during meiosis in budding yeast

Sporulation of budding yeast is a developmental process in which cells undergo meiosis to generate stress-resistant progeny. The dynamic nature of the budding yeast meiotic transcriptome has been well established by a number of genome-wide studies. Here we develop an analysis pipeline to systematically identify novel transcription start sites that reside internal to a gene. Application of this pipeline to data from a synchronized meiotic time course reveals over 40 genes that display specific internal initiations in mid-sporulation. Consistent with the time of induction, motif analysis on upstream sequences of these internal transcription start sites reveals a significant enrichment for the binding site of Ndt80, the transcriptional activator of middle sporulation genes. Further examination of one gene, MRK1, demonstrates the Ndt80 binding site is necessary for internal initiation and results in the expression of an N-terminally truncated protein isoform. When the MRK1 paralog RIM11 is downregulated, the MRK1 internal transcript promotes efficient sporulation, indicating functional significance of the internal initiation. Our findings suggest internal transcriptional initiation to be a dynamic, regulated process with potential functional impacts on development.

GSK-3β Homolog Rim11 and the Histone Deacetylase Complex Ume6-Sin3-Rpd3 Are Involved in Replication Stress Response Caused by Defects in Dna2

Lagging strand synthesis is mechanistically far more complicated than leading strand synthesis because it involves multistep processes and requires considerably more enzymes and protein factors. Due to this complexity, multiple fail-safe factors are required to ensure successful replication of the lagging strand DNA. We attempted to identify novel factors that are required in the absence of the helicase activity of Dna2, an essential enzyme in Okazaki-fragment maturation. In this article, we identified Rim11, a GSK-3β-kinase homolog, as a multicopy suppressor of dna2 helicase-dead mutant (dna2-K1080E). Subsequent epistasis analysis revealed that Ume6 (a DNA binding protein, a downstream substrate of Rim11) also acted as a multicopy suppressor of the dna2 allele. We found that the interaction of Ume6 with the conserved histone deacetylase complex Sin3-Rpd3 and the catalytic activity of Rpd3 were indispensable for the observed suppression of the dna2 mutant. Moreover, multicopy suppression by Rim11/Ume6 requires the presence of sister-chromatid recombination mediated by Rad52/Rad59 proteins, but not vice versa. Interestingly, the overexpression of Rim11 or Ume6 also suppressed the MMS sensitivity of rad59Δ. We also showed that the lethality of dna2 helicase-dead mutant was attributed to checkpoint activation and that decreased levels of deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) by overexpressing Sml1 (an inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase) rescued the dna2 mutant. We also present evidence that indicates Rim11/Ume6 works independently but in parallel with that of checkpoint inhibition, dNTP regulation, and sister-chromatid recombination. In conclusion, our results establish Rim11, Ume6, the histone deacetylase complex Sin3-Rpd3 and Sml1 as new factors important in the events of faulty lagging strand synthesis.

Temporal Expression of a Master Regulator Drives Synchronous Sporulation in Budding Yeast

Yeast cells enter and undergo gametogenesis relatively asynchronously, making it technically challenging to perform stage-specific genomic and biochemical analyses. Cell-to-cell variation in the expression of the master regulator of entry into sporulation, IME1, has been implicated to be the underlying cause of asynchronous sporulation. Here, we find that timing of IME1 expression is of critical importance for inducing cells to undergo sporulation synchronously. When we force expression of IME1 from an inducible promoter in cells incubated in sporulation medium for 2 hr, the vast majority of cells exhibit synchrony during premeiotic DNA replication and meiotic divisions. Inducing IME1 expression too early or too late affects the synchrony of sporulation. Surprisingly, our approach for synchronous sporulation does not require growth in acetate-containing medium, but can be achieved in cells grown in rich medium until saturation. Our system requires solely IME1, because the expression of the N6-methyladenosine methyltransferase IME4, another key regulator of early sporulation, is controlled by IME1 itself. The approach described here can be combined easily with other stage-specific synchronization methods, and thereby applied to study specific stages of sporulation, or the complete sporulation program.

Nutrient Control of Yeast Gametogenesis Is Mediated by TORC1, PKA and Energy Availability

Cell fate choices are tightly controlled by the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic signals, and gene regulatory networks. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the decision to enter into gametogenesis or sporulation is dictated by mating type and nutrient availability. These signals regulate the expression of the master regulator of gametogenesis, IME1. Here we describe how nutrients control IME1 expression. We find that protein kinase A (PKA) and target of rapamycin complex I (TORC1) signalling mediate nutrient regulation of IME1 expression. Inhibiting both pathways is sufficient to induce IME1 expression and complete sporulation in nutrient-rich conditions. Our ability to induce sporulation under nutrient rich conditions allowed us to show that respiration and fermentation are interchangeable energy sources for IME1 transcription. Furthermore, we find that TORC1 can both promote and inhibit gametogenesis. Down-regulation of TORC1 is required to activate IME1. However, complete inactivation of TORC1 inhibits IME1 induction, indicating that an intermediate level of TORC1 signalling is required for entry into sporulation. Finally, we show that the transcriptional repressor Tup1 binds and represses the IME1 promoter when nutrients are ample, but is released from the IME1 promoter when both PKA and TORC1 are inhibited. Collectively our data demonstrate that nutrient control of entry into sporulation is mediated by a combination of energy availability, TORC1 and PKA activities that converge on the IME1 promoter.

Systematic lipidomic analysis of yeast protein kinase and phosphatase mutants reveals novel insights into regulation of lipid homeostasis

The regulatory pathways required to maintain eukaryotic lipid homeostasis are largely unknown. We developed a systematic approach to uncover new players in the regulation of lipid homeostasis. Through an unbiased mass spectrometry-based lipidomic screening, we quantified hundreds of lipid species, including glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and sterols, from a collection of 129 mutants in protein kinase and phosphatase genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our approach successfully identified known kinases involved in lipid homeostasis and uncovered new ones. By clustering analysis, we found connections between nutrient-sensing pathways and regulation of glycerophospholipids. Deletion of members of glucose- and nitrogen-sensing pathways showed reciprocal changes in glycerophospholipid acyl chain lengths. We also found several new candidates for the regulation of sphingolipid homeostasis, including a connection between inositol pyrophosphate metabolism and complex sphingolipid homeostasis through transcriptional regulation of AUR1 and SUR1. This robust, systematic lipidomic approach constitutes a rich, new source of biological information and can be used to identify novel gene associations and function.

Dynamic modeling of yeast meiotic initiation

Background

Meiosis is the sexual reproduction process common to eukaryotes. The diploid yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoes meiosis in sporulation medium to form four haploid spores. Initiation of the process is tightly controlled by intricate networks of positive and negative feedback loops. Intriguingly, expression of early meiotic proteins occurs within a narrow time window. Further, sporulation efficiency is strikingly different for yeast strains with distinct mutations or genetic backgrounds. To investigate signal transduction pathways that regulate transient protein expression and sporulation efficiency, we develop a mathematical model using ordinary differential equations. The model describes early meiotic events, particularly feedback mechanisms at the system level and phosphorylation of signaling molecules for regulating protein activities.

Results

The mathematical model is capable of simulating the orderly and transient dynamics of meiotic proteins including Ime1, the master regulator of meiotic initiation, and Ime2, a kinase encoded by an early gene. The model is validated by quantitative sporulation phenotypes of single-gene knockouts. Thus, we can use the model to make novel predictions on the cooperation between proteins in the signaling pathway. Virtual perturbations on feedback loops suggest that both positive and negative feedback loops are required to terminate expression of early meiotic proteins. Bifurcation analyses on feedback loops indicate that multiple feedback loops are coordinated to modulate sporulation efficiency. In particular, positive auto-regulation of Ime2 produces a bistable system with a normal meiotic state and a more efficient meiotic state.

Conclusions

By systematically scanning through feedback loops in the mathematical model, we demonstrate that, in yeast, the decisions to terminate protein expression and to sporulate at different efficiencies stem from feedback signals toward the master regulator Ime1 and the early meiotic protein Ime2. We argue that the architecture of meiotic initiation pathway generates a robust mechanism that assures a rapid and complete transition into meiosis. This type of systems-level regulation is a commonly used mechanism controlling developmental programs in yeast and other organisms. Our mathematical model uncovers key regulations that can be manipulated to enhance sporulation efficiency, an important first step in the development of new strategies for producing gametes with high quality and quantity.

The Sum1/Ndt80 transcriptional switch and commitment to meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cells encounter numerous signals during the development of an organism that induce division, differentiation, and apoptosis. These signals need to be present for defined intervals in order to induce stable changes in the cellular phenotype. The point after which an inducing signal is no longer needed for completion of a differentiation program can be termed the "commitment point." Meiotic development in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (sporulation) provides a model system to study commitment. Similar to differentiation programs in multicellular organisms, the sporulation program in yeast is regulated by a transcriptional cascade that produces early, middle, and late sets of sporulation-specific transcripts. Although critical meiosis-specific events occur as early genes are expressed, commitment does not take place until middle genes are induced. Middle promoters are activated by the Ndt80 transcription factor, which is produced and activated shortly before most middle genes are expressed. In this article, I discuss the connection between Ndt80 and meiotic commitment. A transcriptional regulatory pathway makes NDT80 transcription contingent on the prior expression of early genes. Once Ndt80 is produced, the recombination (pachytene) checkpoint prevents activation of the Ndt80 protein. Upon activation, Ndt80 triggers a positive autoregulatory loop that leads to the induction of genes that promote exit from prophase, the meiotic divisions, and spore formation. The pathway is controlled by multiple feed-forward loops that give switch-like properties to the commitment transition. The conservation of regulatory components of the meiotic commitment pathway and the recently reported ability of Ndt80 to increase replicative life span are discussed.

Sporulation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In response to nitrogen starvation in the presence of a poor carbon source, diploid cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergo meiosis and package the haploid nuclei produced in meiosis into spores. The formation of spores requires an unusual cell division event in which daughter cells are formed within the cytoplasm of the mother cell. This process involves the de novo generation of two different cellular structures: novel membrane compartments within the cell cytoplasm that give rise to the spore plasma membrane and an extensive spore wall that protects the spore from environmental insults. This article summarizes what is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling spore assembly with particular attention to how constitutive cellular functions are modified to create novel behaviors during this developmental process. Key regulatory points on the sporulation pathway are also discussed as well as the possible role of sporulation in the natural ecology of S. cerevisiae.

Epistasis in a quantitative trait captured by a molecular model of transcription factor interactions

With technological advances in genetic mapping studies more of the genes and polymorphisms that underlie Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) are now being identified. As the identities of these genes become known there is a growing need for an analysis framework that incorporates the molecular interactions affected by natural polymorphisms. As a step towards such a framework we present a molecular model of genetic variation in sporulation efficiency between natural isolates of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The model is based on the structure of the regulatory pathway that controls sporulation. The model captures the phenotypic variation between strains carrying different combinations of alleles at known QTL. Compared to a standard linear model the molecular model requires fewer free parameters, and has the advantage of generating quantitative hypotheses about the affinity of specific molecular interactions in different genetic backgrounds. Our analyses provide a concrete example of how the thermodynamic properties of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions naturally give rise to epistasis, the non-linear relationship between genotype and phenotype. As more causative genes and polymorphisms underlying QTL are identified, thermodynamic analyses of quantitative traits may provide a useful framework for unraveling the complex relationship between genotype and phenotype.

Construction of sterile ime1Delta-transgenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeasts unable to disseminate in nature

The use of new transgenic yeasts in industry carries a potential environmental risk because their dispersal, introducing new artificial genetic combinations into nature, could have unpredictable consequences. This risk could be avoided by using sterile transgenic yeasts that are unable to sporulate and mate with wild yeasts. These sterile yeasts would not survive the annual cyclic harvesting periods, being condemned to disappear in the wineries and vineyards in less than a year. We have constructed new ime1Delta wine yeasts that are unable to sporulate and mate, bear easy-to-detect genetic markers, and quickly disappear in grape must fermentation immediately after sporulation of the yeast population. These sterile yeasts maintained the same biotechnological properties as their parent yeasts without any detectable deleterious effect of the ime1Delta mutation. These yeasts are therefore interesting biotechnologically for food industry applications and for genetically modified microorganism environmental monitoring studies.

Meiosis-specific destruction of the Ume6p repressor by the Cdc20-directed APC/C

Meiotic development in yeast requires the coordinated induction of transient waves of gene transcription. The present study investigates the regulation of Ume6p, a mitotic repressor of the "early" class of meiosis-specific genes. Western blot analysis revealed that Ume6p is destroyed early in meiosis by Cdc20p, an activator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase. This control appears direct as Cdc20p and Ume6p associate in vivo and APC/C(Cdc20) ubiquitylates Ume6p in vitro. Inactivating Cdc20p, or stabilizing Ume6p through mutation, prevented meiotic gene transcription and meiotic progression. During mitotic cell division, Ume6p is protected from destruction by protein kinase A phosphorylation of Cdc20p. Complete elimination of Ume6p in meiotic cells requires association with the meiotic inducer Ime1p. These results indicate that Ume6p degradation is required for normal meiotic gene induction and meiotic progression. These findings demonstrate a direct connection between the transcription machinery and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis that is developmentally regulated.

The in vivo activity of Ime1, the key transcriptional activator of meiosis-specific genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is inhibited by the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A signal pathway through the glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta homolog Rim11

Phosphorylation is the main mode by which signals are transmitted to key regulators of developmental pathways. The glycogen synthase kinase 3 family plays pivotal roles in the development and well-being of all eukaryotic organisms. Similarly, the budding yeast homolog Rim11 is essential for the exit of diploid cells from the cell cycle and for entry into the meiotic developmental pathway. In this report we show that in vivo, in cells grown in a medium promoting vegetative growth with acetate as the sole carbon source (SA medium), Rim11 phosphorylates Ime1, the master transcriptional activator required for entry into the meiotic cycle and for the transcription of early meiosis-specific genes. We demonstrate that in the presence of glucose, the kinase activity of Rim11 is inhibited. This inhibition could be due to phosphorylation on Ser-5, Ser-8, and/or Ser-12 because in the rim11S5AS8AS12A mutant, Ime1 is incorrectly phosphorylated in the presence of glucose and cells undergo sporulation. We further show that this nutrient signal is transmitted to Rim11 and consequently to Ime1 by the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A signal transduction pathway. Ime1 is phosphorylated in SA medium on at least two residues, Tyr-359 and Ser-302 and/or Ser-306. Ser-302 and Ser-306 are part of a consensus site for the mammalian homolog of Rim11, glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta. Phosphorylation on Tyr-359 but not Ser-302 or Ser-306 is essential for the transcription of early meiosis-specific genes and sporulation. We show that Tyr-359 is phosphorylated by Rim11.

Ask10p mediates the oxidative stress-induced destruction of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae C-type cyclin Ume3p/Srb11p

Srb11p-Srb10p is the budding yeast C-type cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinase that is required for the repression of several stress response genes. To relieve this repression, Srb11p is destroyed in cells exposed to stressors, including heat shock and oxidative stress. In the present study, we identified Ask10p (for activator of Skn7) by two-hybrid analysis as an interactor with Srb11p. Coimmunoprecipitation studies confirmed this association, and we found that, similar to Srb11p-Srb10p, Ask10p is a component of the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme. Ask10p is required for Srb11p destruction in response to oxidative stress but not heat shock. Moreover, this destruction is important since the hypersensitivity of an ask10 mutant strain to oxidative stress is rescued by deleting SRB11. We further show that Ask10p is phosphorylated in response to oxidative stress but not heat shock. This modification requires the redundant mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase Mkk1/2 but not their normal MAP kinase target Slt2p. Moreover, the other vegetative MAP kinases--Hog1p, Fus3p, or Kss1p--are not required for Ask10p phosphorylation, suggesting the existence of an alternative pathway for transducing the Pkc1p-->Bck1-->Mkk1/2 oxidative stress signal. In conclusion, Ask10p is a new component of the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme and an important regulator of the oxidative stress response. In addition, these results define a new role for the Pkc1p MAP kinase cascade (except the MAP kinase itself) in transducing the oxidative damage signal directly to the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme, thereby bypassing the stress-activated transcription factors.

Glucose and nitrogen regulate the switch from histone deacetylation to acetylation for expression of early meiosis-specific genes in budding yeast

In eukaryotes, the switch between alternative developmental pathways is mainly attributed to a switch in transcriptional programs. A major mode in this switch is the transition between histone deacetylation and acetylation. In budding yeast, early meiosis-specific genes (EMGs) are repressed in the mitotic cell cycle by active deacetylation of their histones. Transcriptional activation of these genes in response to the meiotic signals (i.e., glucose and nitrogen depletion) requires histone acetylation. Here we follow how this regulated switch is accomplished, demonstrating the existence of two parallel mechanisms. (i) We demonstrate that depletion of glucose and nitrogen leads to a transient replacement of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) complex on the promoters of EMG by the transcriptional activator Ime1. The occupancy by either component occurs independently of the presence or absence of the other. Removal of the HDAC complex depends on the protein kinase Rim15, whose activity in the presence of nutrients is inhibited by protein kinase A phosphorylation. (ii) In the absence of glucose, HDAC loses its ability to repress transcription, even if this repression complex is directly bound to a promoter. We show that this relief of repression depends on Ime1, as well as on the kinase activity of Rim11, a glycogen synthase kinase 3beta homolog that phosphorylates Ime1. We further show that the glucose signal is transmitted through Rim11. In cells expressing the constitutive active rim11-3SA allele, HDAC repression in glucose medium is impaired.

Expression profiling of mammalian male meiosis and gametogenesis identifies novel candidate genes for roles in the regulation of fertility

We report a comprehensive large-scale expression profiling analysis of mammalian male germ cells undergoing mitotic growth, meiosis, and gametogenesis by using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays and highly enriched cell populations. Among 11,955 rat loci investigated, 1268 were identified as differentially transcribed in germ cells at subsequent developmental stages compared with total testis, somatic Sertoli cells as well as brain and skeletal muscle controls. The loci were organized into four expression clusters that correspond to somatic, mitotic, meiotic, and postmeiotic cell types. This work provides information about expression patterns of approximately 200 genes known to be important during male germ cell development. Approximately 40 of those are included in a group of 121 transcripts for which we report germ cell expression and lack of transcription in three somatic control cell types. Moreover, we demonstrate the testicular expression and transcriptional induction in mitotic, meiotic, and/or postmeiotic germ cells of 293 as yet uncharacterized transcripts, some of which are likely to encode factors involved in spermatogenesis and fertility. This group also contains potential germ cell-specific targets for innovative contraceptives. A graphical display of the data is conveniently accessible through the GermOnline database at http://www.germonline.org.

TOR regulates the subcellular localization of Ime1, a transcriptional activator of meiotic development in budding yeast

The transcriptional activator Ime1 is a key regulator of meiosis and sporulation in budding yeast. Ime1 is controlled at different levels by nutrients and cell-type signals. Previously, we have proposed that G(1) cyclins would transmit nutritional signals to the Ime1 pathway by preventing the accumulation of Ime1 within the nucleus. We show here that nutritional signals regulate the subcellular localization of Ime1 through the TOR pathway. The inactivation of TOR with rapamycin promotes the nuclear accumulation and stabilization of Ime1, with consequent induction of early meiotic genes. On the contrary, the activation of TOR by glutamine induces the relocalization of Ime1 to the cytoplasm. Thus, TOR may sense optimal nitrogen- and carbon-limiting conditions to modulate Ime1 function. Besides TOR, ammonia induces an independent mechanism that prevents the accumulation of Ime1 in the nucleus. Both TOR and ammonia regulate Ime1 localization in the absence of Cdk1 activity and therefore use mechanisms different from those exerted by G(1) cyclins. Integration of independent mechanisms into a single early controlling step, such as the nuclear accumulation of Ime1, may help explain why yeast cells execute the meiotic program only when the appropriate internal and external conditions are met together.

Yeast glycogen synthase kinase-3 activates Msn2p-dependent transcription of stress responsive genes

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has four genes, MCK1, MDS1 (RIM11), MRK1, and YOL128c, that encode homologues of mammalian glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3). A gsk-3 null mutant in which these four genes are disrupted showed growth defects on galactose medium. We isolated several multicopy suppressors of this growth defect. Two of them encoded Msn2p and phosphoglucomutase (PGM). Msn2p is a transcription factor that binds to the stress-response element (STRE). PGM is an enzyme that interconverts glucose-1 phosphate and glucose-6 phosphate and is regulated by Msn2p at the transcriptional level. Expression of the mRNAs of PGM2 and DDR2, whose promoter regions possess STRE sequences, on induction by heat shock or salt stress was reduced not only in an msn2 msn4 (msn2 homologue) double mutant but also in the gsk-3 null mutant. STRE-dependent transcription was greatly inhibited in the gsk-3 null mutant or mck1 mds1 double mutant, and this phenotype was suppressed by the expression of Mck1p but not of a kinase-inactive form of Mck1p. Although Msn2p accumulated in the nucleus of the gsk-3 null mutant as well as in the wild-type strain under various stress conditions, its STRE-binding activity was reduced in extracts prepared from the gsk-3 null mutant or mck1 mds1 double mutant. These results suggest that yeast GSK-3 promotes formation of a complex between Msn2p and DNA, which is required for the proper response to different forms of stress. Because neither Msn2p-GSK-3 complex formation nor GSK-3-dependent phosphorylation of Msn2p could be detected, the regulation of Msn2p by GSK-3 may be indirect.

The Ume6 regulon coordinates metabolic and meiotic gene expression in yeast

The Ume6 transcription factor in yeast is known to both repress and activate expression of diverse genes during growth and meiotic development. To obtain a more complete profile of the functions regulated by this protein, microarray analysis was used to examine transcription in wild-type and ume6Delta diploids during vegetative growth in glucose and acetate. Two different genetic backgrounds (W303 and SK1) were examined to identify a core set of strain-independent Ume6-regulated genes. Among genes whose expression is controlled by Ume6 in both backgrounds, 82 contain homologies to the Ume6-binding site (URS1) and are expected to be directly regulated by Ume6. The vast majority of those whose functions are known participate in carbon/nitrogen metabolism and/or meiosis. Approximately half of the Ume6 direct targets are induced during meiosis, with most falling into the early meiotic expression class (cluster 4), and a smaller subset in the middle and later classes (clusters 5-7). Based on these data, we propose that Ume6 serves a unique role in diploid cells, coupling metabolic responses to nutritional cues with the initiation and progression of meiosis. Finally, expression patterns in the two genetic backgrounds suggest that SK1 is better adapted to respiration and W303 to fermentation, which may in part account for the more efficient and synchronous sporulation of SK1.

Regulation of the premiddle and middle phases of expression of the NDT80 gene during sporulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The NDT80 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which encodes a global activator of transcription of middle sporulation-specific genes, is first expressed after the activation of early meiotic genes but prior to activation of middle sporulation-specific genes. Both upstream repression sequence 1 (URS1) and mid-sporulation element (MSE) sites are present in the promoter region of the NDT80 gene; these elements have been shown previously to contribute to the regulation of expression of early and middle sporulation-specific genes, respectively, by mediating repression in growing cells and activation at specific times during sporulation. In this study, we have shown that the overlapping windows of URS1- and MSE-mediated repression and activation are responsible for the distinctive premiddle expression pattern of the NDT80 gene. Our data suggest that a Sum1-associated repression complex bound at the NDT80 MSE sites prevents Ime1 tethered at the NDT80 URS1 sites from activating transcription of the NDT80 gene at the time that Ime1-dependent activation of early URS1-regulated meiotic genes is occurring. We propose that a decrease in the efficiency of Sum1-mediated repression as cells progress through the early events of the sporulation program allows the previously inactive Ime1 tethered at the URS1(NDT80) sites to promote a low level of expression of the NDT80 gene. This initial phase of URS1-dependent NDT80 expression is followed by Ndt80-dependent upregulation of its own expression, which requires the MSE(NDT80) sites and occurs concomitantly with Ndt80-dependent activation of a set of middle MSE-regulated sporulation-specific genes. Mutation of IME2 prevents expression of NDT80 in sporulating cells. We show in this study that NDT80 is expressed and that middle genes are activated in cells of an Deltaime2/Deltaime2 Deltasum1/Deltasum1 strain in sporulation medium. This suggests that Ime2 activates expression of NDT80 by eliminating Sum1-mediated repression.

Ime2, a meiosis-specific kinase in yeast, is required for destabilization of its transcriptional activator, Ime1

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, entry into meiosis and its successful completion depend on two positive regulators, Ime1 and Ime2. Ime1 is a transcriptional activator that is required for transcription of IME2, a serine/threonine protein kinase. We show that in vivo Ime2 associates with Ime1, that in vitro Ime2 phosphorylates Ime1, and that in living cells the stability of Ime1 depends on Ime2. Diploid cells with IME2 deleted show an increase in the level of Ime1, whereas haploid cells overexpressing IME2 show a decrease in the stability of Ime1. Furthermore, the level of Ime1 depends on the kinase activity of Ime2. Using a mutation in one of the ATPase subunits of the proteasome, RPT2, we demonstrate that Ime1, amino acids 270 to 360, is degraded by the 26S proteasome. We also show that Ime2 itself is an extremely unstable protein whose expression in vegetative cultures is toxic. We propose that a negative-feedback loop ensures that the activity of Ime1 will be restricted to a narrow window.

Yeast glycogen synthase kinase 3 is involved in protein degradation in cooperation with Bul1, Bul2, and Rsp5

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has four genes, MCK1, MDS1 (RIM11), MRK1, and YOL128c, that encode glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) homologs. The gsk-3 null mutant, in which these four genes are disrupted, shows temperature sensitivity, which is suppressed by the expression of mammalian GSK-3beta and by an osmotic stabilizer. Suppression of temperature sensitivity by an osmotic stabilizer is also observed in the bul1 bul2 double null mutant, and the temperature sensitivity of the bul1 bul2 double null mutant is suppressed by multiple copies of MCK1. We have screened rog mutants (revertants of gsk-3) which suppress the temperature sensitivity of the mck1 mds1 double null mutant and found that two of them, rog1 and rog2, also suppress the temperature sensitivity of the bul1 bul2 double null mutant. Bul1 and Bul2 have been reported to bind to Rsp5, a hect (for homologous to E6-associated-protein carboxyl terminus)-type ubiquitin ligase, but involvement of Bul1 and Bul2 in protein degradation has not been demonstrated. We find that Rog1, but not Rog2, is stabilized in the gsk-3 null and the bul1 bul2 double null mutants. Rog1 binds directly to Rsp5, and their interaction is dependent on GSK-3. Furthermore, Rog1 is stabilized in the npi1 mutant, in which RSP5 expression levels are reduced. These results suggest that yeast GSK-3 regulates the stability of Rog1 in cooperation with Bul1, Bul2, and Rsp5.

Shared roles of yeast glycogen synthase kinase 3 family members in nitrogen-responsive phosphorylation of meiotic regulator Ume6p

Nitrogen limitation activates meiosis and meiotic gene expression in yeast, but nitrogen-responsive signal transduction mechanisms that govern meiotic gene expression are poorly understood. We show here that Ume6p, a subunit of the Ume6p-Ime1p meiotic transcriptional activator, undergoes increased phosphorylation in vivo in response to nitrogen limitation. Phosphorylation depends on an N-terminal glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) target site in which substitutions cause reduced Ume6p-Ime1p interaction and meiotic gene expression, thus arguing that phosphorylation promotes functional Ume6p-Ime1p interaction. Phosphorylation of this site depends on two GSK3 homologs, Rim11p and Mck1p. Prior studies indicate that Rim11p phosphorylates both Ume6p and Ime1p in vitro and is required for Ume6p-Ime1p interaction, but no evidence has linked Mck1p function to Ume6p activity. Here we find that Mck1p-Ume6p interaction is detectable by two-hybrid assays and that meiosis in a partially defective rim11-K68R mutant is completely dependent on Mck1p. These findings argue that nitrogen limitation governs Rim11p/Mck1p-dependent phosphorylation of Ume6p, which in turn is required for Ume6p-Ime1p interaction and meiotic gene activation.

Essential functions of protein tyrosine phosphatases PTP2 and PTP3 and RIM11 tyrosine phosphorylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae meiosis and sporulation

Tyrosine phosphorylation plays a central role in eukaryotic signal transduction. In yeast, MAP kinase pathways are regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation, and it has been speculated that other biochemical processes may also be regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Previous genetic and biochemical studies demonstrate that protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) negatively regulate yeast MAP kinases. Here we report that deletion of PTP2 and PTP3 results in a sporulation defect, suggesting that tyrosine phosphorylation is involved in regulation of meiosis and sporulation. Deletion of PTP2 and PTP3 blocks cells at an early stage of sporulation before premeiotic DNA synthesis and induction of meiotic-specific genes. We observed that tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, including 52-, 43-, and 42-kDa proteins, was changed in ptp2Deltaptp3Delta homozygous deletion cells under sporulation conditions. The 42-kDa tyrosine-phosphorylated protein was identified as Mck1, which is a member of the GSK3 family of protein kinases and previously known to be phosphorylated on tyrosine. Mutation of MCK1 decreases sporulation efficiency, whereas mutation of RIM11, another GSK3 member, specifically abolishes sporulation; therefore, we investigated regulation of Rim11 by Tyr phosphorylation during sporulation. We demonstrated that Rim11 is phosphorylated on Tyr-199, and the Tyr phosphorylation is essential for its in vivo function, although Rim11 appears not to be directly regulated by Ptp2 and Ptp3. Biochemical characterizations indicate that tyrosine phosphorylation of Rim11 is essential for the activity of Rim11 to phosphorylate substrates. Our data demonstrate important roles of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in meiosis and sporulation

G1 cyclins block the Ime1 pathway to make mitosis and meiosis incompatible in budding yeast

Diploid yeast cells switch from mitosis to meiosis when starved of essential nutrients. While G1 cyclins play a key role in initiating the mitotic cell cycle, entry into meiosis depends on Ime1, a transcriptional activator regulated by both nutritional and cell-type signals. We show here that G1 cyclins downregulate IME1 transcription and prevent the accumulation of the Ime1 protein within the nucleus, which results in repression of early-meiotic gene expression. As G1-cyclin deficient cells do not require nutrient starvation to undergo meiosis, G1 cyclin would exert its role by transmitting essential nutritional signals to Ime1 function. The existence of a negative cross-talk mechanism between mitosis and meiosis may help explain why these two developmental options are incompatible in budding yeast.

Transcriptional regulation of the SMK1 mitogen-activated protein kinase gene during meiotic development in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Meiotic development (sporulation) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is characterized by an ordered pattern of gene expression, with sporulation-specific genes classified as early, middle, mid-late, or late depending on when they are expressed. SMK1 encodes a mitogen-activated protein kinase required for spore morphogenesis that is expressed as a middle sporulation-specific gene. Here, we identify the cis-acting DNA elements that regulate SMK1 transcription and characterize the phenotypes of mutants with altered expression patterns. The SMK1 promoter contains an upstream activating sequence (UASS) that specifically interacts with the transcriptional activator Abf1p. The Abf1p-binding sites from the early HOP1 and the middle SMK1 promoters are functionally interchangeable, demonstrating that these elements do not play a direct role in their differential transcriptional timing. Timing of SMK1 expression is determined by another cis-acting DNA sequence termed MSE (for middle sporulation element). The MSE is required not only for activation of SMK1 transcription during middle sporulation but also for its repression during vegetative growth and early meiosis. In addition, the SMK1 MSE can repress vegetative expression in the context of the HOP1 promoter and convert HOP1 from an early to a middle gene. SMK1 function is not contingent on its tight transcriptional regulation as a middle sporulation-specific gene. However, promoter mutants with different quantitative defects in SMK1 transcript levels during middle sporulation show distinct sporulation phenotypes.

NDT80 and the meiotic recombination checkpoint regulate expression of middle sporulation-specific genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Distinct classes of sporulation-specific genes are sequentially expressed during the process of spore formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The transition from expression of early meiotic genes to expression of middle sporulation-specific genes occurs at about the time that cells exit from pachytene and form the meiosis I spindle. To identify genes encoding potential regulators of middle sporulation-specific gene expression, we screened for mutants that expressed early meiotic genes but failed to express middle sporulation-specific genes. We identified mutant alleles of RPD3, SIN3, and NDT80 in this screen. Rpd3p, a histone deacetylase, and Sin3p are global modulators of gene expression. Ndt80p promotes entry into the meiotic divisions. We found that entry into the meiotic divisions was not required for activation of middle sporulation genes; these genes were efficiently expressed in a clb1 clb3 clb4 strain, which fails to enter the meiotic divisions due to reduced Clb-dependent activation of Cdc28p kinase. In contrast, middle sporulation genes were not expressed in a dmc1 strain, which fails to enter the meiotic divisions because a defect in meiotic recombination leads to a RAD17-dependent checkpoint arrest. Expression of middle sporulation genes, as well as entry into the meiotic divisions, was restored to a dmc1 strain by mutation of RAD17. Our studies also revealed that NDT80 was a temporally distinct, pre-middle sporulation gene and that its expression was reduced, but not abolished, on mutation of DMC1, RPD3, SIN3, or NDT80 itself. In summary, our data indicate that Ndt80p is required for expression of middle sporulation genes and that the activity of Ndt80p is controlled by the meiotic recombination checkpoint. Thus, middle genes are expressed only on completion of meiotic recombination and subsequent generation of an active form of Ndt80p.

Snf1 kinase connects nutritional pathways controlling meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Glucose inhibits meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at three different steps (IME1 transcription, IME2 transcription, and entry into late stages of meiosis). Because many of the regulatory effects of glucose in yeast are mediated through the inhibition of Snf1 kinase, a component of the glucose repression pathway, we determined the role of SNF1 in regulating meiosis. Deleting SNF1 repressed meiosis at the same three steps that were inhibited by glucose, suggesting that glucose blocks meiosis by inhibiting Snf1. For example, the snf1Delta mutant completely failed to induce IME1 transcripts in sporulation medium. Furthermore, even when this block was bypassed by expression of IME1 from a multicopy plasmid, IME2 transcription and meiotic initiation occurred at only 10 to 20% of the levels seen in wild-type cells. The addition of glucose did not further inhibit IME2 transcription, suggesting that Snf1 is the primary mediator of glucose controls on IME2 expression. Finally, in snf1Delta cells in which both blocks on meiotic initiation were bypassed, early stages of meiosis (DNA replication and commitment to recombination) occurred, but later stages (chromosome segregation and spore formation) did not, suggesting that Snf1 controls later stages of meiosis independently from the two controls on meiotic initiation. Because Snf1 is known to activate the expression of genes required for acetate metabolism, it may also serve to connect glucose and acetate controls on meiotic differentiation.

Interaction of yeast repressor-activator protein Ume6p with glycogen synthase kinase 3 homolog Rim11p

Meiosis and expression of early meiotic genes in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae depend upon Rim11p, Ume6p, and Ime1p. Rim11p (also called Mds1p and ScGSK3) is a protein kinase related to glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3); Ume6p is an architectural transcription factor; and Imelp is a Ume6p-binding protein that provides a transcriptional activation domain. Rim11p is required for Ime1p-Ume6p interaction, and prior studies have shown that Rim11p binds to and phosphorylates Ime1p. We show here that Rim11p binds to and phosphorylates Ume6p, as well. Amino acid substitutions in Ume6p that alter a consensus GSK3 site reduce or abolish Rim11p-Ume6p interaction and Rim11p-dependent phosphorylation, and they cause defects in interaction between Ume6p and Ime1p and in meiotic gene expression. Therefore, interaction between Rim11p and Ume6p, resulting in phosphorylation of Ume6p, is required for Ime1p-Ume6p complex formation. Rim11p, like metazoan GSK3beta, phosphorylates both interacting subunits of a target protein complex.

Stimulation of yeast meiotic gene expression by the glucose-repressible protein kinase Rim15p

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RIM15 gene was identified previously through a mutation that caused reduced ability to undergo meiosis. We report here an analysis of the cloned RIM15 gene, which specifies a 1,770-residue polypeptide with homology to serine/threonine protein kinases. Rim15p is most closely related to Schizosaccharomyces pombe cek1+. Analysis of epitope-tagged derivatives indicates that Rim15p has autophosphorylation activity. Deletion of RIM15 causes reduced expression of several early meiotic genes (IME2, SPO13, and HOP1) and of IME1, which specifies an activator of early meiotic genes. However, overexpression of IME1 does not permit full expression of early meiotic genes in a rim15delta mutant. Ime1p activates early meiotic genes through its interaction with Ume6p, and analysis of Rim15p-dependent regulatory sites at the IME2 promoter indicates that activation through Ume6p is defective. Two-hybrid interaction assays suggest that Ime1p-Ume6p interaction is diminished in a rim15 mutant. Glucose inhibits Ime1p-Ume6p interaction, and we find that Rim15p accumulation is repressed in glucose-grown cells. Thus, glucose repression of Rim15p may be responsible for glucose inhibition of Ime1p-Ume6p interaction.

Protein phosphatase type 1 interacts with proteins required for meiosis and other cellular processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Protein phosphatase type I (PP1) is involved in diverse cellular processes, and its activity toward specific substrates is thought to be controlled by different regulatory or targeting subunits. To identify regulatory subunits and substrates of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PP1, encoded by GLC7, we used the two-hybrid system to detect interacting proteins. Among the many proteins identified were Gac1, a known glycogen regulatory subunit, and a protein with homology to Gac1. We also characterized a new gene designated GIP1, for Glc7-interacting protein. We show that a Gip1 fusion protein coimmunoprecipitates with PP1 from cell extracts. Molecular and genetic analyses indicate that GIP1 is expressed specifically during meiosis, affects transcription of late meiotic genes, and is essential for sporulation. Thus, the Gip1 protein is a candidate for a meiosis-specific substrate or regulator of PP1. Finally, we recovered two genes, RED1 and SCD5, with roles in meiosis and the vesicular secretory pathway, respectively. These results provide strong evidence implicating PP1 function in meiosis. In addition, this study indicates that the two-hybrid system offers a promising approach to understanding the multiple roles and interactions of PP1 in cellular regulation.

Nutritional regulation of late meiotic events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through a pathway distinct from initiation

The IME1 gene is essential for initiation of meiosis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, although it is not required for growth. Here we report that in stationary-phase cultures containing low concentration of glucose, cells overexpressing IME1 undergo the early meiotic events, including DNA replication, commitment to recombination, and synaptonemal complex formation and dissolution. In contrast, later meiotic events, such as chromosome segregation, commitment to meiosis, and spore formation, do not occur. Thus, nutrients can repress the late stages of meiosis independently of their block of initiation. Cells arrested at this midpoint in meiosis are relatively stable and can resume meiotic differentiation if transferred to sporulation conditions. Resumption of meiosis does not require repression of IME1 expression, since IME1 RNA levels stay high after transfer of the arrested cells to sporulation medium. These results suggest that meiosis in S. cerevisiae is a paradigm of a differentiation pathway regulated by signal transduction at both early and late stages.

Induction of meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae depends on conversion of the transcriptional represssor Ume6 to a positive regulator by its regulated association with the transcriptional activator Ime1

The transcription of meiosis-specific genes, as well as the initiation of meiosis, in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae depends on IME1. IME1 encodes a transcriptional activator which lacks known DNA binding motifs. In this study we have determined the mode by which Ime1 specifically activates the transcription of meiotic genes. We demonstrate that Ime1 is recruited to the promoters of meiotic genes by interacting with a DNA-binding protein, Ume6. This association between Ime1 and Ume6 depends on both starvation and the activity of a protein kinase, encoded by RIM11 In the absence of Ime1, Ume6 represses the transcription of meiotic genes. However, in the presence of Ime1, or when Ume6 is fused in frame to the Gal4 activation domain, Ume6 is converted from a repressor to an activator, resulting in the transcription of meiosis-specific genes and the formation of asci.

Regulation of chromosome segregation by Glc8p, a structural homolog of mammalian inhibitor 2 that functions as both an activator and an inhibitor of yeast protein phosphatase 1

The Ipl1 protein kinase is essential for proper chromosome segregation and cell viability in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have previously shown that the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype of conditional ipl1-1ts mutants can be suppressed by a partial loss-of-function mutation in the GLC7 gene, which encodes the catalytic subunit (PP1C) of protein phosphatase 1, thus suggesting that this enzyme acts in opposition to the Ipl1 protein kinase in regulating yeast chromosome segregation. We report here that the Glc8 protein, which is related in primary sequence to mammalian inhibitor 2, also participates in this regulation. Like inhibitor 2, the Glc8 protein is heat stable, exhibits anomalous electrophoretic mobility, and functions in vitro as an inhibitor of yeast as well as rabbit skeletal muscle PP1C. Interestingly, overexpression as well as deletion of the GLC8 gene results in a partial suppression of the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype of ipl1ts mutants and also moderately reduces the amount of protein phosphatase 1 activity which is assayable in crude yeast lysates. In addition, the chromosome missegregation phenotype caused by an increase in the dosage of GLC7 is totally suppressed by the glc8-delta 101::LEU2 deletion mutation. These findings together suggest that the Glc8 protein is involved in vivo in the activation of PP1C and that when the Glc8 protein is overproduced, it may also inhibit PP1C function. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis studies of GLC8 suggest that Thr-118 of the Glc8 protein, which is equivalent to Thr-72 of inhibitor 2, may play a central role in the ability of this protein to activate and/or inhibit PP1C in vivo.

Stimulation of later functions of the yeast meiotic protein kinase Ime2p by the IDS2 gene product

Ime2p is a protein kinase that is expressed only during meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ime2p stimulates early, middle, and late meiotic gene expression and down-regulates expression of IME1, which specifies an activator of early meiotic genes that acts independently of Ime2p. We have identified a new gene, IDS2 (for IME2-dependent signaling), which has a functional relationship to Ime2p. An ids2 null mutation delays down-regulation of IME1 and expression of middle and late meiotic genes. In an ime1 null mutant that express IME2 from the GAL1 promoter (ime1 delta PGAL1-IME2 mutant), early meiotic gene expression depends only upon Ime2p. In such strains, Ids2p is dispensable for expression of the early genes HOP1 and SPO13 but is essential for expression of the middle and late genes SPS1, SPS2, and SPS100. Ids2p is also essential for the autoregulatory pathway through which Ime2p activates its own expression via the IME2 upstream activation sequences (UAS). An PGAL1-IME2 derivative that produces a truncated Ime2p (lacking its C-terminal 174 residues) permits IME2 UAS activation in the absence of Ids2p. This observation suggests that Ids2p acts upstream of Ime2p or that Ids2p and Ime2p act in independent, convergent pathways to stimulate IME2 UAS activity. Accumulation of epitope-tagged Ids2p derivatives is greatest in growing cells and declines during meiosis. We propose that Ids2p acts indirectly to modify Ime2p activity, thus permitting Ime2p to carry out later meiotic functions.

A 15-base-pair element activates the SPS4 gene midway through sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Sporulation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae represents a simple developmental process in which the events of meiosis and spore wall formation are accompanied by the sequential activation of temporally distinct classes of genes. In this study, we have examined expression of the SPS4 gene, which belongs to a group of genes that is activated midway through sporulation. We mapped the upstream boundary of the regulatory region of SPS4 by monitoring the effect of sequential deletions of 5'-flanking sequence on expression of plasmid-borne versions of SPS4 introduced into a MATa/MAT alpha delta sps4/delta sps4 strain. This analysis indicated that the 5' boundary of the regulatory region was within 50 bp of the putative TATA box of the gene. By testing various oligonucleotides that spanned this boundary and the downstream sequence for their ability to activate expression of a heterologous promoter, we found that a 15-bp sequence sufficed to act as a sporulation-specific upstream activation sequence. This 15-bp fragment, designated UASSPS4, activated expression of a CYC1-lacZ reporter gene midway through sporulation and was equally active in both orientations. Extending the UAS fragment to include the adjacent 14-bp enhanced its activity 10-fold. We show that expression of SPS4 is regulated in a manner distinct from that of early meiotic genes: mutation of UME6 did not lead to vegetative expression of SPS4, and sporulation-specific expression was delayed by mutation of IME2. In vivo and in vitro assays suggested that a factor present in vegetative cells bind to the UASSPS4 element. We speculate that during sporulation this factor is modified to serve as an activator of the SPS4 gene or, alternatively, that it recruits an activator to the promoter.

Positive control of yeast meiotic genes by the negative regulator UME6

The yeast meiotic activator IME1 stimulates transcription of many early meiotic genes. These genes share a 5' sequence called URS1. URS1 sites function as repression sites in cells that lack IME1; we show here that URS1 sites are weak activation sequences in cells that express IME1. Repression through URS1 sites is known to depend upon the URS1-binding protein UME6. We have identified a UME6 allele (previously called rim16-12) that causes a defect in IME1-dependent activation of meiotic genes but not in repression through URS1 sites. In contrast, a ume6 null mutation causes defects in both IME1-dependent activation and in repression through URS1 sites. A LexA-UME6 fusion protein is an IME1-dependent transcriptional activator, whereas a LexA-UME6 fusion carrying the rim16-12 substitution cannot activate transcription. These findings argue that IME1 activates meiotic genes by converting UME6 from a negative regulator to a positive regulator; the rim16-12 mutant protein is defective in conversion to a positive regulator.