The Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc5+ gene encodes an essential protein with homology to c-Myb.
The Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc5+ gene was identified in the first screen for cell division cycle mutants in this yeast. The cdc5+ gene was reported to be required for nuclear division but because of its modest elongation and leaky nature at the non-permissive temperature, it was not investigated further. Here, we report the characterization of the single allele of this gene, cdc5-120, in more detail. The mutant arrests with a 2N DNA content and a single interphase nucleus. Further genetic analyses suggest that cdc5+ gene function is essential in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. We have cloned and sequenced the cdc5+ gene. The deduced protein sequence predicts that Cdc5 is an 87 kDa protein and contains a region sharing significant homology with the DNA binding domain of the Myb family of transcription factors. Deletion mapping of the cdc5+ gene has shown that the N-terminal 232 amino acids of the protein, which contain the Myb-related region, are sufficient to complement the cdc5ts strain. A cdc5 null mutant was generated by homologous recombination. Haploid cells lacking cdc5+ are inviable, indicating that cdc5+ is an essential gene. A fusion protein consisting of bacterial glutathione S-transferase joined in-frame to the N-terminal 127 amino acids of the Cdc5 protein is able to bind to DNA cellulose at low salt concentrations. This evidence suggests that cdc5+ might encode a transcription factor whose activity is required for cell cycle progression and growth during G2.
Ohi R, McCollum D, Hirani B, Den Haese GJ, Zhang X, Burke JD, Turner K, Gould KL