TY - JOUR
T1 - Loss of transcriptional silencing causes sterility in old mother cells of S. cerevisiae
AU - Smeal, Tod
AU - Claus, James
AU - Kennedy, Brian
AU - Cole, Francesca
AU - Guarente, Leonard
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank R. Isberg, D. Lombard, and R. Axel for helpful suggestions. This work was supported by a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to L. G. (AG11119), a postdoctoral grant from the American Cancer Society to T. S., a predoctoral grant from the National Science Foundation to J. C., and a predoctoral grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to F. C.
PY - 1996/2/23
Y1 - 1996/2/23
N2 - We show that sterility is an aging-specific phenotype in S. cerevisiae and, by genetic and physical means, demonstrate that this phenotype results from a loss of silencing in most old cells by the SIR complex at the HM loci. This loss of silencing is specific because transcription of genes, such as MEI4 and DCM1, normally induced by sporulation, is not observed, while transcription of HMRa is observed. These findings pinpoint the molecular cause of an aging-specific phenotype in yeast. Further, they provide direct evidence for a breakdown of silencing in old cells, as predicted from earlier findings that SIR4 is a determinant of life span in this organism.
AB - We show that sterility is an aging-specific phenotype in S. cerevisiae and, by genetic and physical means, demonstrate that this phenotype results from a loss of silencing in most old cells by the SIR complex at the HM loci. This loss of silencing is specific because transcription of genes, such as MEI4 and DCM1, normally induced by sporulation, is not observed, while transcription of HMRa is observed. These findings pinpoint the molecular cause of an aging-specific phenotype in yeast. Further, they provide direct evidence for a breakdown of silencing in old cells, as predicted from earlier findings that SIR4 is a determinant of life span in this organism.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81038-7
DO - 10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81038-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 8598049
AN - SCOPUS:0030053650
SN - 0092-8674
VL - 84
SP - 633
EP - 642
JO - Cell
JF - Cell
IS - 4
ER -