Therefore, further inquiry into the nature of the secretome might lead to both a deeper understanding of its secrets as well as better diagnostic, prevention, and treatment options for patients. We thank the anonymous reviewers for thoughtful comments. We acknowledge the support from both the Mass Spectrometry of Biomacromolecules and Molecular Biology and Microbial Food Safety groups at SILS. F.M.K. was supported by the EU Program FP7-214004-2 FINSysB. A.G.S. and C.J.H. are grateful to all FINSysB colleagues and friends. “
“In this selleck products paper we show that in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, mating-specific cell adhesion is dependent on the exocyst subunit Sec8p, but independent

of the exocyst subunit Exo70p. In the absence of Exo70p, the forespore membrane does not develop properly and the leading edge protein Meu14p is abnormally distributed. Additionally,

the spindle pole body is aberrant in a significant number of exo70Δ asci. In both the sec8-1 and the exo70Δ mutants, the development of the spore cell wall is impaired. These results show that different steps of sexual development are differentially regulated by the exocyst and suggest the existence of exocyst subcomplexes with distinct roles in mating. Schizosaccharomyces VX-809 cost pombe cells belong to either of two mating types: h+ or h−. Homothallic h90 strains are self-fertile because a mating-type switching allows them to form colonies containing h+ and h− cells. When nitrogen is scarce, the Ste11p transcription factor induces the expression of genes essential for sexual development, including those coding for pheromones (see Yamamoto et al., 1997; Nielsen,

2004; Shimoda & Nakamura, 2004; Yamamoto, 2004). The binding of these pheromones to receptors in cells of the opposite mating type initiates a signaling pathway that requires a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade consisting of Byr2p, Byr1p, and Spk1p. As a result, cells differentiate into shmoos with a polarized growth pattern (Nielsen, 2004). Then the Mam3p and Map4p agglutinins (Yamamoto et al., 1997; Mata & Bahler, 2006; Sharifmoghadam et al., 2006) facilitate and strengthen the union of the shmoos, producing prezygotes (Calleja & Johnson, 1971). Later on, the cell walls between the two mating partners degrade, allowing fusion of the membranes, diffusion Anidulafungin (LY303366) of the cytoplasmic material, and karyogamy producing a diploid zygote (Calleja et al., 1977; Nielsen, 2004; Yamamoto, 2004). The diploid nucleus immediately undergoes meiosis and gives rise to four haploid nuclei (Shimoda & Nakamura, 2004; Yamamoto, 2004). The leading edge protein (LEP) Meu14p accumulates besides the spindle pole body (SPB), which acts as a center for the organization of the forespore membrane (FSM), and forms ring-shaped structures that promote the development of the membrane around the nuclei (Ikemoto et al., 2000; Okuzaki et al.