Two Modes of Survival of Fission Yeast Without Telomerase

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Abstract
Deletion of the telomerase catalytic subunit genetrt1 + in Schizosaccharomyces pombe results in death for the majority of cells, but a subpopulation survives. Here it is shown that most survivors have circularized all of their chromosomes, whereas a smaller number maintain their telomeres presumably through recombination. When the telomeric DNA-binding gene taz1 + is also deleted, trt1 − taz1 −survivors use the recombinational mode more frequently. Moreover, the massive elongation of telomeres in taz1 − cells is absent in the double mutant. Thus, Taz1p appears to regulate telomeric recombination as well as telomerase activity in fission yeast.