Except in Every Detail: Comparing and Contrasting G-Protein Signaling inSaccharomyces cerevisiaeandSchizosaccharomyces pombe

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Abstract
When asked to explain the difference between the mecha- nisms controlling mating type switching in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the fission yeast Schizosaccharo- myces pombe, Brandeis University's Jim Haber once replied, "It's exactly the same, except in every detail." He may as well have been referring to how these two yeasts utilize guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) to detect the two most essential objects in the extracellular milieu, sexual part- ners and food. Both pheromone signaling and glucose signal- ing in these yeasts occur through the action of G-protein- coupled receptors (GPCRs) and associated G proteins, though the composition of the G proteins and the relative roles of individual subunits vary among the four pathways. In this re- view, I will compare and contrast these S. cerevisiae and S. pombe G-protein-mediated signaling pathways. I will also dis- cuss the genetic implications of G-mediated signaling com- pared to G-mediated signaling as well as the need to revisit