Synchronous sporulation in spheroplasts of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract
Effect of osmolarity on sporulation in the spheroplasts of S. cerevisiae was examined. Spheroplasts were prepared from large cell preparation isolated from the stationary-phase cells by high-density centrifugation. The sporulation in the large cell preparation was characterized by its high synchrony. The sporulation in spheroplasts was induced with high synchrony and frequency under the osmotic condition near the lower limit for stabilizing spheroplasts and with increasing the osmolarity the sporulation was delayed and proceeded asynchronously. A similar but more intense effect of the osmolarity on the sporulation was observed in whole cells. The sensitivity of spheroplasts to the inhibitor of DNA or protein synthesis synchronously changed during the sporulation culture at low osmolarity. The synchronous sporulation in spheroplasts may provide a system convenient for the investigation of the control mechanism of sporulation.