Cell migration and division in amoeboid-like fission yeast

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.Yeast cells are non-motile and are encased in a cell wall that supports high internal turgor pressure. The cell wall is also essential for cellular morphogenesis and cell division. Here, we report unexpected morphogenetic changes in a Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant defective in cell wall biogenesis. These cells form dynamic cytoplasmic protrusions caused by internal turgor pressure and also exhibit amoeboid-like cell migration resulting from repeated protrusive cycles. The cytokinetic ring responsible for cell division in wild-type yeast often fails in these cells; however, they were still able to divide using a ring-independent alternative mechanism relying on extrusion of the cell body through a hole in the cell wall. This mechanism of cell division may resemble an ancestral mode of division in the absence of cytokinetic machinery. Our findings highlight how a single gene change can lead to the emergence of different modes of cell growth, migration and division.This work was supported by grants to R.R.D. from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Inovación BFU2010-21310 and P09-CTS-4697 (Proyecto de Excelencia) from La Junta de Andalucia. I.F.-P. was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (Juan de la Cierva Program). M.B. was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (FPI Fellowship, BES-2008-004018). J.Z. was supported by grant P09-CTS-4697.Peer Reviewe

Cell migration and division in amoeboid-like fission yeast

Summary Yeast cells are non-motile and are encased in a cell wall that supports high internal turgor pressure. The cell wall is also essential for cellular morphogenesis and cell division. Here, we report unexpected morphogenetic changes in a Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant defective in cell wall biogenesis. These cells form dynamic cytoplasmic protrusions caused by internal turgor pressure and also exhibit amoeboid-like cell migration resulting from repeated protrusive cycles. The cytokinetic ring responsible for cell division in wild-type yeast often fails in these cells; however, they were still able to divide using a ring-independent alternative mechanism relying on extrusion of the cell body through a hole in the cell wall. This mechanism of cell division may resemble an ancestral mode of division in the absence of cytokinetic machinery. Our findings highlight how a single gene change can lead to the emergence of different modes of cell growth, migration and division