Cell migration and division in amoeboid-like fission yeast

• Published in: Biology open Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 108 - 115
• Main Authors: Flor-Parra, Ignacio, Bernal, Manuel, Zhurinsky, Jacob, Daga, Rafael R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Company of Biologists Ltd 15-01-2014; The Company of Biologists
• Subjects: Cell body; Cell division; Cell migration; Cell walls; Cytokinesis; Fission yeast; Morphogenesis; Turgor; Turgor pressure; Yeast; Yeasts; Morphogenesis; Fission yeast; Turgor pressure; Cytokinesis; Cell migration
• ISSN: 2046-6390; 2046-6390
• DOI: 10.1242/bio.20136783

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.