Investigating symmetry breaking in yeast: From seeing to understanding.

Diverse cellular functions require the establishment of cell polarity. Although the morphological manifestation of cell polarity can be complex, common principles and conserved regulatory pathways can be studied leveraging the powerful genetic tools in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A vast array of genetic and cell biological tools and interdisciplinary approaches have been employed to understand the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity in budding yeast. These tools enabled the identification of key molecular components, their mechanisms of action, and the pathway governing the spatiotemporal properties of cell polarity. In this review, we describe a set of useful methods with special focus on the combination of genetic manipulation and quantitative live-cell imaging, as well as advanced microscopy-based quantitative analysis, for studying symmetry-breaking process in budding yeast. Specific examples are included to illustrate the utilities of each method.