Lipke P N, Taylor A, Ballou C E
J Bacteriol. 1976 Jul;127(1):610-8. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.1.610-618.1976.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae mating type a cells enlarged and elongated when exposed to alpha-factor, a sex pheromone produced by mating-type alpha cells. This morphogensis required exogenous-D-glucose, nitrogen, and phosphate, and cells in exponential phase responded better than stationary-phase cells. Morphogenesis was blocked by cycloheximide and by inhibitors of cell wall biosynthesis such as 2-deoxy-D-glucose, 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose, and 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-mannose, but not by polyoxin D. One to two hours after addition of pheromone, a cells became more susceptible to lysis by glucanases, a change that was dependendent on the dose of alpha-factor and was blocked by drugs that block morphogenesis. On the other hand, treatment with alpha-factor did not increase susceptibility to attack by trypsin, subtilisin, or exo-alpha-mannanase. Radioactive label, incorporated into cell wall polysaccharides during treatment with alpha-factor, was not secreted into the medium during morphogenesis. Analysis of the labeled wall polymers showed that alpha-factor-treated cells contain more glucan and less mannan than control cells, and that the mannan of treated cells contains an increased proportion of shorter side chains and unsubstituted backbone mannose units. Thin-section electron microscopy of treated cells revealed that the cell wall possesses a diffuse outer layer in the extension and is thinner at the tip.
酿酒酵母a型细胞在暴露于α因子（一种由α型交配细胞产生的性信息素）时会增大并伸长。这种形态发生需要外源D - 葡萄糖、氮和磷酸盐，处于指数生长期的细胞比稳定期细胞反应更强烈。形态发生被环己酰亚胺以及细胞壁生物合成抑制剂如2 - 脱氧 - D - 葡萄糖、2 - 脱氧 - 2 - 氟 - D - 葡萄糖和2 - 脱氧 - 2 - 氟 - D - 甘露糖所阻断，但不受多氧霉素D的影响。加入信息素一到两小时后，a型细胞对葡聚糖酶的裂解更敏感，这种变化取决于α因子的剂量，并被阻断形态发生的药物所抑制。另一方面，用α因子处理不会增加细胞对胰蛋白酶、枯草杆菌蛋白酶或外切α - 甘露聚糖酶攻击的敏感性。在α因子处理期间掺入细胞壁多糖的放射性标记物在形态发生过程中不会分泌到培养基中。对标记的细胞壁聚合物的分析表明，经α因子处理的细胞比对照细胞含有更多的葡聚糖和更少的甘露聚糖，并且处理过的细胞的甘露聚糖含有比例增加的较短侧链和未取代的主链甘露糖单元。对处理过的细胞进行超薄切片电子显微镜观察发现，细胞壁在延伸处具有一层弥散的外层，并且在顶端较薄。
