Electrical control of cell polarization in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

ABSTRACT: Electric signals surround tissues and cells and have been proposed to participate in directing cell polarity in processes such as development, wound healing, and host invasion [1, 2]. The application of exogenous electric fields (EFs) can direct cell polarization in cell types ranging from bacteria and fungi to neurons and neutrophils [3-7]. The mechanisms by which EFs modulate cell polarity, however, remain poorly understood. Here we introduce the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a model organism to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this process. In these rod-shaped cells, an exogenous EF reorients cell growth in a direction orthogonal to the field, producing cells with a bent morphology. A candidate genetic screen identifies conserved factors involved in this process: an inte

SUBMITTER: Minc N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2900468 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature