Lab members seek to determine the players in the pathway, the roles of these players, and the ways in which the activities of these players are regulated. In a related effort, they are interested in the cell biology of the pheromone receptors. However, the Sprague lab has developed a genetic strategy to identify proteins that orchestrate endocytosis. In this profile I will address some of the specific objectives and the methods being used to meet these objectives, first concentrating on the pheromone response pathway and then turning to the endocytic pathway. The cells produce their own pheromone and receptors.
Morphological changes occur in response to the binding of pheromone to the receptor.
An illustration of the pheromone response pathway. Then, the pathway appears to split. The other branch leads to cell cycle arrest. It is suspected that FAR3 may have a role in this branch. Genetic studies have identified a number of components of the intracellular signaling pathway.