Title: Evolution of altered signaling in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Description: In this dissertation I will present the evolution and characterization of a genetically complex trait. The trait is defined by fluctuations in a fluorescent FUS1 transcriptional reporter. The trait was evolved by an iterated, alternating selection scheme; cells were alternately selected to have either high or low fluorescence. The fluctuations occur in the absence of external stimulus. This reporter is a proxy for activation of the pheromone response pathway in wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Key components of the pheromone response pathway including the pheromone receptor, its associated trimeric G-protein, a scaffolding protein, and effector kinase, are non-essential for the trait. The components of the Cdc42-dependent invasive growth MAPK cascade are essential for the fluctuations. Four mutations of strong effect instruct this trait, two of which were identified in this study. A third mutation can be effectively phenocopied by deletion of key components of the osmotolerance pathway. Our model proposes that the mutations support a positive signal that stimulates the invasive growth pathway. One of the identified mutations, a loss of function mutation in an invasive growth transcription co-factor, TEC1, permits this signal to be directed to a reporter for the mating pathway.