Cloning of the STE5 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a suppressor of the mating defect of cdc25 temperature-sensitive mutants

The STE5 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cloned using a screening procedure designed to isolate genes of the S. cerevisiae pheromone response pathway. We screened a yeast genomic high-copy-number plasmid library for genes that allow mating of cdc25^ts mutants at the restrictive temperature without affecting the cell-cycle-arrest phenotype. One of the genes cloned was identified by genetic analysis as STE5. STE5 encodes a predicted open reading frame of 916 amino acids and exhibits significant homology to Far1 protein. RNA blot analysis reveals that STE5 gene transcription is regulated by the mating type of the cell and depends on an intact pheromone-response pathway.