A DMSO-sensitive conditional mutant of the fission yeast orthologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SEC13 gene is defective in septation.

Dissection of complex processes using model organisms such as yeasts relies heavily upon the use of conditional mutants. We have generated a collection of fission yeast mutants sensitive to dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO). Among these we have found a mutant in the Schizosaccharomyces pombe orthologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SEC13 gene, which fails to cleave the division septum. Generation of a null allele demonstrates that the S. pombe sec13 gene is essential.