The stress-activated protein kinase Hog1 develops a critical role after resting state.

Quiescence is an essential process in eukaryotes. Control of cell cycle progression by stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK) is critical for cell adaptation to extracellular stimuli. In yeast, activation of the HOG MAPK signalling pathway results in the control of cell cycle at several phases. In this manuscript, we describe the role of Hog1p modulating re-entry into cell cycle from a resting state. Cells deficient in Hog1p activation show a delay in entering the mitotic cell cycle from the stationary phase. Furthermore, a repressible Hog1p allele (Hog1AS) presents a comparable behaviour at this phase to the deleted strain. In addition, the role of Hog1p at the stationary phase exit is not related to loss of cell viability. Moreover, when cells enter the mitotic cell cycle after being in the stationary phase, Hog1p is rapidly activated and concentrates in the nucleus where it modifies the expression of several genes. Similar results are obtained in higher eukaryotic cells by activation of p38. Thus, these results reveal a novel role of the SAPK Hog1p in the control of cell cycle progression as cells leave a resting state.