Molecular cloning of chromosome I DNA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: isolation, characterization and regulation of the SPO7 sporulation gene.

SPO7 is one of several previously identified genes from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is required for sporulation but not for vegetative growth. The SPO7 gene has been cloned by functional complementation and physically mapped 15-16 kb to the left of CEN1. Gene-disruption experiments confirmed that the cloned gene was the bona fide SPO7 gene. SPO7 codes for a 0.95-kb transcript that is expressed at approximately the same level in both vegetative and sporulating cells. The gene was sequenced and has the capacity to encode a 259-amino acid protein that does not appear to be related to other known proteins.