An alpha-specific gene, SAG1 is required for sexual agglutination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Seven alpha-specific mutants specifically defective in sexual agglutinability were isolated. The other alpha mating functions exhibited by these mutants, designated sag mutants, such as the production of alpha pheromone and response to a mating pheromone, were normal. While the MAT alpha sag1 cells did not agglutinate with wild-type a cells, the MATa sag1 cells did, indicating that the SAG1 gene is expressed only in alpha cells. The mutations were semi-dominant and fell into a single complementation group, SAG1, which was mapped near met3 on chromosome X. Complementation analysis showed that sag1 and ag alpha 1, the latter being a previously reported alpha-specific mutation, were mutations in the same gene.