Inhibition of bud initiation by ethyl N-phenylcarbamate results in meiotic development in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

When diploid cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were incubated in acetate growth media containing 2.5 mM ethyl N-phenylcarbamate (EPC), bud initiation was inhibited preferentially, and eventually overgrown, unbudded cells accumulated. During subsequent incubation, meiosis and ascospore formation occurred at high frequencies. The behavior of EPC-treated cells was essentially the same as that of cells transferred to a starvation sporulation medium. EPC thus has a pronounced effect on the mitotic growth of yeast cells, which leads to meiotic development. Our observations indicate that EPC has a decisive function in the initiation of meiosis in rich growth media.