Localized secretion of acid phosphatase reflects the pattern of cell surface growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Secretion of cell wall-bound acid phosphatase by Saccharomyces cerevisiae occurs along a restricted portion of the cell surface. Acid phosphatase activity produced during derepressed synthesis on a phosphate-limited growth medium is detected with an enzyme-specific stain and is localized initially to the bud portion of a dividing cell. After two to three generations of phosphate-limited growth, most of the cells can be stained; if further phosphatase synthesis is repressed by growth in excess phosphate, dividing cells are produced in which the parent but not the bud can be stained. Budding growth is interrupted in alpha-mating-type cells by a pheromone (alpha-factor) secreted by the opposite mating type; cell surface growth continues in the presence of alpha-factor and produces a characteristic cell tip. When acid phosphatase synthesis is initiated during alpha-factor treatment, only the cell tip can br stained; when phosphate synthesis is repressed during alpha-factor treatment, the cell body but not the tip can be stained. A mixture of derepressed alpha cells and phosphatase-negative alpha cells form zygotes in which mainly one parent cell surface can be stained. The cell cycle mutant, cdc 24 (Hartwell, L.H. 1971. Exp. Cell Res. 69:265-276), fails to bud and, instead, expands symmetrically as a sphere at a nonpermissive temperature (37 degrees C). This mutant does not form a cell tip during alpha-factor treatment at 37 degrees C, and although acid phosphatade secretion occurs at this temperature, it is not localized. These results suggest that secretion reflects a polar mode of yeast cell- surface growth, and that this organization requires the cdc 24 gene product.