Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell division cycle defective in cytokinesis. Biosynthesis of the cell wall and morphology.

The four temperature-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the cell division cycle defective in cytokinesis (cdc, 3, 10, 11 and 12), have been analyzed with respect to the biosynthesis of the cell wall polymers. After 3 hours of incubation at the non-permissive temperature (37 degrees C) these strains stop growing. The synthesis of glucan, mannan and chitin (wall polymers) level off in a similar time, but glucan, mannan and chitin synthases remained active for at least 4 hours. If the mutants are analyzed by transmission and scanning electron microscopy different pictures emerge. Two of the mutants cdc 10 and cdc 12, after 3 hours of incubation at 37 degrees C present apparently normal cytoplasms and cell wall surfaces with multiple elongated buds. The other two mutants, cdc 3 and cdc 11, present a completely disarranged cytoplasmic content and damage at the level of the plasma membrane is evident. These and other observations, suggest that between the execution points of cdc 3 (0.27) and cdc 10 (0.58), essential processes in the assembly of cell membrane occur.