SKN7, a yeast multicopy suppressor of a mutation affecting cell wall beta-glucan assembly, encodes a product with domains homologous to prokaryotic two-component regulators and to heat shock transcription factors.

A search for genes which, at elevated copy number, could suppress the growth defect in a strain disrupted at the KRE9 locus has identified the SKN7 gene. SKN7 was mapped to the right arm of chromosome VIII and is predicted to encode a 70-kDa protein, Skn7p, with a region of homology to the DNA binding domain of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae heat shock transcription factor, Hsf1p. Skn7p also has a domain which shows similarity to the prokaryotic receiver modules found on an extensive family of two-component response regulators, including the products of the rcsC and barA genes. SKN7 did not suppress other mutations in the (1-->6)-beta-glucan biosynthetic pathway, suggesting that SKN7 does not act as a general bypass suppressor of this glucan.