2026-05-11 マックス・プランク研究所
Microscopic images of yeast cells. Left: Image taken using phase-contrast light microscopy. Right: Fluorescent labeling reveals the presence or absence of pheromone receptors.© MPI f. Terrestrial Microbiology/ Anders
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.mpg.de/26485791/double-defence-against-self-recognition
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeb1729
細胞内自己分泌受容体の不活性化は酵母における接合型同一性の維持を支える Cell-internal autocrine receptor inactivation supports maintenance of mating-type identity in yeast
Alexander Anders, Gabriele Malengo, Laura Kley, and Victor Sourjik
Science Advances Published:24 Apr 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb1729
Abstract
Efficient and exclusive recognition of nonself requires quality control mechanisms to eliminate self-signaling in various types of organisms and cells. Here, we discovered a previously unknown mechanism, which inactivates self-reactive G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) used in premating communication between the two mating types of budding yeast. Our results suggest that this mechanism of cell-internal autocrine inactivation involves receptor interaction with its cosecreted peptide ligand within the secretory pathway. We demonstrate that ligand binding elicits inactivation of the self-reactive receptor already before it reaches the cell surface. This inactivation is apparently initiated through the same pathway that is involved in the endocytic internalization and subsequent vacuolar degradation of the activated cell-surface localized receptors. We hypothesize that, beyond contributing to mating-type identity in yeast, this mechanism of proofreading may be used more generally in eukaryotic cells to suppress autocrine signaling by self-secreted peptide ligands.
