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Cells can tightly couple changes in polarity to the cell cycle. New-end take off (NETO) in fission yeast provides a good example of this: during G1/S phase, cells grow only at the `old' end, but in G2 phase they switch to bipolar growth. Dannel McCollum and co-workers have examined the role of a novel fission yeast protein, Mob2p, in such coupling (see p. 125). They have used a transcriptional shut-off system to show that removal of Mob2p causes cells to become spherical and develop depolarized cytoskeletons. They also observe that the reduction in Mob2p levels produces a NETO defect similar to that produced by mutations in Orb6p — a kinase whose relatives regulate cell polarity in several species. The authors demonstrate that Mob2p and Orb6p form a complex and show that this interaction is required for correct Mob2p localization and Orb6p stability. They propose that the Mob2p-Orb6p complex plays an important role coordinating polarized growth with mitosis. Since two relatives of these proteins (Mob2p and Sid2p) also interact, complex formation could constitute an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for activating Orb6p/Sid2p-family kinases.
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