Slk1 is a meiosis-specific Sid2-related kinase that coordinates meiotic nuclear division with growth of the forespore membrane

Septation and spore formation in fission yeast are compartmentalization processes that occur during the mitotic and meiotic cycles, and that are regulated by the septation initiation network (SIN). In mitosis, activation of Sid2 protein kinase transduces the signal from the spindle pole body (SPB) to the middle of the cell in order to promote the constriction of the actomyosin ring. Concomitant with ring contraction, membrane vesicles are added at the cleavage site to enable the necessary expansion of the cell membrane. In meiosis, the forespore membrane is synthesized from the outer layers of the SPB by vesicle fusion. This membrane grows and eventually engulfs each of the four haploid nuclei. The molecular mechanism that connects the SIN pathway with synthesis of the forespore membrane is poorly understood. Here, we describe a meiosis-specific Sid2-like kinase (Slk1), which is important for the coordination of the growth of the forespore membrane with the meiotic nuclear divisions. Slk1 and Sid2 are required for forespore membrane biosynthesis and seem to be the final output of the SIN pathway in meiosis.