CONTROL OF RNA SYNTHESIS IN YEAST

During the cell cycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae there is an ordered appearance of a number of enzymes and various physiological properties but a continuous increase in the rate of rRNA synthesis. A detailed study of rRNA synthesis has shown that there are reiterated genes for rRNA which are largely clustered on chromosome I and appear to be transcribed continuously during the cell cycle. However, the level of activity of polymerase I is proportional to the level of rRNA during the cell cycle and is correlated with the growth rate of the culture. In contrast, the level of polymerase 11, thought to be involved in mRNA synthesis, increases during a definite period of the cell cycle characteristic of step enzymes in yeast. It would appear that the level of the activity of polymerase I is involved in the regulation of rRNA synthesis. Possible other mechanisms for the regulation of rRNA are discussed.