THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROGRAM OF SPORULATION IN BUDDING YEAST

Diploid cells of budding yeast produce haploid cells through the devel opmental program of sporulation, which consists of meiosis and spore m orphogenesis. DNA microarrays containing nearly every yeast gene were used to assay changes in gene expression during sporulation. At Least seven distinct temporal patterns of induction were observed. The trans cription factor Ndt80 appeared to be important for induction of a Larg e group of genes at the end of meiotic prophase, Consensus sequences k nown or proposed to be responsible for temporal regulation could be id entified solely from analysis of sequences of coordinately expressed g enes. The temporal expression pattern provided clues to potential func tions of hundreds of previously uncharacterized genes, some of which h ave vertebrate homologs that may function during gametogenesis.