The assembly of a noncanonical LINC complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex is a protein complex across the nuclear envelope and has maintained its general assembly mode throughout evolution. SUN and KASH proteins, which are the major components of LINC complex, interact with each other in the nuclear lumen to transmit forces across the nuclear envelope and have diverse functions. However, research of LINC complex in budding yeast has been limited due to the lack of identification of a canonical KASH protein and a cytoskeleton factor. Here, we review recent findings that addressed these puzzles in budding yeast. We highlight the distinct assembly model of the telomere-associated LINC complex in budding yeast, which could be beneficial for identifying LINC variants in other eukaryotes.