THE YEAST MOT2 GENE ENCODES A PUTATIVE ZINC-FINGER PROTEIN THAT SERVES AS A GLOBAL NEGATIVE REGULATOR AFFECTING EXPRESSION OF SEVERAL CATEGORIES OF GENES, INCLUDING MATING-PHEROMONE-RESPONSIVE GENES

The STE4 gene encodes the beta subunit of a heterotrimeric G protein that is an essential component of the pheromone signal transduction pathway. To identify downstream component(s) of Ste4, we sought pseudorevertants that restored mating competence to ste4 mutants. The suppressor mot2 was isolated as a recessive mutation that restored conjugational competence to a temperature-sensitive ste4 mutant and simultaneously conferred a temperature-sensitive growth phenotype. The MOT2 gene encodes a putative zinc finger protein, the deletion of which resulted in temperature-sensitive growth, increased expression of FUS1 in the absence of pheromones, and suppression of a deletion of the alpha-factor receptor. On the other hand, sterility resulting from deletion of STE4 was not suppressed by the mot2 deletion. These phenotypes are similar to those associated with temperature-sensitive mutations in CDC36 and CDC39, which are proposed to encode general negative regulators of transcription rather than factors involved in the pheromone response pathway. Deletion of MOT2 also caused increased transcription of unrelated genes such as GAL7 and PH084. Overexpression of MOT2 suppresses the growth defect of temperature sensitive mutations in CDC36 and CDC39. These observations suggest that Mot2 functions as a general negative regulator of transcription in the same processes as Cdc36 and Cdc39.