Autophagy-related genes genetically interact with Pmk1 MAPK signaling in fission yeast.

Apart from the highly conserved role in the cellular degradation process, autophagy also appears to play a key role in cellular proliferation. Here, we describe the genetic interaction of autophagy-related genes and Pmk1 MAPK signaling in fission yeast. deletion cells (Δ ) exhibit the (viable in the presence of immunosuppressant and Cl ) phenotype, indicative of Pmk1 signaling inhibition. Moreover, the Δ Δ double mutant resembles the single Δ mutant, suggesting that Atg1 functions in the Pmk1 pathway. In addition, the growth defect induced by overexpression of Pck2, an upstream activator of Pmk1 MAPK was alleviated by the deletion of . Finally, the deletion of autophagy-related genes recapitulates Pmk1 MAPK signaling inhibition. Our data suggest a novel role for autophagy in MAPK signaling regulation.