Regulation of the Protein Glycosylation Pathway in Yeast: Dr. Ballou has mutants of yeast that affect the regulation of mannoprotein synthesis. He will use each of these to clarify an aspect of function and regulation of protein glycosylation. The first mutant will be used to determine the role of glucose units on the lipid-linked oligosaccharide precursor; the second to study the regulation of the length of the mannoprotein outer chain and the third will be used to study branching of the outer chain. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, common yeast, provides a useful model for studies on eucaryotic development and on the structure function relationships of the carbohydrate component of glycoproteins. This work should lead to a better understanding of the developmental role of these compounds. Yeasts are important in biotechnology and the results of these studies may form the basis for developing new useful strains.
