Role of Fig2p in Agglutination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In W303-derived strains, disruption of FIG2 increased agglutinability of α cells, but not a cells, and did not alter expression of α-agglutinin, binding of (125)I-labeled α-agglutinin, or mating efficiency. Fig2p overexpression led to α-cell-specific suppression of agglutinability. These results imply that Fig2p is an indirect masker of the active sites in α-agglutinin.