The G1-to-S cell cycle transition is promoted by the periodic expression of a large set of genes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae G1/S gene expression is regulated by two transcription factor (TF) complexes, the MBF and SBF, which bind to specific DNA sequences, the MCB and SCB, respectively. Despite extensive research little is known regarding the evolution of the G1/S transcription regulation including the co-evolution of the DNA binding domains with their respective DNA binding sequences. We have recently examined the co-evolution of the G1/S TF specificity through the systematic generation and examination of chimeric Mbp1/Swi4 TFs containing different orthologue DNA binding domains in S. cerevisiae (Hendler et al. in PLoS Genet 13:e1006778. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006778 , 2017). Here, we review the co-evolution of G1/S transcriptional network and discuss the evolutionary dynamics and specificity of the MBF-MCB and SBF-SCB interactions in different fungal species.
Keywords: Cell cycle; Evolution; G1-to-S transition; Gene expression; MBF and SBF.