Alternative cell polarity behaviours arise from changes in G-protein spatial dynamics

Yeast cells form a single mating projection when exposed to mating pheromone, a classic example of cell polarity. Prolonged treatment with pheromone or specific mutations results in alternative cell polarity behaviours. The authors performed mathematical modelling to investigate these unusual cell morphologies from the perspective of balancing spatial amplification (i.e. positive feedback that localises components) with spatial tracking (i.e. negative feedback that allows sensing of gradient). First, they used generic models of cell polarity to explore different cell polarity behaviours that arose from changes in the model spatial dynamics. By exploring the positive and negative feedback loops in each stage of a two-stage model, they simulated a variety of cell morphologies including single bending projections, single straight projections, periodic multiple projections and simultaneous double projections. In the second half of the study, they used a two-stage mechanistic model of yeast cell polarity focusing on G-protein signalling to integrate the modelling results more closely with the authors´ previously published experimental observations. In summary, the combination of modelling and experiments describes how yeast cells exhibit a diversity of cell morphologies arising from two-stage G-protein signalling dynamics modulated by positive and negative feedbacks.