Fss1, a CTNS/PQ domain protein, has dual roles in promoting fertility in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Fss1 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe is required for proper spore packaging and nutrient-poor spore formation, with mutants showing normal meiosis but strong spore defects.

• Why it matters: Many genes for eukaryotic sexual reproduction remain uncharacterized, and prior mutagenesis implicated multiple factors whose roles in meiosis versus spore development were unclear.
• What they did: The study characterized 13 implicated genes and deeply analyzed fss1, using mutant phenotyping across nutrient conditions and immuno-gold electron microscopy to track Fss1 vesicle localization.
• The result: fss1{Delta} defects are recessive in heterozygotes, Fss1 localizes to vesicles fusing to the outer spore membrane during wall maturation, and spore-expressed Fss1 supports vacuole morphology and timely germination.

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