On 13 Mar 1996, Keith Robison wrote:
> Trying to draw a link between yeast mating and human gender determination
> via GCR isn't particularly compelling; GCR's are ubiquitous.
>
However, many yeast genes are homologous to mammalian genes, including
certain human genes. Some mammalian gene products function similarly in
yeast, some yeast products function in mammalian tissues. The fact that
ste2 and ste3 are expressed in human T cells and perhaps elsewhere
suggests that there may be some aspect of preserved function.
The fact that most G-protein related events may be ubiquitous does not
disprove specific examples -- especially given the growing number of
yeast/human genes known to function similarly in both species.
To present an outlandish example: the jury did not find Ted Bundy not
guilty by virtue of the fact that most white males are not like Ted
Bundy.
I highly recommend references 4 and 5 of the prior post for persons
wanting to develop an overview of yeast genes and their functional
homologues in humans.
Teresa
Teresa C. Binstock, Researcher
Developmental & Behavioral Neuroanatomy
Denver CO USA
Teresa.Binstock at uchsc.edu
