Yeast cells of mating type a are genetically engineered to produce only mating factor α instead of the normal mating factor a. The gene for the mating factor receptor was unaltered. How will these engineered cells behave in terms of mating?
A) They will only mate with normal mating type a cells.
B) They will only mate with normal mating type α cells.
C) They will mate with each other or with normal mating type a cells, but not with normal mating type α cells.
D) They will only mate each other and not with normal mating type a or α cells.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The engineered cells will still produce their own mating factor α, but their mating receptor remains unaltered, which means they can receive mating signals from both the normal mating type a cells and other engineered cells. However, they will not be able to respond to the mating factor α produced by normal mating type α cells, which means they will not mate with them. Therefore, option C is correct.

Yeast Cells of Mating Type a Are Genetically Engineered to Produce