A size-invariant bud-duration timer enables robustness in yeast cell size control. Author Corey Allard, Franziska Decker, Orion Weiner, Jared Toettcher, Brian Graziano Publication Year 2018 Type Journal Article Abstract Cell populations across nearly all forms of life generally maintain a characteristic cell type-dependent size, but how size control is achieved has been a long-standing question. The G1/S boundary of the cell cycle serves as a major point of size control, and mechanisms operating here restrict passage of cells to Start if they are too small. In contrast, it is less clear how size is regulated post-Start, during S/G2/M. To gain further insight into post-Start size control, we prepared budding yeast that can be reversibly blocked from bud initiation. While blocked, cells continue to grow isotropically, increasing their volume by more than an order of magnitude over unperturbed cells. Upon release from their block, giant mothers reenter the cell cycle and their progeny rapidly return to the original unperturbed size. We found this behavior to be consistent with a size-invariant 'timer' specifying the duration of S/G2/M. These results indicate that yeast use at least two distinct mechanisms at different cell cycle phases to ensure size homeostasis. Keywords Homeostasis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins, Cell Cycle, Optogenetics, Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing, Cell Growth Processes, G1 Phase Journal PLoS One Volume 13 Issue 12 Pages e0209301 Date Published 2018 ISSN Number 1932-6203 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0209301 Alternate Journal PLoS One PMCID PMC6303054 PMID 30576342 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML