Institute of Molecular Biology


Home | About | Faculty | Calendar | Facilities | Graduate program | Contact | Apply

This page is optimized for viewing with javascript.


George F. Sprague, Jr

George F. Sprague, Jr

Professor, Biology
Member, IMB

Ph.D., Yale University
B.S., North Carolina State

Loading profile for George Sprague

Research Interests

George Sprague is no longer active in research but is still active in the Biology Department teaching program.

During his research career he used yeast as a model to investigate basic problems in genetics and cell biology. His primary interests were:
sprague research Localization of Bud4p, a protein required for the axial budding pattern. Bud4p was fused to green fluorescence protein (GFP) and visualized by virtue of the intrinsic fluorescence of GFP. Although the budding pattern of yeast cells changes when they are shifted from glucose rich to glucose limiting conditions, the localization of Bud4p does not change.
sprague research The three yeast cell types and the regulatory proteins encoded by the MAT locus are depicted. These proteins, together with Mcm1, which is encoded elsewhere in the genome, govern expression of three sets of genes: a-specific genes, α-specific genes, and a1·α2-repressed genes. Figure taken from: Sprague GF, PNAS 2005;102:959-960.
sprague research Three MAPK pathways in yeast share common components and also contain pathway-specific factors.

Recent publications

(pulled from pubmed)

Recent publications

(pulled from pubmed)

The regulation of filamentous growth in yeast.
Cullen PJ, Sprague GF Jr
Genetics 2012 Jan;190(1):23-49
Eukaryotes learn how to count: quorum sensing by yeast.
Sprague GF Jr, Winans SC
Genes Dev 2006 May 1;20(9):1045-9
Three-pronged genomic analysis reveals yeast cell-type regulation circuitry.
Sprague GF Jr
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005 Jan 25;102(4):959-60
Yeast signal transduction: regulation and interface with cell biology.
Sprague GF, Cullen PJ, Goehring AS
Adv Exp Med Biol 2004;547:91-105
A signaling mucin at the head of the Cdc42- and MAPK-dependent filamentous growth pathway in yeast.
Cullen PJ, Sabbagh W Jr, Graham E, Irick MM, van Olden EK, Neal C, Delrow J, Bardwell L, Sprague GF Jr
Genes Dev 2004 Jul 15;18(14):1695-708
Synthetic lethal analysis implicates Ste20p, a p21-activated potein kinase, in polarisome activation.
Goehring AS, Mitchell DA, Tong AH, Keniry ME, Boone C, Sprague GF Jr
Mol Biol Cell 2003 Apr;14(4):1501-16
Urmylation: a ubiquitin-like pathway that functions during invasive growth and budding in yeast.
Goehring AS, Rivers DM, Sprague GF Jr
Mol Biol Cell 2003 Nov;14(11):4329-41
Attachment of the ubiquitin-related protein Urm1p to the antioxidant protein Ahp1p.
Goehring AS, Rivers DM, Sprague GF Jr
Eukaryot Cell 2003 Oct;2(5):930-6
The roles of bud-site-selection proteins during haploid invasive growth in yeast.
Cullen PJ, Sprague GF Jr
Mol Biol Cell 2002 Sep;13(9):2990-3004
GTPase-activating proteins for Cdc42.
Smith GR, Givan SA, Cullen P, Sprague GF Jr
Eukaryot Cell 2002 Jun;1(3):469-80
Defects in protein glycosylation cause SHO1-dependent activation of a STE12 signaling pathway in yeast.
Cullen PJ, Schultz J, Horecka J, Stevenson BJ, Jigami Y, Sprague GF Jr
Genetics 2000 Jul;155(3):1005-18
Glucose depletion causes haploid invasive growth in yeast.
Cullen PJ, Sprague GF Jr
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000 Dec 5;97(25):13619-24
Control of MAP kinase signaling specificity or how not to go HOG wild.
Sprague GF Jr
Genes Dev 1998 Sep 15;12(18):2817-20
Signal transduction and growth control in yeast.
Schultz J, Ferguson B, Sprague GF Jr
Curr Opin Genet Dev 1995 Feb;5(1):31-7
The yeast pheromone response pathway: new insights into signal transmission.
Ferguson B, Horecka J, Printen J, Schultz J, Stevenson BJ, Sprague GF Jr
Cell Mol Biol Res 1994;40(3):223-8
Genetic mapping of STE20 to the left arm of chromosome VIII.
Horecka J, Sprague GF Jr
Yeast 1994 May;10(5):693-5