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Ndt80 is a transcription factor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that activates a set of genes needed for progression through meiosis and gametogenesis. It is encoded by the NDT80 gene. Its role links a developmental transition to coordinated gene expression, rather than to completion of a single structural event.

The initial 1995 study found that NDT80 gene mutants arrested at pachytene, a stage of meiotic prophase. Their homologous chromosomes remained joined by full-length synaptonemal complexes. Much of meiotic recombination still occurred, showing that chromosome exchange and progression out of this stage could be experimentally separated.^[ref]

A 1998 study then connected the phenotype to transcriptional control. Producing Ndt80 outside its normal developmental setting induced target genes, while the isolated protein bound a conserved upstream DNA sequence. The combination of altered gene expression and sequence binding supported a direct regulatory role.^[ref]

The NDT80 gene of budding yeast encodes Ndt80, a transcription factor involved in progression through meiosis. The gene is the DNA information; Ndt80 is the resulting regulatory protein. Keeping these distinct makes an intervention precise: deleting the NDT80 gene changes production of Ndt80, whereas measuring Ndt80 binding tests a property of the protein.

The original 1995 characterization found that NDT80 gene mutants arrested at pachytene with persistent synaptonemal complexes.^[ref] Subsequent experiments showed that Ndt80 bound upstream DNA and activated transcription of genes involved in meiotic division and reproductive cell formation.^[ref]

S. Chu investigated how gene expression coordinates meiosis and formation of reproductive cells in budding yeast. A 1998 study identified Ndt80 as a transcription factor activating a set of genes needed for these processes.^[ref]

Producing Ndt80 in vegetatively growing cells activated normally developmentally regulated genes; purified experimental Ndt80 also bound a conserved upstream DNA sequence. These complementary experiments connected a regulatory protein to both DNA recognition and a change in transcription, rather than relying only on correlated timing of gene expression.^[ref]

T. Allers is a researcher in DNA replication, homologous recombination and DNA repair. His work includes budding yeast meiosis and genetic studies of archaea. The institutional research profile describes using Haloferax volcanii as an experimental system for studying these chromosome-maintenance processes.^[ref]

With M. Lichten, T. Allers examined a useful perturbation of meiotic recombination: Ndt80-deficient yeast arrested with unresolved Holliday junction intermediates and very few chromosomal crossovers, yet produced noncrossover recombination products at normal levels and times. The two outcomes could therefore be experimentally separated.^[ref]

For example, if blocking a late step removes one product while another still appears on schedule, the second product need not depend on that blocked step. The observation supported distinct routes to the two classes of genetic recombination products; it did not require every molecular event to be visible in one static structure.