Replication fork rate and origin activation during the S phase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

When the growth rate of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is limited with various nitrogen sources, the duration of the S phase is proportional to cell cycle length over a fourfold range of growth rates (C.J. Rivin and W. L. Fangman, 1980, J. Cell Biol. 85:96-107). Molecular parameters of the S phases of these cells were examined by DNA fiber autoradiography. Changes in replication fork rate account completely for the changes in S-phase duration. No changes in origin-to- origin distances were detected. In addition, it was found that while most adjacent replication origins are activated within a few minutes of each other, new activations occur throughout the S phase.