The cell cycle is one of the most fascinating processes in the fantastic world of the cell. The beauty of the cell cycle lies in the elaborate orchestration of discrete events, which requires precise control mechanisms for accuracy and coordination. The ease of yeast cell culture and genetic malleability of yeast maintains yeast at the forefront of model systems to dissect the complexities of the cell cycle. Through the last half-century, single cellular yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe have constituted great models to understand principles of the cell cycle. In addition to the most famous S. cerevisiae and S. pombe models, other unicellular or filamentous fungi (such as Aspergillus nidulans, Candida albicans, other Saccharomyces or Schizosaccharomyces species, and other budding or fission yeasts) have also been used to understand unique aspects of the cell cycle.

This Methods Collection provides a broad spectrum of cell cycle-related techniques, including cell cycle synchronizations, flow cytometry, microscopy, and biochemical approaches not only in S. cerevisiae and S. pombe but also in other unicellular or filamentous fungi. We anticipate that most of these methods will be inspiring and/or to higher eukaryotes as well.