Abstract: Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an excellent model organism widely applied in the study of cell-cycle control, mitosis and meiosis, DNA repair and recom
bination, and checkpoint controls important for genome stability. Because of its close relationship with human beings evolution, S. pombe has recently being applied in the researches on its responses to environmental stresses. A majority of the stresses can directly or indirectly induce the reactive oxygen species (ROS) of S. pombe. This paper summarized the basic characteristics of S. pombe genome, proteome, and cellular structure, reviewed the research progress in the responses of S. pombe to environmental stresses, e.g., physical radiation, oxidants, heavy metals, and hormones, etc., and analyzed the response pathways as well as the components possibly involved under different environmental stresses. Further studies on the better application of the model organism in environmental assessment were prospected.

Key words: Eumeces chinensis, Female reproduction, Egg incubation, Geographic variation