The TTAA-specific transposon piggyBac (PB), originally isolated from the cabbage 
looper moth, Trichoplusia ni, has been utilized as an insertional mutagenesis 
tool in various eukaryotic organisms. Here, we show that PB transposes in the 
fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and leaves almost no footprints. We 
developed a PB-based mutagenesis system for S. pombe by constructing a strain 
with a selectable transposon excision marker and an integrated transposase gene. 
PB transposition in this strain has low chromosomal distribution bias as shown 
by deep sequencing-based insertion site mapping. Using this system, we obtained 
loss-of-function alleles of klp5 and klp6, and a gain-of-function allele of dam1 
from a screen for mutants resistant to the microtubule-destabilizing drug 
thiabendazole. From another screen for cdc25-22 suppressors, we obtained 
multiple alleles of wee1 as expected. The success of these two screens 
demonstrated the usefulness of this PB-mediated mutagenesis tool for fission 
yeast.