The fork-head type transcription factors are a class of regulators that function 
in a broad spectrum of cellular and developmental processes in many species 
ranging from yeasts to human. Previous data on yeast fork-head genes suggested 
roles for these regulators in the control of cell division, sexual 
differentiation and development. The genome of Schizosaccharomyces pombe has 
four genes that code for proteins containing fork-head domains (FKH), two of 
which have been characterised. Here we describe the remaining two genes, fhl1 
and fkh2, that code for proteins containing fork-head-associated domains (FHA) 
besides their FKHs. Neither of them is essential for viability, although the 
deletion of either fhl1 (putative homologue of Saccharomyces cerevisiae FHL1) or 
fkh2 (similar to FKH1 and FKH2 of S. cerevisiae) reduced the growth rate and 
caused an extension of cell length due to delayed G2-to-M transition. 
Occasionally, multiseptate cells were also produced, indicating the involvement 
of fhl1 and fkh2 in efficient septum cleavage. The fkh2Delta cells were slightly 
more sensitive than the wild-type cells to certain environmental stresses, 
showed reduced fertility and occasional deficiencies in meiosis II, indicating 
that fkh2 might also act in stress response and sexual differentiation.