Saccharomyces cerevisiae respond and cope to starvation by ceasing growth and entering a non-proliferating state referred to as stationary phase [1]. Expression of SPG4 has been shown to be higher in stressed cells, and stationary phase cells compared to active cells. It is not required for growth on non-fermentable carbon sources [2].

1: Quantitative proteomic comparison of stationary/G0 phase cells and tetrads in budding yeast. Kumar R, Srivastava S; Sci Rep. 2016;6:32031. PMID:27558777

2: Genomic analysis of stationary-phase and exit in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: gene expression and identification of novel essential genes. Martinez MJ, Roy S, Archuletta AB, Wentzell PD, Anna-Arriola SS, Rodriguez AL, Aragon AD, Quinones GA, Allen C, Werner-Washburne M; Mol Biol Cell. 2004;15:5295-5305. PMID:15456898