Kluyveromyces lactis killer toxin inhibits adenylate cyclase of sensitive yeast cells

Nature ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 304 (5925) ◽  
pp. 464-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Sugisaki ◽  
Norio Gunge ◽  
Kenji Sakaguchi ◽  
Makari Yamasaki ◽  
Gakuzo Tamura
2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (20) ◽  
pp. 6549-6559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Wemhoff ◽  
Roland Klassen ◽  
Friedhelm Meinhardt

ABSTRACTZymocin is aKluyveromyces lactisprotein toxin composed of αβγ subunits encoded by the cytoplasmic virus-like element k1 and functions by αβ-assisted delivery of the anticodon nuclease (ACNase) γ into target cells. The toxin binds to cells' chitin and exhibits chitinase activityin vitrothat might be important during γ import.Saccharomyces cerevisiaestrains carrying k1-derived hybrid elements deficient in either αβ (k1ORF2) or γ (k1ORF4) were generated. Loss of either gene abrogates toxicity, and unexpectedly, Orf2 secretion depends on Orf4 cosecretion. Functional zymocin assembly can be restored by nuclear expression of k1ORF2 or k1ORF4, providing an opportunity to conduct site-directed mutagenesis of holozymocin. Complementation required active site residues of α's chitinase domain and the sole cysteine residue of β (Cys250). Since βγ are reportedly disulfide linked, the requirement for the conserved γ C231 was probed. Toxicity of intracellularly expressed γ C231A indicated no major defect in ACNase activity, while complementation of k1ΔORF4 by γ C231A was lost, consistent with a role of β C250 and γ C231 in zymocin assembly. To test the capability of αβ to carry alternative cargos, the heterologous ACNase fromPichia acaciae(P. acaciaeOrf2 [PaOrf2]) was expressed, along with its immunity gene, in k1ΔORF4. While efficient secretion of PaOrf2 was detected, suppression of the k1ΔORF4-derived k1Orf2 secretion defect was not observed. Thus, the dependency of k1Orf2 on k1Orf4 cosecretion needs to be overcome prior to studying αβ's capability to deliver other cargo proteins into target cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio M V Gomes ◽  
Ana Carolina A L Orlandi ◽  
Nádia S Parachin

ABSTRACT Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide composed of two α-glucose molecules and synthesized by an enzyme complex containing four subunits TPS1 (EC 2.4.1.15), TPS2 (EC 3.1.3.12), TPS3 and TSL1. First reports about trehalose classified this sugar as an energy reserve compound like glycogen. However, lately, trehalose is known to assist yeast cells during heat, osmotic and starvation stresses. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the deletion of the tps1 encoding gene eliminated the yeast ability to grow on glucose as the sole carbon source. Kluyveromyces lactis is a yeast present in various dairy products and is currently utilized for the synthesis of more than 40 industrial heterologous products. In this study, the deletion of the tps1 gene in K. lactis showed that unlike S. cerevisiae, tps1 gene disruption does not cause growth failure in glucose, galactose, or fructose. The µMAX rate values of K. lactis tps1Δ strains were equal than the non-disrupted strains, showing that the gene deletion does not affect the yeast growth. After gene disruption, the absence of trehalose into the metabolism of K. lactis was also confirmed.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 7092-7098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Colussi ◽  
Christopher H. Taron

ABSTRACT The strong LAC4 promoter (PLAC4) from Kluyveromyces lactis has been extensively used to drive expression of heterologous proteins in this industrially important yeast. A drawback of this expression method is the serendipitous ability of PLAC4 to promote gene expression in Escherichia coli. This can interfere with the process of assembling expression constructs in E. coli cells prior to their introduction into yeast cells, especially if the cloned gene encodes a protein that is detrimental to bacteria. In this study, we created a series of PLAC4 variants by targeted mutagenesis of three DNA sequences (PBI, PBII, and PBIII) that resemble the E. coli Pribnow box element of bacterial promoters and that reside immediately upstream of two E. coli transcription initiation sites associated with PLAC4. Mutation of PBI reduced the bacterial expression of a reporter protein (green fluorescent protein [GFP]) by ∼87%, whereas mutation of PBII and PBIII had little effect on GFP expression. Deletion of all three sequences completely eliminated GFP expression. Additionally, each promoter variant expressed human serum albumin in K. lactis cells to levels comparable to wild-type PLAC4. We created a novel integrative expression vector (pKLAC1) containing the PLAC4 variant lacking PBI and used it to successfully clone and express the catalytic subunit of bovine enterokinase, a protease that has historically been problematic in E. coli cells. The pKLAC1 vector should aid in the cloning of other potentially toxic genes in E. coli prior to their expression in K. lactis.


Author(s):  
Raffael Schaffrath ◽  
Constance Mehlgarten ◽  
Heike Prochaska ◽  
Alexander Hammermeister ◽  
Wael Abdel-Fattah ◽  
...  

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are killed by zymocin, a tRNase ribotoxin complex from Kluyveromyces lactis, which cleaves anticodons and inhibits protein synthesis. Zymocin’s action requires specific chemical modification of uridine bases in the anticodon wobble position (U34) by the Elongator complex (Elp1-Elp6). Hence, loss of anticodon modification in mutants lacking Elongator or related KTI (K. lactis Toxin Insensitive) genes protects against tRNA cleavage and confers resistance to the toxin. Here, we show that zymocin can be used as a tool to genetically analyse KTI12, a gene previously shown to code for an Elongator partner protein. From a kti12 mutant pool of zymocin survivors, we identify motifs in Kti12 that are functionally directly coupled to Elongator activity. In addition, shared requirement of U34 modifications for nonsense and missense tRNA suppression (SUP4; SOE1) strongly suggests that Kti12 and Elongator cooperate to assure proper tRNA functioning. We show that the Kti12 motifs are conserved in plant ortholog DRL1/ELO4 from Arabidopsis thaliana and seem to be involved in binding of cofactors (e.g. nucleotides, calmodulin). Elongator interaction defects triggered by mutations in these motifs correlate with phenotypes typical for loss of U34 modification. Thus, tRNA modification by Elongator appears to require physical contact with Kti12, and our preliminary data suggest that metabolic signals may affect proper communication between them.


1987 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
FERDINAND RADLER ◽  
MANFRED SCHMITT

The killer toxin (KT 28), a glycoprotein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 28, was almost completely adsorbed by bentonite, when applied at a concentration of 1 g per liter. No significant differences were found between several types of bentonite. Killer toxin KT 28 is similarly adsorbed by intact yeast cells or by a commercial preparation of yeast cell walls that has been recommended to prevent stuck fermentations. An investigation of the cell wall fractions revealed that the toxin KT 28 was mainly adsorbed by mannan, that removed the toxin completely. The alkali-soluble and the alkali-insoluble β-1,3- and β-1,6-D-glucans lowered the toxin concentration to one tenth of the original amount. The killer toxin of the type K1 of S. cerevisiae was adsorbed much better by glucans than by mannan.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 2748-2757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Orozco ◽  
Emilia Matallana ◽  
Agustín Aranda

ABSTRACTMost grape juice fermentation takes place when yeast cells are in a nondividing state called the stationary phase. Under such circumstances, we aimed to identify the genetic determinants controlling longevity, known as the chronological life span. We identified commercial strains with both short (EC1118) and long (CSM) life spans in laboratory growth medium and compared them under diverse conditions. Strain CSM shows better tolerance to stresses, including oxidative stress, in the stationary phase. This is reflected during winemaking, when this strain has an increased maximum life span. Compared to EC1118, CSM overexpresses a mitochondrial rhodanese gene-like gene,RDL2, whose deletion leads to increased reactive oxygen species production at the end of fermentation and a correlative loss of viability at this point. EC1118 shows faster growth and higher expression of glycolytic genes, and this is related to greater PKA activity due to the upregulation of the adenylate cyclase gene. This phenotype has been linked to the presence of a δ element in its promoter, whose removal increases the life span. Finally, EC1118 exhibits a higher level of protein degradation by autophagy, which might help achieve fast growth at the expense of cellular structures and may be relevant for long-term survival under winemaking conditions.


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 5555-5560
Author(s):  
H Iida

Heat shock-resistant mutants, which were isolated by their ability to withstand lethal heat treatment, were characterized. Resistance was demonstrated to be a consequence of insertion of retrotransposon Ty into either the 5' coding or noncoding region, close to the putative initiation codon of the adenylate cyclase gene CYR1 (or CDC35). These heat shock-resistant mutants contained about threefold lower adenylate cyclase activity than wild-type strains. The mutants were also observed to be resistant to other stresses such as UV light and ethanol. These results demonstrate that multistress resistance, which may confer a survival advantage to yeast cells, can be generated by transposition of a Ty element into CYR1.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 6306-6316 ◽  
Author(s):  
A R Butler ◽  
J H White ◽  
Y Folawiyo ◽  
A Edlin ◽  
D Gardiner ◽  
...  

The Kluyveromyces lactis toxin causes an arrest of sensitive yeast cells in the G1 phase of the cell division cycle. Two complementary genetic approaches have been undertaken in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to understand the mode of action of this toxin. First, two sequences conferring toxin resistance specifically in high copy number have been isolated and shown to encode a tRNA(Glu3) and a novel polypeptide. Disruption of the latter sequence in the yeast genome conferred toxin resistance and revealed that it was nonessential, while the effect of the tRNA(Glu)3 was highly specific and mediated resistance by affecting the toxin's target. An alpha-specific, copy number-independent suppressor of toxin sensitivity was also isolated and identified as MATa, consistent with the observation that diploid cells are partially resistant to the toxin. Second, in a comprehensive screen for toxin-resistant mutants, representatives of 13 complementation groups have been obtained and characterized to determine whether they are altered in the toxin's intracellular target. Of 10 genes found to affect the target process, one (KTI12) was found to encode the novel polypeptide previously identified as a multicopy resistance determinant. Thus, both loss of KTI12 function and elevated KTI12 copy number can cause resistance to the K. lactis toxin.


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