scholarly journals Functional Analysis of the PUT3 Transcriptional Activator of the Proline Utilization Pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
pp. 1069-1082
Author(s):  
Shelley Ann G des Etages ◽  
Darlene A Fahey ◽  
Richard J Reece ◽  
Marjorie C Brandriss

Abstract Proline can serve as a nitrogen source for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae when preferred sources of nitrogen are absent from the growth medium. PUT3, the activator of the proline utilization pathway, is required for the transcription of the genes encoding the enzymes that convert proline to glutamate. PUT3 is a 979 amino acid protein that constitutively binds a short DNA sequence in the promoters of its target genes, but does not activate their expression in the absence of induction by proline and in the presence of preferred sources of nitrogen. To understand how PUT3 is converted from an inactive to an active state, a dissection of its functional domains has been undertaken. Biochemical and molecular tests, domain swapping experiments, and an analysis of activator-constitutive and activator-defective mutant proteins indicate that PUT3 is dimeric and activates transcription with its negatively charged carboxyterminus, which does not appear to contain a proline-responsive domain. A mutation in the conserved central domain found in many fungal activators interferes with activation without affecting DNA binding or protein stability. Intragenic suppressors of the central domain mutation have been isolated and analyzed.

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (S1) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie C. Brandriss ◽  
Darlene A. Falvey ◽  
Shelley Ann G. des Etages ◽  
Shiwei Xu

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can use alternative nitrogen sources such as allantoin, urea, γ-aminobutyrate, or proline when preferred nitrogen sources such as asparagine, glutamine, or ammonium ions are unavailable in the environment. To use proline as the sole nitrogen source, cells must activate the expression of the proline transporters and the genes that encode the catabolic enzymes proline oxidase (PUT1) and Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (PUT2). Transcriptional activation of the PUT genes requires the PUT3 regulatory protein, proline, and relief from nitrogen repression. PUT3 is a 979 amino acid protein that binds a short DNA sequence in the promoters of PUT1 and PUT2, independent of the presence of proline. The functional domains of PUT3 have been studied by biochemical and molecular tests and analysis of activator-constitutive and activator-defective mutant proteins. Mutations in the URE2 gene relieve nitrogen repression, permitting inducer-independent transcription of the PUT genes in the presence of repressing nitrogen sources. The GLN3 protein that activates the expression of many genes in alternative nitrogen source pathways is not required for the expression of the PUT genes under inducing, derepressing conditions (proline) or noninducing, repressing conditions (ammonia). Although it has been speculated that the URE2 protein antagonizes the action of GLN3 in the regulation of many nitrogen assimilatory pathways, URE2 appears to act independently of GLN3 in the proline-utilization pathway. Key words: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, proline utilization, nitrogen repression.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 892-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoching L. Huang ◽  
Marjorie C. Brandriss

ABSTRACT The proline utilization pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by the Put3p transcriptional activator in response to the presence of the inducer proline and the quality of the nitrogen source in the growth medium. Put3p is constitutively bound to the promoters of its target genes, PUT1 andPUT2, under all conditions studied but activates transcription to the maximum extent only in the absence of rich nitrogen sources and in the presence of proline (i.e., when proline serves as the sole source of nitrogen). Changes in target gene expression therefore occur through changes in the activity of the DNA-bound regulator. In this report, we demonstrate by phosphatase treatment of immunoprecipitates of extracts metabolically labeled with32P or 35S that Put3p is a phosphoprotein. Examination of Put3p isolated from cells grown on a variety of nitrogen sources showed that it was differentially phosphorylated as a function of the quality of the nitrogen source: the poorer the nitrogen source, the slower the gel migration of the phosphoforms. The presence of the inducer does not detectably alter the phosphorylation profile. Activator-defective and activator-constitutive Put3p mutants have been analyzed. One activator-defective mutant appears to be phosphorylated in a pattern similar to that of the wild type, thus separating its ability to be phosphorylated from its ability to activate transcription. Three activator-constitutive mutant proteins from cells grown on an ammonia-containing medium have a phosphorylation profile similar to that of the wild-type protein in cells grown on proline. These results demonstrate a correlation between the phosphorylation status of Put3p and its ability to activate its target genes and suggest that there are two signals, proline induction and quality of nitrogen source, impinging on Put3p that act synergistically for maximum expression of the proline utilization pathway.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 2321-2330 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Xu ◽  
D A Falvey ◽  
M C Brandriss

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can use alternative nitrogen sources such as arginine, urea, allantoin, gamma-aminobutyrate, or proline when preferred nitrogen sources like glutamine, asparagine, or ammonium ions are unavailable in the environment. Utilization of alternative nitrogen sources requires the relief of nitrogen repression and induction of specific permeases and enzymes. The products of the GLN3 and URE2 genes are required for the appropriate transcription of many genes in alternative nitrogen assimilatory pathways. GLN3 appears to activate their transcription when good nitrogen sources are unavailable, and URE2 appears to repress their transcription when alternative nitrogen sources are not needed. The participation of nitrogen repression and the regulators GLN3 and URE2 in the proline utilization pathway was evaluated in this study. Comparison of PUT gene expression in cells grown in repressing or derepressing nitrogen sources, in the absence of the inducer proline, indicated that both PUT1 and PUT2 are regulated by nitrogen repression, although the effect on PUT2 is comparatively small. Recessive mutations in URE2 elevated expression of the PUT1 and PUT2 genes 5- to 10-fold when cells were grown on a nitrogen-repressing medium. Although PUT3, the proline utilization pathway transcriptional activator, is absolutely required for growth on proline as the sole nitrogen source, a put3 ure2 strain had somewhat elevated PUT gene expression, suggesting an effect of the ure2 mutation in the absence of the PUT3 product. PUT1 and PUT2 gene expression did not require the GLN3 activator protein for expression under either repressing or derepressing conditions. Therefore, regulation of the PUT genes by URE2 does not require a functional GLN3 protein. The effect of the ure2 mutation on the PUT genes is not due to increased internal proline levels. URE2 repression appears to be limited to nitrogen assimilatory systems and does not affect genes involved in carbon, inositol, or phosphate metabolism or in mating-type control and sporulation.


1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 4696-4705
Author(s):  
J E Marczak ◽  
M C Brandriss

The enzymes of the proline utilization pathway (the products of the PUT1 and PUT2 genes) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are coordinately regulated by proline and the PUT3 transcriptional activator. To learn more about the control of this pathway, constitutive mutations in PUT3 as well as in other regulators were sought. A scheme using a gene fusion between PUT1 (S. cerevisiae proline oxidase) and galK (Escherichia coli galactokinase) was developed to select directly for constitutive mutations affecting the PUT1 promoter. These mutations were secondarily screened for their effects in trans on the promoter of the PUT2 (delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase) gene by using a PUT2-lacZ (E. coli beta-galactosidase) gene fusion. Three different classes of mutations were isolated. The major class consisted of semidominant constitutive PUT3 mutations that caused PUT2-lacZ expression to vary from 2 to 22 times the uninduced level. A single dominant mutation in a new locus called PUT5 resulted in low-level constitutive expression of PUT2-lacZ; this mutation was epistatic to the recessive, noninducible put3-75 allele. Recessive constitutive mutations were isolated that had pleiotropic growth defects; it is possible that these mutations are not specific to the proline utilization pathway but may be in genes that control several pathways. Since the PUT3 gene appears to have a major role in the regulation of this pathway, a molecular analysis was undertaken. This gene was cloned by functional complementation of the put3-75 mutation. Strains carrying a complete deletion of this gene are viable, proline nonutilizing, and indistinguishable in phenotype from the original put3-75 allele. The PUT3 gene encodes a 2.8-kilobase-pair transcript that is not regulated by proline at the level of RNA accumulation. The presence of the gene on a high-copy-number plasmid did not alter the regulation of one of its target genes, PUT2-lacZ, suggesting that the PUT3 gene product is not limiting and that a titratable repressor is not involved in the regulation of this pathway.


1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 4696-4705 ◽  
Author(s):  
J E Marczak ◽  
M C Brandriss

The enzymes of the proline utilization pathway (the products of the PUT1 and PUT2 genes) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are coordinately regulated by proline and the PUT3 transcriptional activator. To learn more about the control of this pathway, constitutive mutations in PUT3 as well as in other regulators were sought. A scheme using a gene fusion between PUT1 (S. cerevisiae proline oxidase) and galK (Escherichia coli galactokinase) was developed to select directly for constitutive mutations affecting the PUT1 promoter. These mutations were secondarily screened for their effects in trans on the promoter of the PUT2 (delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase) gene by using a PUT2-lacZ (E. coli beta-galactosidase) gene fusion. Three different classes of mutations were isolated. The major class consisted of semidominant constitutive PUT3 mutations that caused PUT2-lacZ expression to vary from 2 to 22 times the uninduced level. A single dominant mutation in a new locus called PUT5 resulted in low-level constitutive expression of PUT2-lacZ; this mutation was epistatic to the recessive, noninducible put3-75 allele. Recessive constitutive mutations were isolated that had pleiotropic growth defects; it is possible that these mutations are not specific to the proline utilization pathway but may be in genes that control several pathways. Since the PUT3 gene appears to have a major role in the regulation of this pathway, a molecular analysis was undertaken. This gene was cloned by functional complementation of the put3-75 mutation. Strains carrying a complete deletion of this gene are viable, proline nonutilizing, and indistinguishable in phenotype from the original put3-75 allele. The PUT3 gene encodes a 2.8-kilobase-pair transcript that is not regulated by proline at the level of RNA accumulation. The presence of the gene on a high-copy-number plasmid did not alter the regulation of one of its target genes, PUT2-lacZ, suggesting that the PUT3 gene product is not limiting and that a titratable repressor is not involved in the regulation of this pathway.


Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Archambault ◽  
David B Jansma ◽  
James D Friesen

Abstract In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mutations in genes encoding subunits of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) often give rise to a set of pleiotropic phenotypes that includes temperature sensitivity, slow growth and inositol auxotrophy. In this study, we show that these phenotypes can be brought about by a reduction in the intracellular concentration of RNAPII. Underproduction of RNAPII was achieved by expressing the gene (RPO21), encoding the largest subunit of the enzyme, from the LEU2 promoter or a weaker derivative of it, two promoters that can be repressed by the addition of leucine to the growth medium. We found that cells that underproduced RPO21 were unable to derepress fully the expression of a reporter gene under the control of the INO1 UAS. Our results indicate that temperature sensitivity, slow growth and inositol auxotrophy is a set of phenotypes that can be caused by lowering the steady-state amount of RNAPII; these results also lead to the prediction that some of the previously identified RNAPII mutations that confer this same set of phenotypes affect the assembly/stability of the enzyme. We propose a model to explain the hypersensitivity of INO1 transcription to mutations that affect components of the RNAPII transcriptional machinery.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 6946-6948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Kamińska ◽  
Beata Gajewska ◽  
Anita K. Hopper ◽  
Teresa ˙Zołądek

ABSTRACT Rsp5p is an ubiquitin-protein ligase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that has been implicated in numerous processes including transcription, mitochondrial inheritance, and endocytosis. Rsp5p functions at multiple steps of endocytosis, including ubiquitination of substrates and other undefined steps. We propose that one of the roles of Rsp5p in endocytosis involves maintenance and remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. We report the following. (i) There are genetic interactions between rsp5 and several mutant genes encoding actin cytoskeletal proteins. rsp5 arp2, rsp5 end3, and rsp5 sla2 double mutants all show synthetic growth defects. Overexpressed wild-type RSP5 or mutant rsp5 genes with lesions of some WW domains suppress growth defects of arp2 and end3 cells. The defects in endocytosis, actin cytoskeleton, and morphology of arp2 are also suppressed. (ii) Rsp5p and Sla2p colocalize in abnormal F-actin-containing clumps in arp2 and pan1 mutants. Immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that Rsp5p and Act1p colocalize in pan1 mutants. (iii) Rsp5p and Sla2p coimmunoprecipitate and partially colocalize to punctate structures in wild-type cells. These studies provide the first evidence for an interaction of an actin cytoskeleton protein with Rsp5p. (iv) rsp5-w1 mutants are resistant to latrunculin A, a drug that sequesters actin monomers and depolymerizes actin filaments, consistent with the fact that Rsp5p is involved in actin cytoskeleton dynamics.


2005 ◽  
Vol 280 (23) ◽  
pp. 22418-22424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeti Puri ◽  
Jie Lai-Zhang ◽  
Scott Meier ◽  
David M. Mueller

The mitochondrial F1F0-ATP synthase is a multimeric enzyme complex composed of at least 16 unique peptides with an overall molecular mass of ∼600 kDa. F1-ATPase is composed of α3β3γδϵ with an overall molecular mass of 370 kDa. The genes encoding bovine F1-ATPase have been expressed in a quintuple yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion mutant (ΔαΔβΔγΔδΔϵ). This strain expressing bovine F1 is unable to grow on medium containing a non-fermentable carbon source (YPG), indicating that the enzyme is non-functional. However, daughter strains were easily selected for growth on YPG medium and these were evolved for improved growth on YPG medium. The evolution of the strains was presumably due to mutations, but mutations in the genes encoding the subunits of the bovine F1-ATPase were not required for the ability of the cell to grow on YPG medium. The bovine enzyme expressed in yeast was partially purified to a specific activity of about half of that of the enzyme purified from bovine heart mitochondria. These results indicate that the molecular machinery required for the assembly of the mitochondrial ATP synthase is conserved from bovine and yeast and suggest that yeast may be useful for the expression, mutagenesis, and analysis of the mammalian F1- or F1F0-ATP synthase.


Gene ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Hickey ◽  
Krishna Jayaraman ◽  
Charles T. Goodhue ◽  
Janak Shah ◽  
Sarah A. Fingar ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Kaniak ◽  
Zhixiong Xue ◽  
Daniel Macool ◽  
Jeong-Ho Kim ◽  
Mark Johnston

ABSTRACT The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae senses glucose, its preferred carbon source, through multiple signal transduction pathways. In one pathway, glucose represses the expression of many genes through the Mig1 transcriptional repressor, which is regulated by the Snf1 protein kinase. In another pathway, glucose induces the expression of HXT genes encoding glucose transporters through two glucose sensors on the cell surface that generate an intracellular signal that affects function of the Rgt1 transcription factor. We profiled the yeast transcriptome to determine the range of genes targeted by this second pathway. Candidate target genes were verified by testing for Rgt1 binding to their promoters by chromatin immunoprecipitation and by measuring the regulation of the expression of promoter lacZ fusions. Relatively few genes could be validated as targets of this pathway, suggesting that this pathway is primarily dedicated to regulating the expression of HXT genes. Among the genes regulated by this glucose signaling pathway are several genes involved in the glucose induction and glucose repression pathways. The Snf3/Rgt2-Rgt1 glucose induction pathway contributes to glucose repression by inducing the transcription of MIG2, which encodes a repressor of glucose-repressed genes, and regulates itself by inducing the expression of STD1, which encodes a regulator of the Rgt1 transcription factor. The Snf1-Mig1 glucose repression pathway contributes to glucose induction by repressing the expression of SNF3 and MTH1, which encodes another regulator of Rgt1, and also regulates itself by repressing the transcription of MIG1. Thus, these two glucose signaling pathways are intertwined in a regulatory network that serves to integrate the different glucose signals operating in these two pathways.


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