Golgi and vacuolar membrane proteins reach the vacuole in vps1 mutant yeast cells via the plasma membrane

Disruption of a dynamin homologue affects endocytosis, organelle morphology, and cytokinesis in Dictyostelium discoideum

The identification and functional characterization of Dictyostelium discoideum dynamin A, a protein composed of 853 amino acids that shares up to 44% sequence identity with other dynamin-related proteins, is described. Dynamin A is present during all stages of D. discoideum development and is found predominantly in the cytosolic fraction and in association with endosomal and postlysosomal vacuoles. Overexpression of the protein has no adverse effect on the cells, whereas depletion of dynamin A by gene-targeting techniques leads to multiple and complex phenotypic changes. Cells lacking a functional copy of dymA show alterations of mitochondrial, nuclear, and endosomal morphology and a defect in fluid-phase uptake. They also become multinucleated due to a failure to complete normal cytokinesis. These pleiotropic effects of dynamin A depletion can be rescued by complementation with the cloned gene. Morphological studies using cells producing green fluorescent protein-dynamin A revealed that dynamin A associates with punctate cytoplasmic vesicles. Double labeling with vacuolin, a marker of a postlysosomal compartment in D. discoideum, showed an almost complete colocalization of vacuolin and dynamin A. Our results suggest that that dynamin A is likely to function in membrane trafficking processes along the endo-lysosomal pathway of D. discoideum but not at the plasma membrane.

Integral membrane protein sorting to vacuoles in plant cells: evidence for two pathways

Plant cells may contain two functionally distinct vacuolar compartments. Membranes of protein storage vacuoles (PSV) are marked by the presence of alpha-tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP), whereas lytic vacuoles (LV) are marked by the presence of gamma-TIP. Mechanisms for sorting integral membrane proteins to the different vacuoles have not been elucidated. Here we study a chimeric integral membrane reporter protein expressed in tobacco suspension culture protoplasts whose traffic was assessed biochemically by following acquisition of complex Asn-linked glycan modifications and proteolytic processing, and whose intracellular localization was determined with confocal immunofluorescence. We show that the transmembrane domain of the plant vacuolar sorting receptor BP-80 directs the reporter protein via the Golgi to the LV prevacuolar compartment, and attaching the cytoplasmic tail (CT) of gamma-TIP did not alter this traffic. In contrast, the alpha-TIP CT prevented traffic of the reporter protein through the Golgi and caused it to be localized in organelles separate from ER and from Golgi and LV prevacuolar compartment markers. These organelles had a buoyant density consistent with vacuoles, and alpha-TIP protein colocalized in them with the alpha-TIP CT reporter protein when the two were expressed together in protoplasts. These results are consistent with two separate pathways to vacuoles for membrane proteins: a direct ER to PSV pathway, and a separate pathway via the Golgi to the LV.

Cytochemical images of secretion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and animal cells are different

Like in animal cells, the major secretory pathway of the ascomycetous budding yeast Saccharomyces (s.) cerevisiae consists of membrane-bound compartments which transport soluble and membrane (glyco)peptides to lysosomal vacuoles, cell wall, or out of the cell. The established model of the cellular machinery of the yeast secretory pathway was deduced largerly from molecular ex situ analyses and for budding yeast cells it was assumed to be identical with that of secretory animal cells. Interphase yeast cells were never considered. Glycosylation of peptides was detected in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the putative Golgi cisternae. Coated membrane vesicles were assumed to transport intermediates into and within the Golgi cascade. Proteolytic trimming would occur in the last Golgi compartment. Golgi-derived membrane vesicles would serve for exocytosis or fuse with lysosomal vacuoles. In contrast to this notion, yeast cytologists showed specific features of secretion in S. cerevisiae and other Ascomycetes. Cytochemical observations in situ of both dividing and interphase yeast showed direct communication between nuclear envelope, ER and segregated Golgi cisternae. A new class of constitutive conveyors, coated protein globules smaller than membrane vesicles, was shown to exist throughout the cell cycle. The function of Golgi-derived membrane vesicles was constrained to promotion of exocytosis in budding yeast. Some of the Golgi apparatus functions were detected in both these classes of exocytotic conveyors. Uptake (phagocytosis) of transport conveyors and lipoprotein condensates has been shown to deliver enzymes and secretory compounds into vacuoles. This simplified machinery of secretion, postulated for S. cerevisiae, does not include the Golgi cascade.

Identification of a fission yeast dynamin-related protein involved in mitochondrial DNA maintenance

Members of the dynamin-related proteins family have been identified in a wide range of organisms, however their precise functions remain elusive. We have identified a new member of that GTPase family in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We show that Msp1+ is an essential nuclear gene encoding a 101 kDa protein whose closest homologue is the S. cerevisiae MGM1 gene product. We also report that msp1 conditional loss of function affects the maintenance of mitochondrial DNA and leads to growth arrest associated with respiratory deficiency.

A yeast t-SNARE involved in endocytosis

The ORF YOL018c (TLG2) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a protein that belongs to the syntaxin protein family. The proteins of this family, t-SNAREs, are present on target organelles and are thought to participate in the specific interaction between vesicles and acceptor membranes in intracellular membrane trafficking. TLG2 is not an essential gene, and its deletion does not cause defects in the secretory pathway. However, its deletion in cells lacking the vacuolar ATPase subunit Vma2p leads to loss of viability, suggesting that Tlg2p is involved in endocytosis. In tlg2Delta cells, internalization was normal for two endocytic markers, the pheromone alpha-factor and the plasma membrane uracil permease. In contrast, degradation of alpha-factor and uracil permease was delayed in tlg2Delta cells. Internalization of positively charged Nanogold shows that the endocytic pathway is perturbed in the mutant, which accumulates Nanogold in primary endocytic vesicles and shows a greatly reduced complement of early endosomes. These results strongly suggest that Tlg2p is a t-SNARE involved in early endosome biogenesis.

Apg14p and Apg6/Vps30p form a protein complex essential for autophagy in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mutation in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae APG14 gene causes a defect in autophagy. Cloning and structural analysis of the APG14 gene revealed that APG14 encodes a novel hydrophilic protein with a predicted molecular mass of 40.5 kDa, and that Apg14p has a coiled-coil motif at its N terminus region. We found that overproduction of Apg14p partially reversed the defect in autophagy induced by the apg6-1 mutation. The apg6-1 mutant was found to be defective not only in autophagy but also in sorting of carboxypeptidase Y (CPY), a vacuolar-soluble hydrolase, to the vacuole. However, overexpression of APG14 did not alter the CPY sorting defect of the apg6-1 mutant, nor did the apg14 null mutation affect the CPY sorting pathway. Structural analysis of APG6 revealed that APG6 is identical to VPS30, which is involved in a retrieval step of the CPY receptor, Vps10p, to the late-Golgi from the endosome (Seaman, M. N. J., Marcusson, E. G., Cereghino, J. L., and Emr, S. D. (1997) J. Cell Biol. 137, 79-92). Subcellular fractionation indicated that Apg14p and Apg6p peripherally associated with a membrane structure(s). Apg14p was co-immunoprecipitated with Apg6p, suggesting that they form a stable protein complex. These results imply that Apg6/Vps30p has two distinct functions in the autophagic process and the vacuolar protein sorting pathway. Apg14p may be a component specifically required for the function of Apg6/Vps30p through the autophagic pathway.

Multiple sorting pathways between the late Golgi and the vacuole in yeast

Newly synthesized proteins that reach the last compartment of the Golgi complex can be sorted into pathways leading either to the cell surface or to the vacuole. It now appears that there are at least two routes from the Golgi to the vacuole: the 'CPY pathway', which involves transit through an endosomal/prevacuolar compartment (PVC), and a recently discovered 'ALP pathway', which bypasses the PVC, but may involve other as yet unidentified intermediate compartments. No cytosolic signal has been identified that directs the entry of membrane proteins into the CPY pathway. In contrast, the transport of ALP through the ALP pathway is saturable and signal mediated. Much recent work has focused on the identification of proteins that regulate trafficking to the vacuole. A number of genes have been identified that are specific for either the CPY or ALP sorting pathways, while other genes affect both types of transport and may therefore act at or after a point of convergence. Progress has also been made in further elucidating the members of the SNARE complexes that act in Golgi-to-PVC transport as well as those that mediate fusion with the vacuole.

Retrograde traffic out of the yeast vacuole to the TGN occurs via the prevacuolar/endosomal compartment

A large number of trafficking steps occur between the last compartment of the Golgi apparatus (TGN) and the vacuole of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To date, two intracellular routes from the TGN to the vacuole have been identified. Carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) travels through a prevacuolar/endosomal compartment (PVC), and subsequently on to the vacuole, while alkaline phosphatase (ALP) bypasses this compartment to reach the same organelle. Proteins resident to the TGN achieve their localization despite a continuous flux of traffic by continually being retrieved from the distal PVC by virtue of an aromatic amino acid-containing sorting motif. In this study we report that a hybrid protein based on ALP and containing this retrieval motif reaches the PVC not by following the CPY sorting pathway, but instead by signal-dependent retrograde transport from the vacuole, an organelle previously thought of as a terminal compartment. In addition, we show that a mutation in VAC7, a gene previously identified as being required for vacuolar inheritance, blocks this trafficking step. Finally we show that Vti1p, a v-SNARE required for the delivery of both CPY and ALP to the vacuole, uses retrograde transport out of the vacuole as part of its normal cellular itinerary.

A membrane coat complex essential for endosome-to-Golgi retrograde transport in yeast

We have recently characterized three yeast gene products (Vps35p, Vps29p, and Vps30p) as candidate components of the sorting machinery required for the endosome-to-Golgi retrieval of the vacuolar protein sorting receptor Vps10p (Seaman, M.N.J., E.G. Marcusson, J.-L. Cereghino, and S.D. Emr. 1997. J. Cell Biol. 137:79-92). By genetic and biochemical means we now show that Vps35p and Vps29p interact and form part of a multimeric membrane-associated complex that also contains Vps26p, Vps17p, and Vps5p. This complex, designated here as the retromer complex, assembles from two distinct subcomplexes comprising (a) Vps35p, Vps29p, and Vps26p; and (b) Vps5p and Vps17p. Density gradient fractionation of Golgi/endosomal/vesicular membranes reveals that Vps35p cofractionates with Vps5p/Vps17p in a vesicle-enriched dense membrane fraction. Furthermore, gel filtration analysis indicates that Vps35p and Vps5p are present on a population of vesicles and tubules slightly larger than COPI/coatomer-coated vesicles. We also show by immunogold EM that Vps5p is localized to discrete regions at the rims of the prevacuolar endosome where vesicles appear to be budding. Size fractionation of cytosolic and recombinant Vps5p reveals that Vps5p can self-assemble in vitro, suggesting that Vps5p may provide the mechanical impetus to drive vesicle formation. Based on these findings we propose a model in which Vps35p/Vps29p/Vps26p function to select cargo for retrieval, and Vps5p/Vps17p assemble onto the membrane to promote vesicle formation. Conservation of the yeast retromer complex components in higher eukaryotes suggests an important general role for this complex in endosome-to-Golgi retrieval.

Assembly of the yeast vacuolar H+-ATPase occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum and requires a Vma12p/Vma22p assembly complex

Three previously identified genes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, VMA12, VMA21, and VMA22, encode proteins localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These three proteins are required for the biogenesis of a functional vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase), but are not part of the final enzyme complex. Subcellular fractionation and chemical cross-linking studies have revealed that Vma12p and Vma22p form a stable membrane associated complex. Cross-linking analysis also revealed a direct physical interaction between the Vma12p/Vma22p assembly complex and Vph1p, the 100-kD integral membrane subunit of the V-ATPase. The interaction of the Vma12p/Vma22p complex with Vph1p was transient (half-life of approximately 5 min), reflecting trafficking of this V-ATPase subunit through the ER en route to the vacuolar membrane. Analysis of these protein-protein interactions in ER-blocked sec12 mutant cells indicated that the Vph1p-Vma12p/Vma22p interactions are quite stable when transport of the V-ATPase out of the ER is blocked. Fractionation of solubilized membrane proteins on a density gradient revealed comigration of Vma22p and Vma12p, indicating that they form a complex even in the absence of cross-linker. Vma12p and Vma22p migrated to fractions separate from Vma21p. Loss of Vph1p caused the Vma12p/Vma22p complex to sediment to less dense fractions, consistent with association of Vma12p/ Vma22p with nascent Vph1p in ER membranes. This is the first evidence for a dedicated assembly complex in the ER required for the assembly of an integral membrane protein complex (V-ATPase) as it is transported through the secretory pathway.

The AP-3 complex: a coat of many colours

A new adaptor protein complex, termed AP-3, has recently been identified in mammalian cells, and genetic studies in yeast have revealed a functional role for the AP-3 complex in cargo-selective transport via a new alternative trafficking pathway from the Golgi to the vacuole/lysosome. Here, the authors review what is currently known about the AP-3 complex and discuss recent insight into its function in multicellular organisms that has come from the finding that mutations in AP-3 subunits correspond to classical mutations in Drosophila and mice.

A dileucine-like sorting signal directs transport into an AP-3-dependent, clathrin-independent pathway to the yeast vacuole

Transport of yeast alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to the vacuole depends on the clathrin adaptor-like complex AP-3, but does not depend on proteins necessary for transport through pre-vacuolar endosomes. We have identified ALP sequences that direct sorting into the AP-3-dependent pathway using chimeric proteins containing residues from the ALP cytoplasmic domain fused to sequences from a Golgi-localized membrane protein, guanosine diphosphatase (GDPase). The full-length ALP cytoplasmic domain, or ALP amino acids 1-16 separated from the transmembrane domain by a spacer, directed GDPase chimeric proteins from the Golgi complex to the vacuole via the AP-3 pathway. Mutation of residues Leu13 and Val14 within the ALP cytoplasmic domain prevented AP-3-dependent vacuolar transport of both chimeric proteins and full-length ALP. This Leucine-Valine (LV)-based sorting signal targeted chimeric proteins and native ALP to the vacuole in cells lacking clathrin function. These results identify an LV-based sorting signal in the ALP cytoplasmic domain that directs transport into a clathrin-independent, AP-3-dependent pathway to the vacuole. The similarity of the ALP sorting signal to mammalian dileucine sorting motifs, and the evolutionary conservation of AP-3 subunits, suggests that dileucine-like signals constitute a core element for AP-3-dependent transport to lysosomal compartments in all eukaryotic cells.

Vacuole biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: protein transport pathways to the yeast vacuole

Delivery of proteins to the vacuole of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides an excellent model system in which to study vacuole and lysosome biogenesis and membrane traffic. This organelle receives proteins from a number of different routes, including proteins sorted away from the secretory pathway at the Golgi apparatus and endocytic traffic arising from the plasma membrane. Genetic analysis has revealed at least 60 genes involved in vacuolar protein sorting, numerous components of a novel cytoplasm-to-vacuole transport pathway, and a large number of proteins required for autophagy. Cell biological and biochemical studies have provided important molecular insights into the various protein delivery pathways to the yeast vacuole. This review describes the various pathways to the vacuole and illustrates how they are related to one another in the vacuolar network of S. cerevisiae.

A novel dynamin-like protein associates with cytoplasmic vesicles and tubules of the endoplasmic reticulum in mammalian cells

Dynamins are 100-kilodalton guanosine triphosphatases that participate in the formation of nascent vesicles during endocytosis. Here, we have tested if novel dynamin-like proteins are expressed in mammalian cells to support vesicle trafficking processes at cytoplasmic sites distinct from the plasma membrane. Immunological and molecular biological methods were used to isolate a cDNA clone encoding an 80-kilodalton novel dynamin-like protein, DLP1, that shares up to 42% homology with other dynamin-related proteins. DLP1 is expressed in all tissues examined and contains two alternatively spliced regions that are differentially expressed in a tissue-specific manner. DLP1 is enriched in subcellular membrane fractions of cytoplasmic vesicles and endoplasmic reticulum. Morphological studies of DLP1 in cultured cells using either a specific antibody or an expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP)- DLP1 fusion protein revealed that DLP1 associates with punctate cytoplasmic vesicles that do not colocalize with conventional dynamin, clathrin, or endocytic ligands. Remarkably, DLP1-positive structures coalign with microtubules and, most strikingly, with endoplasmic reticulum tubules as verified by double labeling with antibodies to calnexin and Rab1 as well as by immunoelectron microscopy. These observations provide the first evidence that a novel dynamin-like protein is expressed in mammalian cells where it associates with a secretory, rather than endocytic membrane compartment.

Retrieval of resident late-Golgi membrane proteins from the prevacuolar compartment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is dependent on the function of Grd19p

The dynamic vesicle transport processes at the late-Golgi compartment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (TGN) require dedicated mechanisms for correct localization of resident membrane proteins. In this study, we report the identification of a new gene, GRD19, involved in the localization of the model late-Golgi membrane protein A-ALP (consisting of the cytosolic domain of dipeptidyl aminopeptidase A [DPAP A] fused to the transmembrane and lumenal domains of the alkaline phosphatase [ALP]), which localizes to the yeast TGN. A grd19 null mutation causes rapid mislocalization of the late-Golgi membrane proteins A-ALP and Kex2p to the vacuole. In contrast to previously identified genes involved in late-Golgi membrane protein localization, grd19 mutations cause only minor effects on vacuolar protein sorting. The recycling of the carboxypeptidase Y sorting receptor, Vps10p, between the TGN and the prevacuolar compartment is largely unaffected in grd19Delta cells. Kinetic assays of A-ALP trafficking indicate that GRD19 is involved in the process of retrieval of A-ALP from the prevacuolar compartment. GRD19 encodes a small hydrophilic protein with a predominantly cytosolic distribution. In a yeast mutant that accumulates an exaggerated form of the prevacuolar compartment (vps27), Grd19p was observed to localize to this compartment. Using an in vitro binding assay, Grd19p was found to interact physically with the cytosolic domain of DPAP A. We conclude that Grd19p is a component of the retrieval machinery that functions by direct interaction with the cytosolic tails of certain TGN membrane proteins during the sorting/budding process at the prevacuolar compartment.

GTP hydrolysis is not important for Ypt1 GTPase function in vesicular transport

GTPases of the Ypt/Rab family play a key role in the regulation of vesicular transport. Their ability to cycle between the GTP- and the GDP-bound forms is thought to be crucial for their function. Conversion from the GTP- to the GDP-bound form is achieved by a weak endogenous GTPase activity, which can be stimulated by a GTPase-activating protein (GAP). Current models suggest that GTP hydrolysis and GAP activity are essential for vesicle fusion with the acceptor compartment or for timing membrane fusion. To test this idea, we inactivated the GTPase activity of Ypt1p by using the Q67L mutation, which targets a conserved residue that helps catalyze GTP hydrolysis in Ras. We demonstrate that the mutant Ypt1-Q67L protein is severely impaired in its ability to hydrolyze GTP both in the absence and in the presence of GAP and consequently is restricted mostly to the GTP-bound form. Surprisingly, a strain with ypt1-Q67L as the only YPT1 gene in the cell has no observable growth phenotypes at temperatures ranging from 14 to 37 degrees C. In addition, these mutant cells exhibit normal rates of secretion and normal membrane morphology as determined by electron microscopy. Furthermore, the ypt1-Q67L allele does not exhibit dominant phenotypes in cell growth and secretion when overexpressed. Together, these results lead us to suggest that, contrary to current models for Ypt/Rab function, GTP hydrolysis is not essential either for Ypt1p-mediated vesicular transport or as a timer to turn off Ypt1p-mediated membrane fusion but only for recycling of Ypt1p between compartments. Finally, the ypt1-Q67L allele, like the wild type, is inhibited by dominant nucleotide-free YPT1 mutations. Such mutations are thought to exert their dominant phenotype by sequestration of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GNEF). These results suggest that the function of Ypt1p in vesicular transport requires not only the GTP-bound form of the protein but also the interaction of Ypt1p with its GNEF.

Dymple, a novel dynamin-like high molecular weight GTPase lacking a proline-rich carboxyl-terminal domain in mammalian cells

We have cloned human dymple, a novel dynamin family member. The full-length cDNA sequence encodes a protein composed of 736 amino acids with a molecular mass of 80 kDa. This amino acid sequence most resembles yeast DNM1P and VPS1P. Dymple lacks a proline-rich carboxyl-terminal domain through which dynamin binds to SH3 domains to be activated. Northern blot analysis revealed two transcript sizes of 2.5 and 4.2 kilobases with alternative polyadenylation at the highest levels in brain, skeletal muscle, and testis. It was further established that there are three patterns of alternative splicing producing in-frame deletions in the coding sequence of dymple in a tissue-specific manner. When overexpressed, wild-type dymple exhibited a punctate perinuclear cytoplasmic pattern, whereas an amino-terminal deletion mutant formed large aggregates bounded by a trans-Golgi network marker. Since dynamin participates in clathrin-mediated endocytosis through a well-characterized mechanism, the existence of a dynamin-like molecule in each specific vesicle transport pathway has been predicted. Our findings suggest that dymple may be the first example of such a subfamily in mammalian cells other than dynamin itself, although its precise role and membrane localization remain to be resolved.

Pth1/Vam3p is the syntaxin homolog at the vacuolar membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae required for the delivery of vacuolar hydrolases

The PEP12 homolog Pth1p (Pep twelve homolog 1) is predicted to be similar in size to Pep12p, the endosomal syntaxin homolog that mediates docking of Golgi-derived transport vesicles and, like other members of the syntaxin family, is predicted to be a cytoplasmically oriented, integral membrane protein with a C-terminal transmembrane domain. Kinetic analyses indicate that deltapth1/vam3 mutants fail to process the soluble vacuolar hydrolase precursors and that PrA, PrB and most of CpY accumulate within the cell in their Golgi-modified P2 precursor forms. This is in contrast to a pep12 mutant in which P2CpY is secreted from the cell. Furthermore, pep12 is epistatic to pth1/vam3 with respect to the CpY secretion phenotype. Alkaline phosphatase, a vacuolar membrane hydrolase, accumulates in its precursor form in the deltapth1/vam3 mutant. Maturation of pro-aminopeptidase I, a hydrolase precursor delivered directly to the vacuole from the cytoplasm, is also blocked in the deltapth1/vam3 mutant. Subcellular fractionation localizes Pth1/Vam3p to vacuolar membranes. Based on these data, we propose that Pth1/Vam3p is the vacuolar syntaxin/t-SNARE homolog that participates in docking of transport vesicles at the vacuolar membrane and that the function of Pth1/Vam3p impinges on at least three routes of protein delivery to the yeast vacuole.

The yeast adaptor protein complex, AP-3, is essential for the efficient delivery of alkaline phosphatase by the alternate pathway to the vacuole

A novel clathrin adaptor-like complex, adaptor protein (AP)-3, has recently been described in yeast and in animals. To gain insight into the role of yeast AP-3, a genetic strategy was devised to isolate gene products that are required in the absence of the AP-3 mu chain encoded by APM3. One gene identified by this synthetic lethal screen was VPS45. The Vps pathway defines the route that several proteins, including carboxypeptidase Y, take from the late Golgi to the vacuole. However, vacuolar alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is transported via an alternate, intracellular route. This suggested that the apm3-Delta vps45 synthetic phenotype could be caused by a block in both the alternate and the Vps pathways. Here we demonstrate that loss of function of the AP-3 complex results in slowed processing and missorting of ALP. ALP is no longer localized to the vacuole membrane by immunofluorescence, but is found in small punctate structures throughout the cell. This pattern is distinct from the Golgi marker Kex2p, which is unaffected in AP-3 mutants. We also show that in the apm3-Delta mutant some ALP is delivered to the vacuole by diversion into the Vps pathway. Class E vps mutants accumulate an exaggerated prevacuolar compartment containing membrane proteins on their way to the vacuole or destined for recycling to the Golgi. Surprisingly, in AP-3 class E vps double mutants these proteins reappear on the vacuole. We suggest that some AP-3-dependent cargo proteins that regulate late steps in Golgi to vacuole transport are diverted into the Vps pathway allowing completion of transfer to the vacuole in the class E vps mutant.

VMA12 encodes a yeast endoplasmic reticulum protein required for vacuolar H+-ATPase assembly

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuolar membrane proton-translocating ATPase (V-ATPase) can be divided into a peripheral membrane complex (V1) containing at least eight polypeptides of 69, 60, 54, 42, 32, 27, 14, and 13 kDa, and an integral membrane complex (V0) containing at least five polypeptides of 100, 36, 23, 17, and 16 kDa. Other yeast genes have been identified that are required for V-ATPase assembly but whose protein products do not co-purify with the enzyme complex. One such gene, VMA12, encodes a 25-kDa protein (Vma12p) that is predicted to contain two membrane-spanning domains. Biochemical analysis has revealed that Vma12p behaves as an integral membrane protein with both the N and C termini oriented toward the cytosol, and this protein immunolocalizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In cells lacking Vma12p (vma12Delta), the 100-kDa subunit of the V0 complex (which contains six to eight putative membrane-spanning domains) was rapidly degraded (t1/2 approximately 30 min). Protease protection assays revealed that the 100-kDa subunit was inserted/translocated correctly into the ER membrane of vma12Delta cells. These data indicate that Vma12p functions in the ER after the insertion of V0 subunits into the ER membrane. We propose that Vma12p functions directly in the assembly of the V0 subunits into a complex in the ER, and that assembly is required for the stability of the V0 subunits and their transport as a complex out of this compartment.

Restriction of copper export in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to a late Golgi or post-Golgi compartment in the secretory pathway

The CCC2 gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a P-type ATPase (Ccc2p) required for the export of cytosolic copper to the extracytosolic domain of a copper-dependent oxidase, Fet3p. Ccc2p appears to be both a structural and functional homolog of ATPases impaired in two human disorders of intracellular copper transport, Menkes disease and Wilson disease. In the present work, three approaches were used to determine the locus of Ccc2p-dependent copper export within the secretory pathway. First, like ccc2 mutants, sec mutants blocked in the secretory pathway at steps prior to and including the Golgi complex failed to deliver radioactive copper to Fet3p. Second, also like ccc2 mutants, vps33 and certain other mutants with defects in post-Golgi sorting exhibited phenotypes traceable to deficient copper delivery to Fet3p. These findings were sufficient to explain the respiratory deficiency of these mutants. Third, immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that Ccc2p was distributed among several punctate foci within wild-type cells, consistent with late Golgi or post-Golgi localization. Thus, copper export by Ccc2p appears to be restricted to a late or post-Golgi compartment in the secretory pathway.

SOI1 encodes a novel, conserved protein that promotes TGN-endosomal cycling of Kex2p and other membrane proteins by modulating the function of two TGN localization signals

Localization of yeast Kex2 protease to the TGN requires a signal (TLS1) in its cytosolic tail (C-tail). Mutation of TLS1 results in rapid transit of Kex2p to the vacuole. Isolation of suppressors of the Tyr713Ala mutation in TLS1 previously identified three SOI genes. SOI1, cloned by complementation of a sporulation defect, encodes a novel, hydrophilic 3,144-residue protein with homologues in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and humans. Epitope-tagged Soi1p existed in a detergent-insensitive, sedimentable form. Deletion of SOI1 impaired TGN localization of wild-type Kex2p and a fusion protein containing the C-tail of Ste13p, and also caused missorting of carboxypeptidase Y and accelerated vacuolar degradation of the Vps10p sorting receptor. Deletion of SOI1 improved retention of Tyr713Ala Kex2p in the pro-alpha-factor processing compartment but, unlike the original soi1 alleles, did not increase the half-life of Tyr713Ala Kex2p. These results suggested that Soi1p functions at two steps in the cycling of Kex2p and other proteins between the TGN and prevacuolar compartment (PVC). This hypothesis was confirmed in several ways. Soi1p was shown to be required for optimal function of TLS1. Suppression of the Tyr713Ala mutation by mutation of SOI1 was shown to be caused by activation of a second signal (TLS2) in the Kex2p C-tail. TLS2 delayed exit of Kex2p from the TGN, whereas TLS1 did not affect this step. We propose that Soi1p promotes cycling of TGN membrane proteins between the TGN and PVC by antagonizing a TGN retention signal (TLS2) and facilitating the function of a retrieval signal (TLS1) that acts at the PVC.

Novel genes involved in endosomal traffic in yeast revealed by suppression of a targeting-defective plasma membrane ATPase mutant

A novel genetic selection was used to identify genes regulating traffic in the yeast endosomal system. We took advantage of a temperature-sensitive mutant in PMA1, encoding the plasma membrane ATPase, in which newly synthesized Pma1 is mislocalized to the vacuole via the endosome. Diversion of mutant Pma1 from vacuolar delivery and rerouting to the plasma membrane is a major mechanism of suppression of pma1(ts). 16 independent suppressor of pma1 (sop) mutants were isolated. Identification of the corresponding genes reveals eight that are identical with VPS genes required for delivery of newly synthesized vacuolar proteins. A second group of SOP genes participates in vacuolar delivery of mutant Pma1 but is not essential for delivery of the vacuolar protease carboxypeptidase Y. Because the biosynthetic pathway to the vacuole intersects with the endocytic pathway, internalization of a bulk membrane endocytic marker FM 4-64 was assayed in the sop mutants. By this means, defective endosome-to-vacuole trafficking was revealed in a subset of sop mutants. Another subset of sop mutants displays perturbed trafficking between endosome and Golgi: impaired pro-alpha factor processing in these strains was found to be due to defective recycling of the trans-Golgi protease Kex2. One of these strains defective in Kex2 trafficking carries a mutation in SOP2, encoding a homologue of mammalian synaptojanin (implicated in synaptic vesicle endocytosis and recycling). Thus, cell surface delivery of mutant Pma1 can occur as a consequence of disturbances at several different sites in the endosomal system.

The membrane protein alkaline phosphatase is delivered to the vacuole by a route that is distinct from the VPS-dependent pathway

Membrane trafficking intermediates involved in the transport of proteins between the TGN and the lysosome-like vacuole in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be accumulated in various vps mutants. Loss of function of Vps45p, an Sec1p-like protein required for the fusion of Golgi-derived transport vesicles with the prevacuolar/endosomal compartment (PVC), results in an accumulation of post-Golgi transport vesicles. Similarly, loss of VPS27 function results in an accumulation of the PVC since this gene is required for traffic out of this compartment. The vacuolar ATPase subunit Vph1p transits to the vacuole in the Golgi-derived transport vesicles, as defined by mutations in VPS45, and through the PVC, as defined by mutations in VPS27. In this study we demonstrate that, whereas VPS45 and VPS27 are required for the vacuolar delivery of several membrane proteins, the vacuolar membrane protein alkaline phosphatase (ALP) reaches its final destination without the function of these two genes. Using a series of ALP derivatives, we find that the information to specify the entry of ALP into this alternative pathway to the vacuole is contained within its cytosolic tail, in the 13 residues adjacent to the transmembrane domain, and loss of this sorting determinant results in a protein that follows the VPS-dependent pathway to the vacuole. Using a combination of immunofluorescence localization and pulse/chase immunoprecipitation analysis, we demonstrate that, in addition to ALP, the vacuolar syntaxin Vam3p also follows this VPS45/27-independent pathway to the vacuole. In addition, the function of Vam3p is required for membrane traffic along the VPS-independent pathway.

Physiological regulation of membrane protein sorting late in the secretory pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In mammalian cells, extracellular signals can regulate the delivery of particular proteins to the plasma membrane. We have discovered a novel example of regulated protein sorting in the late secretory pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In yeast cells grown on either ammonia or urea medium, the general amino acid permease (Gap1p) is transported from the Golgi complex to the plasma membrane, whereas, in cells grown on glutamate medium, Gap1p is transported from the Golgi to the vacuole. We have also found that sorting of Gap1p in the Golgi is controlled by SEC13, a gene previously shown to encode a component of the COPII vesicle coat. In sec13 mutants grown on ammonia, Gap1p is transported from the Golgi to the vacuole, instead of to the plasma membrane. Deletion of PEP12, a gene required for vesicular transport from the Golgi to the prevacuolar compartment, counteracts the effect of the sec13 mutation and partially restores Gap1p transport to the plasma membrane. Together, these studies demonstrate that both a nitrogen-sensing mechanism and Sec13p control Gap1p transport from the Golgi to the plasma membrane.

Vam3p, a new member of syntaxin related protein, is required for vacuolar assembly in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Syntaxins are thought to participate in the specific interactions between vesicles and acceptor membranes in intracellular protein trafficking. VAM3 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a 33 kDa protein (Vam3p) with a hydrophobic transmembrane segment at its C terminus. Vam3p has structural similarities to syntaxins of yeast, animal and plant cells. delta vam3 cells accumulated spherical structures of 200–600 nm in diameter, but lacked normal large vacuolar compartments. Loss of function of Vam3p resulted in inefficient processing of vacuolar proteins proteinase A, proteinase B and carboxypeptidase Y, and defective maturation of alkaline phosphatase. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence microscopy showed that Vam3p was localized to the vacuolar membranes. Vam3p was accumulated in certain regions of the vacuolar membranes. We conclude from these observations that Vam3p is a novel member of syntaxin in the vacuoles and it provides the t-SNARE function in a late step of the vacuolar assembly.

Novel Golgi to vacuole delivery pathway in yeast: identification of a sorting determinant and required transport component

More than 40 vacuolar protein sorting (vps) mutants have been identified which secrete proenzyme forms of soluble vacuolar hydrolases to the cell surface. A subset of these mutants has been found to show selective defects in the sorting of two vacuolar membrane proteins. Under non-permissive conditions, vps45tsf (SEC1 homolog) and pep12/vps6tsf (endosomal t-SNARE) mutants efficiently sort alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to the vacuole while multiple soluble vacuolar proteins and the membrane protein carboxypeptidase yscS (CPS) are no longer delivered to the vacuole. Vacuolar localization of ALP in these mutants does not require transport to the plasma membrane followed by endocytic uptake, as double mutants of pep12tsf and vps45tsf with sec1 and end3 sort and mature ALP at the non-permissive temperature. Given the demonstrated role of t-SNAREs such as Pep12p in transport vesicle recognition, our results indicate that ALP and CPS are packaged into distinct transport intermediates. Consistent with ALP following an alternative route to the vacuole, isolation of a vps41tsf mutant revealed that at non-permissive temperature ALP is mislocalized while vacuolar delivery of CPS and CPY is maintained. A series of domain-swapping experiments was used to define the sorting signal that directs selective packaging and transport of ALP. Our data demonstrate that the amino-terminal 16 amino acid portion of the ALP cytoplasmic tail domain contains a vacuolar sorting signal which is responsible for the active recognition, packaging and transport of ALP from the Golgi to the vacuole via a novel delivery pathway.

Pep7p provides a novel protein that functions in vesicle-mediated transport between the yeast Golgi and endosome

Saccharomyces cerevisiae pep7 mutants are defective in transport of soluble vacuolar hydrolases to the lysosome-like vacuole. PEP7 is a nonessential gene that encodes a hydrophilic protein of 515 amino acids. A cysteine-rich tripartite motif in the N-terminal half of the polypeptide shows striking similarity to sequences found in many other eukaryotic proteins. Several of these proteins are thought to function in the vacuolar/lysosomal pathway. Mutations that change highly conserved cysteine residues in this motif lead to a loss of Pep7p function. Kinetic studies demonstrate that Pep7p function is required for the transport of the Golgi-precursors of the soluble hydrolases carboxypeptidase Y, proteinase A, and proteinase B to the endosome. Integral membrane hydrolase alkaline phosphatase is transported to the vacuole by a parallel intracellular pathway that does not require Pep7p function. pep7 mutants accumulate a 40-60-nm vesicle population, suggesting that Pep7p functions in a vesicle consumption step in vesicle-mediated transport of soluble hydrolases to the endosome. Whereas pep7 mutants demonstrate no defects in endocytic uptake at the plasma membrane, the mutants demonstrate defects in transport of receptor-mediated macromolecules through the endocytic pathway. Localization studies indicate that Pep7p is found both as a soluble cytoplasmic protein and associated with particulate fractions. We conclude that Pep7p functions as a novel regulator of vesicle docking and/or fusion at the endosome.

The yeast VPS5/GRD2 gene encodes a sorting nexin-1-like protein required for localizing membrane proteins to the late Golgi

Genetic analysis of late Golgi membrane protein localization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has uncovered a large number of genes (called GRD) that are required for retention of A-ALP, a model late Golgi membrane protein. Here we describe one of the GRD genes, VPSS/GRD2, that encodes a hydrophilic protein similar to human sorting nexin-1, a protein involved in trafficking of the epidermal growth factor receptor. In yeast cells containing a vps5 null mutation the late Golgi membrane proteins A-ALP and Kex2p were rapidly mislocalized to the vacuolar membrane. A-ALP was delivered to the vacuole in vps5 mutants in a manner independent of a block in the early endocytic pathway. vps5 null mutants also exhibited defects in both vacuolar morphology and in sorting of a soluble vacuolar protein, carboxypeptidase Y. The latter defect is apparently due to an inability to localize the carboxypeptidase Y sorting receptor, Vps10p, to the Golgi since it is rapidly degraded in the vacuole in vps5 mutants. Fractionation studies indicate that Vps5p is distributed between a free cytosolic pool and a particulate fraction containing Golgi, transport vesicles, and possibly endosomes, but lacking vacuolar membranes. Immunofluorescence microscopy experiments show that the membrane-associated pool of Vps5p localizes to an endosome-like organelle that accumulates in the class E vps27 mutant. These results support a model in which Vps5p is required for retrieval of membrane proteins from a prevacuolar/late endosomal compartment back to the late Golgi apparatus.

Sec12p requires Rer1p for sorting to coatomer (COPI)-coated vesicles and retrieval to the ER

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking the Rer1 protein (Rer1p), the type II transmembrane protein Sec12p fails to be retained in the ER. The transmembrane domain of Sec12p is sufficient to confer Rer1p-dependent ER retention to other membrane proteins. In rer1 mutants a large part of the Sec12-derived proteins can escape to the late Golgi. In contrast, rer3 mutants accumulate Sec12-derived hybrid proteins carrying early Golgi modifications. We found that rer3 mutants harbour unique alleles of the alpha-COP-encoding RET1 gene. ret1 mutants, along with other coatomer mutants, fail to retrieve KKXX-tagged type I transmembrane proteins from the Golgi back to the ER. Surprisingly rer3-11(=ret1-12) mutants do not affect this kind of ER recycling. Pulse-chase experiments using these mutants show that alpha-COP and Rer1p function together in a very early Golgi compartment to initiate the recycling of Sec12p-derived hybrid proteins. Rer1p protein may be directly involved in the retrieval process since it also recycles between the early Golgi and ER in a coatomer (COPI)-dependent manner. Rer1p may act as an adapter coupling the recycling of non-KKXX transmembrane proteins like Sec12p to the coatomer (COPI)-mediated backward traffic.

Two separate signals act independently to localize a yeast late Golgi membrane protein through a combination of retrieval and retention

The localization of proteins to late-Golgi membranes (TGN) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is conferred by targeting motifs containing aromatic residues in the cytosolic domains of these proteins. These signals could act by directing retrieval from a post-Golgi compartment or by preventing exit from the TGN. To investigate the mechanism of localization of yeast TGN proteins, we used the heterologous protein A-ALP (consisting of the cytosolic domain of dipeptidyl aminopeptidase A [DPAP A] fused to the transmembrane and luminal domains of the vacuolar protein alkaline phosphatase [ALP]), which localizes to the yeast TGN. Insertion of the aromatic residue-based TGN localization motif (FXFXD) of DPAP A into the cytosolic domain of ALP results in a protein that resides in the TGN. We demonstrate that the FXFXD motif confers Golgi localization through retrieval from a post-Golgi compartment by detecting a post-Golgi processed form of this protein in the TGN. We present an assay that uncouples retrieval-mediated Golgi localization from static retention-based localization, allowing measurement of the rate at which proteins exit the yeast TGN. We also demonstrate that the cytosolic domain of DPAP A contains additional information, separate from the retrieval motif, that slows exit from the TGN. We propose a model for DPAP A localization that involves two distinct mechanisms: one in which the FXFXD motif directs retrieval from a post-Golgi compartment, and a second that slows the rate at which DPAP A exits the TGN.

The dynamins: redundant or distinct functions for an expanding family of related GTPases?

In the 7 years since dynamin was first isolated from bovine brain in search of novel microtubule-based motors, our understanding of this enzyme has expanded significantly. We now know that brain dynamin belongs to a family of large GTPases, which mediate vesicle trafficking. Furthermore, this enzymatic activity is markedly increased through association with microtubules, acidic phospholipids, and certain regulatory proteins that contain Src homology 3 (SH3) domains. From functional, genetic, and cellular manipulations, it is now generally accepted that dynamin participates in the endocytic uptake of receptors, associated ligands, and plasma membrane following an exocytic event. These observations have confirmed at least one function of dynamin that was predicted from seminal studies on a pleiotropic mutant, shibire(ts) (shi(ts)) in Drosophila melanogaster. Of equal interest is the finding that there are multiple dynamin gene products, including two that are expressed in a tissue-specific manner, and they share marked homology with a larger family of distinct but related proteins. Therefore, it is attractive to speculate that the different dynamins may participate in related cellular functions, such as distinct endocytic processes and even secretion. In turn, dynamin could play an important role in cell growth, cell spreading, and neurite outgrowth. The purpose of this review is to enumerate on the expansive dynamin literature and to discuss the nomenclature, expression, and putative functions of this growing and interesting family of proteins.

A novel RING finger protein, Vps8p, functionally interacts with the small GTPase, Vps21p, to facilitate soluble vacuolar protein localization

Genetic analyses of vacuolar protein sorting in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have uncovered a large number of mutants (vps) that missort and secrete soluble vacuolar hydrolases. Here we report the characterization of the gene product affected in one of these mutants, Vps8p. Polyclonal antiserum raised against a trpE-Vps8 fusion protein specifically detects a 134-kDa protein in labeled yeast cell extracts. Subcellular fractionation studies demonstrate that Vps8p is distributed between a low speed membrane pellet fraction and a high speed membrane pellet fraction. The lack of a hydrophobic domain in Vps8p suggests that Vps8p peripherally associates with a membrane(s). This association was found to depend on the function of Vps21p, a member of the Rab/Ypt/Sec4 family of small GTPases. In vps21 null mutant cells, Vps8p is found in the cytosol. In addition, overexpression of Vps21p partially suppresses a vps8 null mutant, indicating that Vps8p and Vps21p functionally interact. Vps8p contains a C-terminal cysteine-rich region that conforms to the H2 variant of the RING finger Zn2+ binding motif. Truncation of this C-terminal region partially compromises Vps8p function. While vps8 null mutant strains missort and secrete soluble vacuolar hydrolases, the integral vacuolar membrane protein, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), is sorted to the vacuole and matured normally. In addition, when vps8 mutants are combined with endocytic or late secretory pathway mutants (end3 or sec1, respectively), ALP is still delivered to the vacuole. These observations indicate that ALP is sorted to the vacuole in a Vps8p-independent manner, possibly via an alternative vesicle carrier.

The sequence NPFXD defines a new class of endocytosis signal in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast membrane protein Kex2p uses a tyrosine-containing motif within the cytoplasmic domain for localization to a late Golgi compartment. Because Golgi membrane proteins mislocalized to the plasma membrane in yeast can undergo endocytosis, we examined whether the Golgi localization sequence or other sequences in the Kex2p cytoplasmic domain mediate endocytosis. To assess endocytic function, the Kex2p cytoplasmic domain was fused to an endocytosis-defective form of the alpha-factor receptor. Ste2p. Like intact Ste2p, the chimeric protein, Stex22p, undergoes rapid endocytosis that is dependent on clathrin and End3p. Uptake of Stex22p does not require the Kex2p Golgi localization motif. Instead, the sequence NPFSD, located 37 amino acids from the COOH terminus, is essential for Stex22p endocytosis. Internalization was abolished when the N, P, or F residues were converted to alanine and severely impaired upon conversion of D to A. NPFSD restored uptake when added to the COOH terminus of an endocytosis-defective Ste2p chimera lacking lysine-based endocytosis signals present in wild-type Ste2p. An NPF sequence is present in the cytoplasmic domain of the a-factor receptor, Ste3p. Mutation of this sequence prevented pheromone-stimulated endocytosis of a truncated form of Ste3p. Our results identify NPFSD as a clathrin-dependent endocytosis signal that is distinct from the aromatic amino acid-containing Golgi localization motif and lysine-based, ubiquitin-dependent endocytosis signals in yeast.

Allele-specific suppression of a defective trans-Golgi network (TGN) localization signal in Kex2p identifies three genes involved in localization of TGN transmembrane proteins

Kex2 protease (Kex2p) and Ste13 dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (Ste13p) are required in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for maturation of the alpha-mating factor in a late Golgi compartment, most likely the yeast trans-Golgi network (TGN). Previous studies identified a TGN localization signal (TLS) in the C-terminal cytosolic tail of Kex2p consisting of Tyr-713 and contextual sequences. Further analysis of the Kex2p TLS revealed similarity to the Ste13p TLS. Mutation of the Kex2p TLS results in transport of Kex2p to the vacuole by default. When expression of a GAL1 promoter-driven KEX2 gene is shut off in MAT(alpha) cells, the TGN becomes depleted of Kex2p, resulting in a gradual decline in mating competence which is greatly accelerated by TLS mutations. To identify the genes involved in localization of Kex2p, we isolated second-site suppressors of the rapid loss of mating competence observed upon shutting off expression of a TLS mutant form of Kex2p (Y713A). Seven of 58 suppressors were allele specific, suppressing point mutations at Tyr-713 but not deletions of the TLS or entire C-terminal cytosolic tail. By linkage analysis, the allele-specific suppressors defined three genetic loci, SOI1, S0I2, and S0I3. Pulse-chase analysis demonstrated that these suppressors increased net TGN retention of both Y713A Kex2p and a Ste13p-Pho8p fusion protein containing a point mutation in the Ste13p TLS. SOI1 suppressor alleles reduced the efficiency of localization of wild-type Kex2p to the TGN, implying an impaired ability to discriminate between the normal TLS and a mutant TLS. soi1 mutants also exhibited a recessive defect in vacuolar protein sorting. Suppressor alleles of S0I2 were dominant. These results suggest that the SOI1 and S0I2 genes encode regulators or components of the TLS recognition machinery.

The effects of clathrin inactivation on localization of Kex2 protease are independent of the TGN localization signal in the cytosolic tail of Kex2p

Localization of Kex2 protease (Kex2p) to the yeast trans-Golgi network (TGN) requires a TGN localization signal (TLS) in the Kex2p C-terminal cytosolic tail. Mutation of the TLS accelerates transport of Kex2p to the vacuole by an intracellular (SEC1-independent) pathway. In contrast, inactivation of the clathrin heavy-chain gene CHC1 results in transport of Kex2p and other Golgi membrane proteins to the cell surface. Here, the relationship of the two localization defects was assessed by examining the effects of a temperature-sensitive CHC1 allele on trafficking of wild-type (WT) and TLS mutant forms of Kex2p. Inactivation of clathrin by shifting chc1-ts cells to 37 degrees C caused WT and TLS mutant forms of Kex2p to behave identically. All forms of Kex2p appeared at the plasma membrane within 30-60 min of the temperature shift. TLS mutant forms of Kex2p were stabilized, their half-lives increasing to that of wild-type Kex2p. After inactivation of clathrin heavy chain, vacuolar protease-dependent degradation of all forms of Kex2p was blocked by a sec1 mutation, which is required for secretory vesicle fusion to the plasma membrane, indicating that transport to the cell surface was required for degradation by vacuolar proteolysis. Finally, after clathrin inactivation, all forms of Kex2p were degraded in part by a vacuolar protease-independent pathway. After inactivation of both chc1-ts and sec1-ts, Kex2 was degraded exclusively by this pathway. We conclude that the effects of clathrin inactivation on Kex2p localization are independent of the Kex2p C-terminal cytosolic tail. Although these results neither prove nor rule out a direct interaction between the Kex2 TLS and a clathrin-dependent structure, they do imply that clathrin is required for the intracellular transport of Kex2p TLS mutants to the vacuole.

Isolation and characterization of SYS genes from yeast, multicopy suppressors of the functional loss of the transport GTPase Ypt6p

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the YPT6 gene encodes the homologue of the mammalian Rab6 protein found in the Golgi apparatus. Deletion of YPT6 in yeast produces a phenotype showing temperature-sensitive growth and partial missorting of the vacuolar enzyme, carboxypeptidase Y. To identify proteins that might: (1) interact with Ypt6p; or (2) act in the same pathway, we have isolated four multicopy suppressors, named SYS1, SYS2, SYS3 and SYS5, that can complement the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype of the ypt6 null mutant. On high expression, these genes are also able to partially suppress the missorting of carboxypeptidase Y.SYS2 on a multicopy plasmid suppresses in addition the temperature-sensitive phenotype of sec7-1, a mutant defective in transport between and from the Golgi compartment. Gene disruption of SYS1 and SYS2 did not result in significant growth defects. However, deletion of SYS1 and/or SYS2 in the ypt6 null mutant enhances defects in vacuolar protein sorting and in cell growth. Whereas protein secretion was not significantly affected in these mutants, the processing of alpha-factor precursor by the Kex2 protease was inhibited, suggesting a function of YPT6 and its null mutant suppressors in transport between the late Golgi and a prevacuolar, endosome-like compartment.

The newly identified yeast GRD genes are required for retention of late-Golgi membrane proteins

Processing of A-ALP, a late-Golgi membrane protein constructed by fusing the cytosolic domain of dipeptidyl aminopeptidase A to the transmembrane and lumenal domains of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serves as a convenient assay for loss of retention of late-Golgi membrane proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, a large group of novel grd (for Golgi retention defective) yeast mutants, representing 18 complementation groups, were identified on the basis of their mislocalization of A-ALP to the vacuole, where it was proteolytically processed and thus became enzymatically activated. All of the grd mutants exhibited significant mislocalization of A-ALP, as measured by determining the kinetics of A-ALP processing and by analyzing its

Vps10p cycles between the late-Golgi and prevacuolar compartments in its function as the sorting receptor for multiple yeast vacuolar hydrolases

VPS10 (Vacuolar Protein Sorting) encodes a large type I transmembrane protein (Vps10p), involved in the sorting of the soluble vacuolar hydrolase carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae lysosome-like vacuole. Cells lacking Vps10p missorted greater than 90% CPY and 50% of another vacuolar hydrolase, PrA, to the cell surface. In vitro equilibrium binding studies established that the 1,380-amino acid lumenal domain of Vps10p binds CPY precursor in a 1:1 stoichiometry, further supporting the assignment of Vps10p as the CPY sorting receptor. Vps10p has been immunolocalized to the late-Golgi compartment where CPY is sorted away from the secretory pathway. Vps10p is synthesized at a rate 20-fold lower that that of its ligand CPY, which in light of the 1:1 binding stoichiometry, requires that Vps10p must recycle and perform multiple rounds of CPY sorting. The 164-amino acid Vps10p cytosolic domain is involved in receptor trafficking, as deletion of this domain resulted in delivery of the mutant Vps10p to the vacuole, the default destination for membrane proteins in yeast. A tyrosine-based signal (YSSL80) within the cytosolic domain enables Vps10p to cycle between the late-Golgi and prevacuolar/endosomal compartments. This tyrosine-based signal is homologous to the recycling signal of the mammalian mannose-6-phosphate receptor. A second yeast gene, VTH2, encodes a protein highly homologous to Vps10p which, when over-produced, is capable of suppressing the CPY and PrA missorting defects of a vps10 delta strain. These results indicate that a family of related receptors act to target soluble hydrolases to the vacuole.

Localization of a yeast early Golgi mannosyltransferase, Och1p, involves retrograde transport

To analyze the mechanism of integral membrane protein localization in the early Golgi apparatus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have used Och1p, a cis-Golgi mannosyltransferase. A series of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) epitope-tagged fusion proteins was constructed in which invertase is appended to the Golgi-luminal carboxy terminus of full-length Och1p. Several constructs included a Kex2p cleavage site between the Och1p and invertase moieties to monitor transit to the Kex2p-containing TGN. Cells expressing an Och1p-invertase fusion do not secrete invertase, but those expressing an Och1p-Kex2p site-invertase fusion protein secrete high levels of invertase in a Kex2p-dependent manner. The Och1p-Kex2p site-invertase fusion protein is cleaved with a half-time of 5 min, and the process proceeds to completion. Before cleavage the protein receives glycosyl modifications indicative of passage through the medial- and trans-Golgi, therefore cleavage occurs after ordered anterograde transport through the Golgi to the TGN. Transit to distal compartments is not induced by the invertase moiety, since noninvertase fusion constructs encounter the same glycosyltransferases and Kex2p as well. The Och1p-HA moiety, irrespective of whether it is generated by cleavage of the fusion protein in the TGN or synthesized de novo, is degraded with a half-time of about 60 min. Thus, the half-time of degradation is 12-fold longer than the time required to reach the TGN. At steady state, de novo-synthesized and TGN-generated HA epitope-tagged Och1p reside in a compartment with a buoyant density identical to that of wild-type Och1p and distinct from that of the vacuole or the TGN. Finally, och1 null cells that express an Ochlp fusion construct known to rapidly encounter the TGN glycosylate invertase to the same extent as wild-type cells, indicating that they have phenotypically wild-type Och1p activity. These results lead us to propose a model for Och1p-HA localization that involves movement to distal compartments, at least as far as the TGN, followed by retrieval to the cis compartment, presumably by vesicular transport.

VPS27 controls vacuolar and endocytic traffic through a prevacuolar compartment in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Newly synthesized vacuolar hydrolases such as carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) are sorted from the secretory pathway in the late-Golgi compartment and reach the vacuole after a distinct set of membrane-trafficking steps. Endocytosed proteins are also delivered to the vacuole. It has been proposed that these pathways converge at a "prevacuolar" step before delivery to the vacuole. One group of genes has been described that appears to control both of these pathways. Cells carrying mutations in any one of the class E VPS (vacuolar protein sorting) genes accumulate vacuolar, Golgi, and endocytosed proteins in a novel compartment adjacent to the vacuole termed the "class E" compartment, which may represent an exaggerated version of the physiological prevacuolar compartment. We have characterized one of the class E VPS genes, VPS27, in detail to address this question. Using a temperature-sensitive allele of VPS27, we find that upon rapid inactivation of Vps27p function, the Golgi protein Vps10p (the CPY-sorting receptor) and endocytosed Ste3p rapidly accumulate in a class E compartment. Upon restoration of Vps27p function, the Vps10p that had accumulated in the class E compartment could return to the Golgi apparatus and restore correct sorting of CPY. Likewise, Ste3p that had accumulated in the class E compartment en route to the vacuole could progress to the vacuole upon restoration of Vps27p function indicating that the class E compartment can act as a functional intermediate. Because both recycling Golgi proteins and endocytosed proteins rapidly accumulate in a class E compartment upon inactivation of Vps27p, we propose that Vps27p controls membrane traffic through the prevacuolar/endosomal compartment in wild-type cells.

Vma22p is a novel endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein required for assembly of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase complex

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) is a multi-subunit complex that can be structurally and functionally divided into peripheral (V1) and integral membrane (V0) sectors. The vma22-1 mutation was isolated in a screen for mutants defective in V-ATPase function vma22 delta cells contain no V-ATPase activity due to a failure to assemble the enzyme complex; V1 subunits accumulate in the cytosol, and the V0 100-kDa subunit is rapidly degraded. Turnover of the 100-kDa integral membrane protein was found to occur in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of vma22 delta cells. The product of the VMA22 gene, Vma22p, is a 21-kDa hydrophilic protein that is not a subunit of the V-ATPase but rather is associated with ER membranes. The association of Vma22p with ER membranes was perturbed by mutations in VMA12, a gene that encodes an ER membrane protein (Vma12p) that is also required for V-ATPase assembly. These results indicate that Vma22p, along with Vma21p and Vma12p, form a set of ER proteins required for V-ATPase assembly.

The cytoplasmic tail domain of the vacuolar protein sorting receptor Vps10p and a subset of VPS gene products regulate receptor stability, function, and localization

VPS10 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a type I transmembrane receptor protein required for the sorting of the soluble vacuolar hydrolase carboxypeptidase Y (CPY). To characterize the essential structural features and intercompartmental transport itinerary of the CPY receptor, we have constructed mutant forms of Vps10p that alter the carboxyterminal cytoplasmic tail of the protein. In addition, we have analyzed the effect these mutations as well as mutations in several VPS genes have on the function, stability, and localization of Vps10p. Although wild-type Vps10p is very stable over a 3-h chase period, overproduction of Vps10p results in PEP4-dependent degradation of the receptor. Immunofluorescence studies indicate that overexpressed receptor is delivered to the vacuole. A mutant form of Vps10p, in which 157 residues of the 164-residue cytoplasmic tail domain have been deleted, missorts CPY and is degraded rapidly. Additional mutations in the carboxy-terminus of Vps10p, including a deletion of a putative retention/recycling signal (FYVF), also result in CPY missorting and PEP4-dependent receptor instability. Because the cytoplasmic tail domain may interact with other factors, possibly VPS gene products, Vps10p stability was examined in a number of vps mutants. As was observed with the late Golgi protein Kex2p, Vps10p is unstable in a vps1 mutant. However, instability of Vps10p is even more severe in the class E vps mutants. Double mutant analyses demonstrate that this rapid degradation is dependent upon vacuolar proteases and a functional vacuolar ATPase. Fractionation studies of Vps10p in class E vps mutant strains indicate that the turnover of Vps10p occurs in a compartment other than the vacuole. These data are consistent with a model in which the cytoplasmic tail of Vps10p directs cycling of the receptor between a late Golgi sorting compartment and a prevacuolar endosome-like compartment, an exaggerated form of which is present in the vps class E mutants.

Protein transport to the yeast vacuole

Genetic and biochemical analyses of yeast vacuolar protein localization have identified more than 40 gene products that play a role in this process. Included among these components are a sorting receptor, a protein kinase, a phosphatidylinositol kinase, small GTP-binding proteins and a dynamin-like GTPase. Some of these gene products are homologous to proteins required for sorting and transport at other stages of the secretory and endocytic pathways. Others appear to be required for unique functions in the vacuolar protein localization pathway. Recent studies have helped to define the role that each of these components plays in vacuolar protein localization and have offered new insights into the molecular mechanisms of protein sorting.

DNM1, a dynamin-related gene, participates in endosomal trafficking in yeast

We identified DNM1, a novel dynamin-related gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molecular and genetic mapping showed that DNM1 is the most proximal gene to the right of centromere 12, and is predicted to encode a protein of 85 kD, designated Dnm1p. The protein exhibits 41% overall identity with full-length dynamin I and 55% identity with the most highly conserved 400-amino acid GTPase region. Our findings show that like mammalian dynamin, Dnm1p participates in endocytosis; however, it is unlikely to be a cognate homologue. Cells with a disruption in the DNM1 gene showed mating response defects consistent with a delay in receptor-mediated endocytosis. The half-life of the Ste3p pheromone receptor was increased two- to threefold in the dnm1 mutant, demonstrating that Dnm1p participates in the constitutive turnover of the receptor. To define the step in the endocytic pathway at which Dnm1p acts, we analyzed mutant strains at both early and late steps of the process. Initial internalization of epitope-tagged pheromone receptor or of labeled pheromone proceeded with wild-type kinetics. However, delivery of the internalized receptor to the vacuole was greatly impeded during ligand-induced endocytosis. These data suggest that during receptor-mediated endocytosis, Dnm1p acts after internalization, but before fusion with the vacuole. The dnm1 mutant was not defective for sorting of vacuolar proteins, indicating that Dnm1p is not required for transport from the late endosome to the vacuole. Therefore, we suggest that Dnm1p participates at a novel step before fusion with the late endosome.

Sorting of yeast alpha 1,3 mannosyltransferase is mediated by a lumenal domain interaction, and a transmembrane domain signal that can confer clathrin-dependent Golgi localization to a secreted protein

alpha 1,3 mannosyltransferase (Mnn1p) is a type II integral membrane protein that is localized to the yeast Golgi complex. We have examined the signals within Mnn1p that mediate Golgi localization by expression of fusion proteins comprised of Mnn1p and the secreted protein invertase. The N-terminal transmembrane domain (TMD) of Mnn1p is sufficient to localize invertase to the Golgi complex by a mechanism that is not saturable by approximately 15-20 fold overexpression. Furthermore, the TMD-mediated localization mechanism is clathrin dependent, as an invertase fusion protein bearing only the Mnn1p TMD is mislocalized to the plasma membrane of a clathrin heavy chain mutant. The Mnn1-invertase fusion proteins are not retained in the Golgi complex as efficiently as Mnn1p, suggesting that other signals may be present in the wild-type protein. Indeed, the Mnn1p lumenal domain (Mnn1-s) is also localized to the Golgi complex when expressed as a functional, soluble protein by exchanging its TMD for a cleavable signal sequence. In contrast to the Mnn1-invertase fusion proteins, overexpression of Mnn1-s saturates its retention mechanism, and results in the partial secretion of this protein. These data indicate that Mnn1p has separable Golgi localization signals within both its transmembrane and lumenal domains.