NORMAL GENOMIC

• Kolb AR, Needham PG, Rothenberg C, Guerriero CJ, Welling PA, Brodsky JL
• ESCRT regulates surface expression of the Kir2.1 potassium channel.
• Mol Biol Cell. 2014; 25: 276-89
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• Protein quality control (PQC) is required to ensure cellular health. PQC is recognized for targeting the destruction of defective polypeptides, whereas regulated protein degradation mechanisms modulate the concentration of specific proteins in concert with physiological demands. For example, ion channel levels are physiologically regulated within tight limits, but a system-wide approach to define which degradative systems are involved is lacking. We focus on the Kir2.1 potassium channel because altered Kir2.1 levels lead to human disease and Kir2.1 restores growth on low-potassium medium in yeast mutated for endogenous potassium channels. Using this system, first we find that Kir2.1 is targeted for endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). Next a synthetic gene array identifies nonessential genes that negatively regulate Kir2.1. The most prominent gene family that emerges from this effort encodes members of endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT). ERAD and ESCRT also mediate Kir2.1 degradation in human cells, with ESCRT playing a more prominent role. Thus multiple proteolytic pathways control Kir2.1 levels at the plasma membrane.

• Laufman O, Hong W, Lev S
• The COG complex interacts directly with Syntaxin 6 and positively regulates endosome-to-TGN retrograde transport.
• J Cell Biol. 2011; 194: 459-72
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• The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex has been implicated in the regulation of endosome to trans-Golgi network (TGN) retrograde trafficking in both yeast and mammals. However, the exact mechanisms by which it regulates this transport route remain largely unknown. In this paper, we show that COG interacts directly with the target membrane SNARE (t-SNARE) Syntaxin 6 via the Cog6 subunit. In Cog6-depleted cells, the steady-state level of Syntaxin 6 was markedly reduced, and concomitantly, endosome-to-TGN retrograde traffic was significantly attenuated. Cog6 knockdown also affected the steady-state levels and/or subcellular distributions of Syntaxin 16, Vti1a, and VAMP4 and impaired the assembly of the Syntaxin 6-Syntaxin16-Vti1a-VAMP4 SNARE complex. Remarkably, overexpression of VAMP4, but not of Syntaxin 6, bypassed the requirement for COG and restored endosome-to-TGN trafficking in Cog6-depleted cells. These results suggest that COG directly interacts with specific t-SNAREs and positively regulates SNARE complex assembly, thereby affecting their associated trafficking steps.

• Sclafani A, Chen S, Rivera-Molina F, Reinisch K, Novick P, Ferro-Novick S
• Establishing a role for the GTPase Ypt1p at the late Golgi.
• Traffic. 2010; 11: 520-32
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• GTPases of the Rab family cycle between an inactive (GDP-bound) and active (GTP-bound) conformation. The active form of the Rab regulates a variety of cellular functions via multiple effectors. Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) activate Rabs by accelerating the exchange of GDP for GTP, while GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) inactivate Rabs by stimulating the hydrolysis of GTP. The GTPase Ypt1p is required for endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi and intra-Golgi traffic in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recent findings, however, have shown that Ypt1p GEF, GAP and an effector are all required for traffic from the early endosome to the Golgi. Here we describe a screen for ypt1 mutants that block traffic from the early endosome to the late Golgi, but not general secretion. This screen has led to the identification of a collection of recessive and dominant mutants that block traffic from the early endosome. While it has long been known that Ypt1p regulates the flow of biosynthetic traffic into the cis side of the Golgi, these findings have established a role for Ypt1p in the regulation of early endosome-Golgi traffic. We propose that Ypt1p regulates the flow of traffic into the cis and trans side of the Golgi via multiple effectors.

• Quental R, Azevedo L, Matthiesen R, Amorim A
• Comparative analyses of the Conserved Oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex in vertebrates.
• BMC Evol Biol. 2010; 10: 212-212
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• BACKGROUND: The Conserved Oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex is an eight-subunit assembly that localizes peripherally to Golgi membranes and is involved in retrograde vesicular trafficking. COG subunits are organized in two heterotrimeric groups, Cog2, -3, -4 and Cog5, -6, -7, linked by a dimeric group formed by Cog1 and Cog8. Dysfunction of COG complex in humans has been associated with new forms of Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG), therefore highlighting its essential role. In the present study, we intended to gain further insights into the evolution of COG subunits in vertebrates, using comparative analyses of all eight COG proteins. RESULTS: We used protein distances and dN/dS ratios as a measure of the rate of proteins evolution. The results showed that all COG subunits are evolving under strong purifying selection, although COG1 seems to evolve faster than the remaining proteins. In addition, we also tested the expression of COG genes in 20 human tissues, and demonstrate their ubiquitous nature. CONCLUSIONS: COG complex has a critical role in Golgi structure and function, which, in turn, is involved in protein sorting and glycosylation. The results of this study suggest that COG subunits are evolutionary constrained to maintain the interactions between each other, as well with other partners involved in vesicular trafficking, in order to preserve both the integrity and function of the complex.

• Binns D, Lee S, Hilton CL, Jiang QX, Goodman JM
• Seipin is a discrete homooligomer.
• Biochemistry. 2010; 49: 10747-55
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• Seipin is a transmembrane protein that resides in the endoplasmic reticulum and concentrates at junctions between the ER and cytosolic lipid droplets. Mutations in the human seipin gene, including the missense mutation A212P, lead to congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL), characterized by the lack of normal adipose tissue and accumulation of fat in liver and muscles. In both yeast and CGL patient fibroblasts, seipin is required for normal lipid droplet morphology; in its absence droplets appear to bud abnormally from the ER. Here we report the first purification and physical characterization of seipin. Yeast seipin is in a large discrete protein complex. Affinity purification demonstrated that seipin is the main if not exclusive protein in the complex. Detergent sucrose gradients in H(2)O, and D(2)O and gel filtration were used to determine the size of the seipin complex and account for detergent binding. Both seipin-myc13 (seipin fused to 13 tandem copies of the myc epitope) expressed from the endogenous promoter and overexpressed seipin-mCherry form approximately 500 kDa proteins consisting of about 9 copies of seipin. The yeast orthologue of the human A212P allele forms only smaller complexes and is unstable; we hypothesize that this accounts for its null phenotype in humans. Seipin appears as a toroid by negative staining electron microscopy. We speculate that seipin plays at least a structural role in organizing droplets or in communication between droplets and ER.

• Reynders E et al.
• Golgi function and dysfunction in the first COG4-deficient CDG type II patient.
• Hum Mol Genet. 2009; 18: 3244-56
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• The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex is a hetero-octameric complex essential for normal glycosylation and intra-Golgi transport. An increasing number of congenital disorder of glycosylation type II (CDG-II) mutations are found in COG subunits indicating its importance in glycosylation. We report a new CDG-II patient harbouring a p.R729W missense mutation in COG4 combined with a submicroscopical deletion. The resulting downregulation of COG4 expression additionally affects expression or stability of other lobe A subunits. Despite this, full complex formation was maintained albeit to a lower extent as shown by glycerol gradient centrifugation. Moreover, our data indicate that subunits are present in a cytosolic pool and full complex formation assists tethering preceding membrane fusion. By extending this study to four other known COG-deficient patients, we now present the first comparative analysis on defects in transport, glycosylation and Golgi ultrastructure in these patients. The observed structural and biochemical abnormalities correlate with the severity of the mutation, with the COG4 mutant being the mildest. All together our results indicate that intact COG complexes are required to maintain Golgi dynamics and its associated functions. According to the current CDG nomenclature, this newly identified deficiency is designated CDG-IIj.

• Shestakova A, Suvorova E, Pavliv O, Khaidakova G, Lupashin V
• Interaction of the conserved oligomeric Golgi complex with t-SNARE Syntaxin5a/Sed5 enhances intra-Golgi SNARE complex stability.
• J Cell Biol. 2007; 179: 1179-92
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• Tethering factors mediate initial interaction of transport vesicles with target membranes. Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) enable consequent docking and membrane fusion. We demonstrate that the vesicle tether conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex colocalizes and coimmunoprecipitates with intra-Golgi SNARE molecules. In yeast cells, the COG complex preferentially interacts with the SNARE complexes containing yeast Golgi target (t)-SNARE Sed5p. In mammalian cells, hCog4p and hCog6p interact with Syntaxin5a, the mammalian homologue of Sed5p. Moreover, fluorescence resonance energy transfer reveals an in vivo interaction between Syntaxin5a and the COG complex. Knockdown of the mammalian COG complex decreases Golgi SNARE mobility, produces an accumulation of free Syntaxin5, and decreases the steady-state levels of the intra-Golgi SNARE complex. Finally, overexpression of the hCog4p N-terminal Syntaxin5a-binding domain destabilizes intra-Golgi SNARE complexes, disrupting the Golgi. These data suggest that the COG complex orchestrates vesicular trafficking similarly in yeast and mammalian cells by binding to the t-SNARE Syntaxin5a/Sed5p and enhancing the stability of intra-Golgi SNARE complexes.

• Reggiori F, Klionsky DJ
• Atg9 sorting from mitochondria is impaired in early secretion and VFT-complex mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• J Cell Sci. 2006; 119: 2903-11
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• In eukaryotic cells, the turnover of long-lived proteins and large cytoplasmic structures is mediated by autophagy. Components that have to be eliminated are sequestered into double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes and delivered into the lysosome or vacuole where they are destroyed by resident hydrolases. The integral membrane protein Atg9 is essential for both autophagy and the cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting pathway, a selective biosynthetic process in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is mechanistically and morphologically similar to autophagy. Atg9 cycles between the pre-autophagosomal structure, the putative site of double-membrane vesicle biogenesis and mitochondria. To understand the function of Atg9, and also its trafficking mode between these two locations, we identified mutants that affect specific Atg9 transport steps. We recently reported that five Atg proteins and phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate regulate Atg9 recycling from the pre-autophagosomal structure. Here, we describe a different category of mutants that blocks Atg9 sorting from mitochondria. All mutants have been previously shown to be required for the normal progression of both the Cvt pathway and autophagy, but their precise role in these transport routes was unknown.

• Sommer B, Oprins A, Rabouille C, Munro S
• The exocyst component Sec5 is present on endocytic vesicles in the oocyte of Drosophila melanogaster.
• J Cell Biol. 2005; 169: 953-63
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• The exocyst is an octameric complex required for polarized secretion. Some components of the exocyst are found on the plasma membrane, whereas others are recruited to Golgi membranes, suggesting that exocyst assembly tethers vesicles to their site of fusion. We have found that in Drosophila melanogaster oocytes the majority of the exocyst component Sec5 is unexpectedly present in clathrin-coated pits and vesicles at the plasma membrane. In oocytes, the major substrate for clathrin-dependent endocytosis is the vitellogenin receptor Yolkless. A truncation mutant of Sec5 (sec5(E13)) allows the formation of normally sized oocytes but with greatly reduced yolk uptake. We find that in sec5(E13) oocytes Yolkless accumulates aberrantly in late endocytic compartments, indicating a defect in the endocytic cycling of the receptor. An analogous truncation of the yeast SEC5 gene results in normal secretion but a temperature-sensitive defect in endocytic recycling. Thus, the exocyst may act in both Golgi to plasma membrane traffic and endocytic cycling, and hence in oocytes is recruited to clathrin-coated pits to facilitate the rapid recycling of Yolkless.

• Bruinsma P, Spelbrink RG, Nothwehr SF
• Retrograde transport of the mannosyltransferase Och1p to the early Golgi requires a component of the COG transport complex.
• J Biol Chem. 2004; 279: 39814-23
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• The yeast COG complex has been proposed to function as a vesicle-tethering complex on an early Golgi compartment, but its role is not fully understood. COG complex mutants exhibit a dramatic reduction in Golgi-specific glycosylation and other defects. Here we show that a strain carrying a COG3 temperature-sensitive allele, cog3-202, clearly exhibited the glycosylation defect while exhibiting nearly normal secretion kinetics. Two Golgi mannosyltransferases, Och1p and Mnn1p, were mislocalized in cog3-202 cells. In cog3-202 cells Och1-HA was found in lighter density membranes than in wild type cells. In sed5(ts) and sft1(ts) strains, Och1p rapidly accumulated in vesicle-like structures consistent with the delivery of Och1p back to the cis-Golgi on retrograde vesicles via a Sed5p/Sft1p-containing SNARE complex. In contrast to cog3-202 cells, the membranes in sed5(ts) cells that contained Och1p were denser than in wild type. Together these results indicate that Och1p does not accumulate in retrograde vesicles in the cog3-202 mutant and are consistent with the COG complex playing a role in sorting of Och1p into retrograde vesicles. In wild type cells Och1p has been shown previously to cycle between the cis-Golgi and minimally as far as the late Golgi. We find that Och1p does not cycle via endosomes during its normal itinerary suggesting that Och1p engages in intra-Golgi cycling only. However, Och1p does use a post-Golgi pathway for degradation because a portion of Och1p was degraded in the vacuole. Most surprisingly, Och1p can use either the carboxypeptidase Y or AP-3 pathways to reach the vacuole for degradation.

• Toikkanen JH, Miller KJ, Soderlund H, Jantti J, Keranen S
• The beta subunit of the Sec61p endoplasmic reticulum translocon interacts with the exocyst complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• J Biol Chem. 2003; 278: 20946-53
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• The exocyst is a conserved protein complex proposed to mediate vesicle tethering at the plasma membrane. Previously, we identified SEB1/SBH1, encoding the beta subunit of the Sec61p ER translocation complex, as a multicopy suppressor of the sec15-1 mutant, defective for one subunit of the exocyst complex. Here we show the functional and physical interaction between components of endoplasmic reticulum translocon and the exocytosis machinery. We show that overexpression of SEB1 suppresses the growth defect in all exocyst sec mutants. In addition, overexpression of SEC61 or SSS1 encoding the other two components of the Sec61p complex suppressed the growth defects of several exocyst mutants. Seb1p was coimmunoprecipitated from yeast cell lysates with Sec15p and Sec8p, components of the exocyst complex, and with Sec4p, a secretory vesicle associated Rab GTPase that binds to Sec15p and is essential for exocytosis. The interaction between Seb1p and Sec15p was abolished in sec15-1 mutant and was restored upon SEB1 overexpression. Furthermore, in wild type cells overexpression of SEB1 as well as SEC4 resulted in increased production of secreted proteins. These findings propose a novel functional and physical link between the endoplasmic reticulum translocation complex and the exocyst.

• Gecz J, Shaw MA, Bellon JR, de Barros Lopes M
• Human wild-type SEDL protein functionally complements yeast Trs20p but some naturally occurring SEDL mutants do not.
• Gene. 2003; 320: 137-44
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• X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDT, or SEDL) is a primary skeletal dysplasia affecting mostly spinal vertebral bodies and epiphyses. Previously, we have identified the SEDL gene and determined the spectrum of 21 different SEDL causing mutations. The SEDL gene is a highly conserved gene with an as yet unknown function. The yeast SEDL protein ortholog, Trs20p, has been isolated as a member of a large multi-protein complex ( approximately 10 proteins) called transport protein particle (TRAPP), which is involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport. While the SEDL gene mutations cause a tissue-specific (epiphyses) and relatively mild phenotype, the Trs20p function is essential for the yeast cell. We now provide evidence that recombinant human SEDL protein is able to functionally complement the Saccharomyces cerevisiae TRS20 (TRAPP subunit 20 gene) knockout mutant. This finding strongly supports the speculated conserved nature of the SEDL/Trs20p function. To shed further light on the SEDL/Trs20p protein function, five different naturally occurring SEDL gene mutations have been tested in complementation studies. While two truncation mutations (157delAT and C271T) and one missense mutation (G139T) were unable to rescue the trs20Delta lethal phenotype, two other missense mutations (C218T and T389A) did complement trs20Delta. Interestingly, there is no obvious correlation between the nature and position of the SEDL mutation and the clinical severity of the disorder among the human SEDL patients. Although the identification of complementing SEDL gene mutations may suggest the existence of subtle phenotypic differences among SEDL patients, it might also point towards the identification of SEDL protein residues/domains specific for normal, vertebrate bone growth.

• Rodriguez-Pena JM, Rodriguez C, Alvarez A, Nombela C, Arroyo J
• Mechanisms for targeting of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae GPI-anchored cell wall protein Crh2p to polarised growth sites.
• J Cell Sci. 2002; 115: 2549-58
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• The cell wall is an essential structure that preserves the osmotic integrity of fungal cells and determines cellular morphology during developmental programs. The high number of different wall components demands a variety of processes to deliver precursors and synthetic proteins to the proper location at the right time for wall development and modification. Here, the specificity of the mechanisms that regulate the temporal and spatial localisation of cell wall proteins to sites of polarised growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is investigated. For this purpose, the localisation of Crh2p, a cell wall glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored mannoprotein that we have recently described as involved in cell wall construction and localised to polarised growth sites, was followed using a Crh2p-GFP fusion protein. Crh2p distribution was studied in several genetic backgrounds affected in different steps of the cell polarity establishment machinery or/and bud morphogenesis. Crh2p is localised at the mother-bud neck in bud1 cells following the random budding pattern characteristic of this mutant. The Crh2p distribution was greatly altered in a cdc42-1 mutant, indicating complete dependence on an organised actin cytoskeleton for polarised Crh2p distribution. The usual deposition of Crh2p in a ring at the base of growing buds was lacking in cdc10-11 cells growing under restrictive temperature conditions, whereas Crh2p deposition at the septum region was absent in both cdc10-11 and cdc15-lyt1 cells. These results point to the dependence of Crh2p localisation at the bud-neck on both septins and septum integrity. Furthermore, in the absence of Bni4p, a scaffold protein involved in the targeting of the chitin synthase III complex to the bud neck, Crh2p was not longer found at the neck in large-budded cells undergoing cytokinesis. Finally, Crh2p was not properly localised in cells deleted in CHS5, which encodes a protein involved in the transport of Chs3p, and was completely mislocalised in sbe2/sbe22 mutants, suggesting that the transport systems for Chs3p and Crh2p are to a certain extent coincident. The transport of other GPI-cell wall proteins, such as Cwp1p, however, does not depend on these systems as the localisation of the latter protein was not affected in either of these mutants.

• Loh E, Hong W
• Sec34 is implicated in traffic from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi and exists in a complex with GTC-90 and ldlBp.
• J Biol Chem. 2002; 277: 21955-61
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• Sec34p/Grd20p has been implicated in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport and/or post-Golgi trafficking events and exists in a protein complex consisting of at least eight subunits in yeast. Although the mammalian counterpart (Sec34) of Sec34p has been molecularly identified, its role and interacting partners remain undefined. In this study, we have prepared antibodies specifically against the recombinant N-terminal fragment of Sec34 that recognize a polypeptide of about 93 kDa and label the Golgi apparatus. In a well-characterized semi-intact cell assay that reconstitutes transport of the envelope glycoprotein (VSVG) of vesicular stomatitis virus from the ER to the Golgi apparatus, anti-Sec34 antibodies inhibited the transport in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition by anti-Sec34 antibodies could be neutralized by a noninhibitory amount of the antigen. Large-scale immunoprecipitation of rat liver cytosol with immobilized anti-Sec34 antibodies has co-immunoprecipitated GTC-90 and ldlBp, two peripheral Golgi proteins previously shown to exist in separate protein complexes. Two mammalian homologues (Dor1 and Cod1) of the yeast Sec34 complex were similarly recovered in the Sec34 immunoprecipitates. When expressed in transfected cells, epitope-tagged ldlCp and Cod2 were co-immunoprecipitated with anti-Sec34 antibodies with efficiencies comparable to that observed for tagged ldlBp, Dor1, and Cod1. Direct interactions of Sec34 with ldlBp and ldlCp were further demonstrated in vitro. These results suggest that Sec34, GTC-90, and ldlBp/ldlCp are part of the same protein complex(es) that regulates diverse aspects of Golgi function, including transport from the ER to the Golgi apparatus.

• Jensen LT, Culotta VC
• Regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae FET4 by oxygen and iron.
• J Mol Biol. 2002; 318: 251-60
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• Saccharomyces cerevisiae expresses two distinct iron transport systems under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The high affinity transporters, Ftr1p and Fet3p, are primarily expressed in oxygenated cultures, whereas anaerobic conditions induce the low affinity iron transporter, Fet4p. The oxygen regulation of FET4 was found to involve the Rox1p transcriptional repressor. The physiological significance of this control by Rox1p is twofold. First, FET4 repression by Rox1p under oxygenated conditions helps minimize metal toxicity. Sensitivity towards cadmium was high in either anaerobically grown wild-type yeast or in oxygenated rox1Delta strains, and in both cases cadmium toxicity was reversed by FET4 mutations. Secondly, the loss of Rox1p repression under anaerobic conditions serves to induce FET4 and facilitate continual accumulation of iron. We noted that fet4 mutants accumulate lower levels of iron under anaerobic conditions. Regulation of FET4 was examined using FET4-lacZ reporters. We found that FET4 contains a complex promoter regulated both by oxygen and iron status. The region surrounding approximately -960 to -490 contains two consensus Rox1p binding sites and mediates Rox1p, but not iron control of FET4. Sequences downstream of -490 harbor a consensus binding site for the iron regulatory factor Aft1p that is essential for iron regulation in wild-type strains. In addition, a secondary mode of iron regulation becomes evident in strains lacking AFT1. The induction by iron limitation in conjunction with low oxygen is more than additive, suggesting that these activities are synergistic. Fet4p is not the only metal transporter that is negatively regulated by oxygen; we find that Rox1p also represses S. cerevisiae SMF3, proposed to function in vacuolar iron transport. This oxygen control of iron transporter gene expression is part of an adaptation response to changes in the redox state of transition metals.

• Reilly BA, Kraynack BA, VanRheenen SM, Waters MG
• Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrograde traffic in yeast requires Dsl1p, a component of the ER target site that interacts with a COPI coat subunit.
• Mol Biol Cell. 2001; 12: 3783-96
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• DSL1 was identified through its genetic interaction with SLY1, which encodes a t-SNARE-interacting protein that functions in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi traffic. Conditional dsl1 mutants exhibit a block in ER-to-Golgi traffic at the restrictive temperature. Here, we show that dsl1 mutants are defective for retrograde Golgi-to-ER traffic, even under conditions where no anterograde transport block is evident. These results suggest that the primary function of Dsl1p may be in retrograde traffic, and that retrograde defects can lead to secondary defects in anterograde traffic. Dsl1p is an ER-localized peripheral membrane protein that can be extracted from the membrane in a multiprotein complex. Immunoisolation of the complex yielded Dsl1p and proteins of approximately 80 and approximately 55 kDa. The approximately 80-kDa protein has been identified as Tip20p, a protein that others have shown to exist in a tight complex with Sec20p, which is approximately 50 kDa. Both Sec20p and Tip20p function in retrograde Golgi-to-ER traffic, are ER-localized, and bind to the ER t-SNARE Ufe1p. These findings suggest that an ER-localized complex of Dsl1p, Sec20p, and Tip20p functions in retrograde traffic, perhaps upstream of a Sly1p/Ufe1p complex. Last, we show that Dsl1p interacts with the delta-subunit of the retrograde COPI coat, Ret2p, and discuss possible roles for this interaction.

• Matern HT, Yeaman C, Nelson WJ, Scheller RH
• The Sec6/8 complex in mammalian cells: characterization of mammalian Sec3, subunit interactions, and expression of subunits in polarized cells.
• Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001; 98: 9648-53
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• The yeast exocyst complex (also called Sec6/8 complex in higher eukaryotes) is a multiprotein complex essential for targeting exocytic vesicles to specific docking sites on the plasma membrane. It is composed of eight proteins (Sec3, -5, -6, -8, -10, and -15, and Exo70 and -84), with molecular weights ranging from 70 to 144 kDa. Mammalian orthologues for seven of these proteins have been described and here we report the cloning and initial characterization of the remaining subunit, Sec3. Human Sec3 (hSec3) shares 17% sequence identity with yeast Sec3p, interacts in the two-hybrid system with other subunits of the complex (Sec5 and Sec8), and is expressed in almost all tissues tested. In yeast, Sec3p has been proposed to be a spatial landmark for polarized secretion (1), and its localization depends on its interaction with Rho1p (2). We demonstrate here that hSec3 lacks the potential Rho1-binding site and GFP-fusions of hSec3 are cytosolic. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fusions of nearly every subunit of the mammalian Sec6/8 complex were expressed in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, but they failed to assemble into a complex with endogenous proteins and localized in the cytosol. Of the subunits tested, only GFP-Exo70 localized to lateral membrane sites of cell-cell contact when expressed in MDCK cells. Cells overexpressing GFP-Exo70 fail to form a tight monolayer, suggesting the Exo70 targeting interaction is critical for normal development of polarized epithelial cells.

• Kosodo Y et al.
• Multicopy suppressors of the sly1 temperature-sensitive mutation in the ER-Golgi vesicular transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• Yeast. 2001; 18: 1003-14
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• Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sly1 protein is a member of the Sec1/Munc18-family proteins, which are essential for vesicular trafficking, but their exact biological roles are yet to be determined. A temperature-sensitive sly1 mutant arrests the vesicular transport from the ER to Golgi compartments at 37 degrees C. We screened for multicopy suppressor genes that restore the colony formation of the sly1(ts) mutant to discover functionally interacting components. The suppressor genes obtained were classified as: (1) those that encode a multifunctional suppressor, SSD1; (2) heat shock proteins, SSB1 and SSB2; (3) cell surface proteins, WSC1, WSC2 and MID2; (4) ER-Golgi transport proteins, USO1 and BET1; and (5) an as-yet-uncharacterized protein, HSD1 (high-copy suppressor of SLY1 defect 1). By epitope tagging of the gene product, we found that Hsd1 protein is an ER-resident membrane protein. Its overproduction induced enlargement of ER-like membrane structures.

• Wittke S, Dunnwald M, Johnsson N
• Sec62p, a component of the endoplasmic reticulum protein translocation machinery, contains multiple binding sites for the Sec-complex.
• Mol Biol Cell. 2000; 11: 3859-71
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• SEC62 encodes an essential component of the Sec-complex that is responsible for posttranslational protein translocation across the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The specific role of Sec62p in translocation was not known and difficult to identify because it is part of an oligomeric protein complex in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. An in vivo competition assay allowed us to characterize and dissect physical and functional interactions between Sec62p and components of the Sec-complex. We could show that Sec62p binds via its cytosolic N- and C-terminal domains to the Sec-complex. The N-terminal domain, which harbors the major interaction site, binds directly to the last 14 residues of Sec63p. The C-terminal binding site of Sec62p is less important for complex stability, but adjoins the region in Sec62p that might be involved in signal sequence recognition.

• Guo W, Grant A, Novick P
• Exo84p is an exocyst protein essential for secretion.
• J Biol Chem. 1999; 274: 23558-64
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• The exocyst is a multiprotein complex that plays an important role in secretory vesicle targeting and docking at the plasma membrane. Here we report the identification and characterization of a new component of the exocyst, Exo84p, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast cells depleted of Exo84p cannot survive. These cells are defective in invertase secretion and accumulate vesicles similar to those in the late sec mutants. Exo84p co-immunoprecipitates with the exocyst components, and a portion of the Exo84p co-sediments with the exocyst complex in velocity gradients. The assembly of Exo84p into the exocyst complex requires two other subunits, Sec5p and Sec10p. Exo84p interacts with both Sec5p and Sec10p in a two-hybrid assay. Overexpression of Exo84p selectively suppresses the temperature sensitivity of a sec5 mutant. Exo84p specifically localizes to the bud tip or mother/daughter connection, sites of polarized secretion in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Exo84p is mislocalized in a sec5 mutant. These studies suggest that Exo84p is an essential protein that plays an important role in polarized secretion.

• VanRheenen SM et al.
• Sec34p, a protein required for vesicle tethering to the yeast Golgi apparatus, is in a complex with Sec35p.
• J Cell Biol. 1999; 147: 729-42
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• A screen for mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae secretory pathway components previously yielded sec34, a mutant that accumulates numerous vesicles and fails to transport proteins from the ER to the Golgi complex at the restrictive temperature (Wuestehube, L.J., R. Duden, A. Eun, S. Hamamoto, P. Korn, R. Ram, and R. Schekman. 1996. Genetics. 142:393-406). We find that SEC34 encodes a novel protein of 93-kD, peripherally associated with membranes. The temperature-sensitive phenotype of sec34-2 is suppressed by the rab GTPase Ypt1p that functions early in the secretory pathway, or by the dominant form of the ER to Golgi complex target-SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor)-associated protein Sly1p, Sly1-20p. Weaker suppression is evident upon overexpression of genes encoding the vesicle tethering factor Uso1p or the vesicle-SNAREs Sec22p, Bet1p, or Ykt6p. This genetic suppression profile is similar to that of sec35-1, a mutant allele of a gene encoding an ER to Golgi vesicle tethering factor and, like Sec35p, Sec34p is required in vitro for vesicle tethering. sec34-2 and sec35-1 display a synthetic lethal interaction, a genetic result explained by the finding that Sec34p and Sec35p can interact by two-hybrid analysis. Fractionation of yeast cytosol indicates that Sec34p and Sec35p exist in an approximately 750-kD protein complex. Finally, we describe RUD3, a novel gene identified through a genetic screen for multicopy suppressors of a mutation in USO1, which suppresses the sec34-2 mutation as well.

• Coe JG, Lim AC, Xu J, Hong W
• A role for Tlg1p in the transport of proteins within the Golgi apparatus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• Mol Biol Cell. 1999; 10: 2407-23
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• Members of the syntaxin protein family participate in the docking-fusion step of several intracellular vesicular transport events. Tlg1p has been identified as a nonessential protein required for efficient endocytosis as well as the maintenance of normal levels of trans-Golgi network proteins. In this study we independently describe Tlg1p as an essential protein required for cell viability. Depletion of Tlg1p in vivo causes a defect in the transport of the vacuolar protein carboxypeptidase Y through the early Golgi. Temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of Tlg1p also accumulate the endoplasmic reticulum/cis-Golgi form of carboxypeptidase Y at the nonpermissive temperature (38 degrees C) and exhibit underglycosylation of secreted invertase. Overexpression of Tlg1p complements the growth defect of vti1-11 at the nonpermissive temperature, whereas incomplete complementation was observed with vti1-1, further suggesting a role for Tlg1p in the Golgi apparatus. Overexpression of Sed5p decreases the viability of tlg1 ts mutants compared with wild-type cells, suggesting that tlg1 ts mutants are more susceptible to elevated levels of Sed5p. Tlg1p is able to bind His6-tagged Sec17p (yeast alpha-SNAP) in a dose-dependent manner and enters into a SNARE complex with Vti1p, Tlg2p, and Vps45p. Morphological analyses by electron microscopy reveal that cells depleted of Tlg1p or tlg1 ts mutants incubated at the restrictive temperature accumulate 40- to 50-nm vesicles and experience fragmentation of the vacuole.

• Cao X, Ballew N, Barlowe C
• Initial docking of ER-derived vesicles requires Uso1p and Ypt1p but is independent of SNARE proteins.
• EMBO J. 1998; 17: 2156-65
• Display abstract

• ER-to-Golgi transport in yeast may be reproduced in vitro with washed membranes, purified proteins (COPII, Uso1p and LMA1) and energy. COPII coated vesicles that have budded from the ER are freely diffusible but then dock to Golgi membranes upon the addition of Uso1p. LMA1 and Sec18p are required for vesicle fusion after Uso1p function. Here, we report that the docking reaction is sensitive to excess levels of Sec19p (GDI), a treatment that removes the GTPase, Ypt1p. Once docked, however, vesicle fusion is no longer sensitive to GDI. In vitro binding experiments demonstrate that the amount of Uso1p associated with membranes is reduced when incubated with GDI and correlates with the level of membrane-bound Ypt1p, suggesting that this GTPase regulates Uso1p binding to membranes. To determine the influence of SNARE proteins on the vesicle docking step, thermosensitive mutations in Sed5p, Bet1p, Bos1p and Sly1p that prevent ER-to-Golgi transport in vitro at restrictive temperatures were employed. These mutations do not interfere with Uso1p-mediated docking, but block membrane fusion. We propose that an initial vesicle docking event of ER-derived vesicles, termed tethering, depends on Uso1p and Ypt1p but is independent of SNARE proteins.

• Frigerio G
• The Saccharomyces cerevisiae early secretion mutant tip20 is synthetic lethal with mutants in yeast coatomer and the SNARE proteins Sec22p and Ufe1p.
• Yeast. 1998; 14: 633-46
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• Tip20p is an 80 kDa cytoplasmic protein bound to the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by interaction with the type II integral membrane protein Sec20p. Both proteins are required for vesicular transport between the ER and Golgi complex. Recently, sec20-1 was found to be defective in retrograde transport. A collection of temperature-sensitive tip20 mutants are shown to be lethal in combination with ufe1-1, a target SNARE of the ER and ret2-1, yeast delta-COP. A subset of tip20 mutants was found to be lethal in combination with sec20-1, sec21-1, sec22-3 and sec27-1. Since all pairwise combinations of a tip20 mutant, sec20-1, and ufe1-1 are lethal, Tip20p and Sec20p might be part of the docking complex for Golgi-derived retrograde transport vesicles. Since carboxy-terminal tip20 truncations are lethal in combination with mutants in three coatomer subunits, Tip20p might be involved in binding or uncoating of COPI coated retrograde transport vesicles.

• Sacher M et al.
• TRAPP, a highly conserved novel complex on the cis-Golgi that mediates vesicle docking and fusion.
• EMBO J. 1998; 17: 2494-503
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• We previously identified BET3 by its genetic interactions with BET1, a gene whose SNARE-like product acts in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport. To gain insight into the function of Bet3p, we added three c-myc tags to its C-terminus and immunopurified this protein from a clarified detergent extract. Here we report that Bet3p is a member of a large complex ( approximately 800 kDa) that we call TRAPP (transport protein particle). We propose that TRAPP plays a key role in the targeting and/or fusion of ER-to-Golgi transport vesicles with their acceptor compartment. The localization of Bet3p to the cis-Golgi complex, as well as biochemical studies showing that Bet3p functions on this compartment, support this hypothesis. TRAPP contains at least nine other constituents, five of which have been identified and shown to be highly conserved novel proteins.

• Altschul SF et al.
• Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs.
• Nucleic Acids Res. 1997; 25: 3389-402
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• The BLAST programs are widely used tools for searching protein and DNA databases for sequence similarities. For protein comparisons, a variety of definitional, algorithmic and statistical refinements described here permits the execution time of the BLAST programs to be decreased substantially while enhancing their sensitivity to weak similarities. A new criterion for triggering the extension of word hits, combined with a new heuristic for generating gapped alignments, yields a gapped BLAST program that runs at approximately three times the speed of the original. In addition, a method is introduced for automatically combining statistically significant alignments produced by BLAST into a position-specific score matrix, and searching the database using this matrix. The resulting Position-Specific Iterated BLAST (PSI-BLAST) program runs at approximately the same speed per iteration as gapped BLAST, but in many cases is much more sensitive to weak but biologically relevant sequence similarities. PSI-BLAST is used to uncover several new and interesting members of the BRCT superfamily.

• Lee FJ et al.
• Characterization of an ADP-ribosylation factor-like 1 protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• J Biol Chem. 1997; 272: 30998-1005
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• ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are highly conserved approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that enhance the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of cholera toxin and are believed to participate in vesicular transport in both exocytic and endocytic pathways. Several ARF-like proteins (ARLs) have been cloned from Drosophila, rat, and human; however, the biological functions of ARLs are unknown. We have identified a yeast gene (ARL1) encoding a protein that is structurally related (>60% identical) to human, rat, and Drosophila ARL1. Biochemical analyses of purified recombinant yeast ARL1 (yARL1) protein revealed properties similar to those ARF and ARL1 proteins, including the ability to bind and hydrolyze GTP. Like other ARLs, recombinant yARL1 protein did not stimulate cholera toxin-catalyzed auto-ADP-ribosylation. yARL1 was not recognized by antibodies against mammalian ARLs or yeast ARFs. Anti-yARL1 antibodies did not cross-react with yeast ARFs, but did react with human ARLs. On subcellular fractionation, yARL1, similar to yARF1, was localized to the soluble fraction. The amino terminus of yARL1, like that of ARF, was myristoylated. Unlike Drosophila Arl1, yeast ARL1 was not essential for cell viability. Like rat ARL1, yARL1 might be associated in part with the Golgi complex. However, yARL1 was not required for endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi protein transport, and it may offer an opportunity to define an ARL function in another kind of vesicular trafficking, such as the regulated secretory pathway.

• Gaynor EC, Emr SD
• COPI-independent anterograde transport: cargo-selective ER to Golgi protein transport in yeast COPI mutants.
• J Cell Biol. 1997; 136: 789-802
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• The coatomer (COPI) complex mediates Golgi to ER recycling of membrane proteins containing a dilysine retrieval motif. However, COPI was initially characterized as an anterograde-acting coat complex. To investigate the direct and primary role(s) of COPI in ER/Golgi transport and in the secretory pathway in general, we used PCR-based mutagenesis to generate new temperature-conditional mutant alleles of one COPI gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, SEC21 (gamma-COP). Unexpectedly, all of the new sec21 ts mutants exhibited striking, cargo-selective ER to Golgi transport defects. In these mutants, several proteins (i.e., CPY and alpha-factor) were completely blocked in the ER at nonpermissive temperature; however, other proteins (i.e., invertase and HSP150) in these and other COPI mutants were secreted normally. Nearly identical cargo-specific ER to Golgi transport defects were also induced by Brefeldin A. In contrast, all proteins tested required COPII (ER to Golgi coat complex), Sec18p (NSF), and Sec22p (v-SNARE) for ER to Golgi transport. Together, these data suggest that COPI plays a critical but indirect role in anterograde transport, perhaps by directing retrieval of transport factors required for packaging of certain cargo into ER to Golgi COPII vesicles. Interestingly, CPY-invertase hybrid proteins, like invertase but unlike CPY, escaped the sec21 ts mutant ER block, suggesting that packaging into COPII vesicles may be mediated by cis-acting sorting determinants in the cargo proteins themselves. These hybrid proteins were efficiently targeted to the vacuole, indicating that COPI is also not directly required for regulated Golgi to vacuole transport. Additionally, the sec21 mutants exhibited early Golgi-specific glycosylation defects and structural aberrations in early but not late Golgi compartments at nonpermissive temperature. Together, these studies demonstrate that although COPI plays an important and most likely direct role both in Golgi-ER retrieval and in maintenance/function of the cis-Golgi, COPI does not appear to be directly required for anterograde transport through the secretory pathway.

• Roberg KJ, Bickel S, Rowley N, Kaiser CA
• Control of amino acid permease sorting in the late secretory pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by SEC13, LST4, LST7 and LST8.
• Genetics. 1997; 147: 1569-84
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• The SEC13 gene was originally identified by temperature-sensitive mutations that block all protein transport from the ER to the Golgi. We have found that at a permissive temperature for growth, the sec13-1 mutation selectively blocks transport of the nitrogen-regulated amino acid permease, Gap1p, from the Golgi to the plasma membrane, but does not affect the activity of constitutive permeases such as Hip1p, Can1p, or Lyp1p. Different alleles of SEC13 exhibit different relative effects on protein transport from the ER to the Golgi, or on Gap1p activity, indicating distinct requirements for SEC13 function at two different steps in the secretory pathway. Three new genes, LST4, LST7, and LST8, were identified that are also required for amino acid permease transport from the Golgi to the cell surface. Mutations in LST4 and LST7 reduce the activity of the nitrogen-regulated permeases Gap1p and Put4p, whereas mutations in LST8 impair the activities of a broader set of amino acid permeases. The LST8 gene encodes a protein composed of WD-repeats and has a close human homologue. The LST7 gene encodes a novel protein. Together, these data indicate that SEC13, LST4, LST7, and LST8 function in the regulated delivery of Gap1p to the cell surface, perhaps as components of a post-Golgi secretory-vesicle coat.

• Nelson KK, Holmer M, Lemmon SK
• SCD5, a suppressor of clathrin deficiency, encodes a novel protein with a late secretory function in yeast.
• Mol Biol Cell. 1996; 7: 245-60
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• Clathrin and its associated proteins constitute a major class of coat proteins involved in vesicle budding during membrane transport. An interesting characteristic of the yeast clathrin heavy chain gene (CHC1) is that in some strains a CHC1 deletion is lethal, while in others it is not. Recently, our laboratory developed a screen that identified five multicopy suppressors that can rescue lethal strains of clathrin heavy chain-deficient yeast (Chc - scd1-i) to viability. One of these suppressors, SCD5, encodes a novel protein of 872 amino acids containing two regions of repeated motifs of unknown function. Deletion of SCD5 has shown that it is essential for cell growth at 30 degrees C. scd5-delta strains carrying low copy plasmids encoding C-terminal truncations of Scd5p are temperature sensitive for growth at 37 degrees C. At the nonpermissive temperature, cells expressing a 338-amino acid deletion (Scd5P-delta 338) accumulate an internal pool of fully glycosylated invertase and mature alpha-factor, while processing and sorting of the vacuolar hydrolase carboxypeptidase Y is normal. The truncation mutant also accumulates 80- to 100-nm vesicles similar to many late sec mutants. Moreover, at 34 degrees C, overexpression of Scd5p suppresses the temperature sensitivity of a sec2 mutant, which is blocked at a post-Golgi step of the secretory pathway. Biochemical analyses indicate that approximately 50% of Scd5p sediments with a 100,000 x g membrane fraction and is associated as a peripheral membrane protein. Overall, these results indicate that Scd5p is involved in vesicular transport at a late stage of the secretory pathway. Furthermore, this suggests that the lethality of clathrin-deficient yeast can be rescued by modulation of vesicular transport at this late secretory step.

• Deitz SB et al.
• Human ARF4 expression rescues sec7 mutant yeast cells.
• Mol Cell Biol. 1996; 16: 3275-84
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• Vesicle-mediated traffic between compartments of the yeast secretory pathway involves recruitment of multiple cytosolic proteins for budding, targeting, and membrane fusion events. The SEC7 gene product (Sec7p) is a constituent of coat structures on transport vesicles en route to the Golgi complex in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To identify mammalian homologs of Sec7p and its interacting proteins, we used a genetic selection strategy in which a human HepG2 cDNA library was transformed into conditional-lethal yeast sec7 mutants. We isolated several clones capable of rescuing sec7 mutant growth at the restrictive temperature. The cDNA encoding the most effective suppressor was identified as human ADP ribosylation factor 4 (hARF4), a member of the GTPase family proposed to regulate recruitment of vesicle coat proteins in mammalian cells. Having identified a Sec7p-interacting protein rather than the mammalian Sec7p homolog, we provide evidence that hARF4 suppressed the sec7 mutation by restoring secretory pathway function. Shifting sec7 strains to the restrictive temperature results in the disappearance of the mutant Sec7p cytosolic pool without apparent changes in the membrane-associated fraction. The introduction of hARF4 to the cells maintained the balance between cytosolic and membrane-associated Sec7p pools. These results suggest a requirement for Sec7p cycling on and off of the membranes for cell growth and vesicular traffic. In addition, overexpression of the yeast GTPase-encoding genes ARF1 and ARF2, but not that of YPT1, suppressed the sec7 mutant growth phenotype in an allele-specific manner. This allele specificity indicates that individual ARFs are recruited to perform two different Sec7p-related functions in vesicle coat dynamics.

• Barlowe C
• COPII: a membrane coat that forms endoplasmic reticulum-derived vesicles.
• FEBS Lett. 1995; 369: 93-6
• Display abstract

• Vesicle budding from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has been reconstituted with washed membranes and three soluble proteins: Sec13 complex, Sec23 complex and the small GTPase Sar1p. The proteins that drive this cell-free vesicle budding reaction form an approximately 10 nm thick electron dense coat on ER-derived vesicles. Although the overall mechanism of membrane budding driven by various cytoplasmic coats appears similar, the constituents of this new membrane coat are molecularly distinct from the non-clathrin coat (COP) involved in intra-Golgi transport and the clathrin-containing coats. The new vesicle coat has been termed COPII.

• Espenshade P, Gimeno RE, Holzmacher E, Teung P, Kaiser CA
• Yeast SEC16 gene encodes a multidomain vesicle coat protein that interacts with Sec23p.
• J Cell Biol. 1995; 131: 311-24
• Display abstract

• Temperature-sensitive mutations in the SEC16 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae block budding of transport vesicles from the ER. SEC16 was cloned by complementation of the sec16-1 mutation and encodes a 240-kD protein located in the insoluble, particulate component of cell lysates. Sec16p is released from this particulate fraction by high salt, but not by nonionic detergents or urea. Some Sec16p is localized to the ER by immunofluorescence microscopy. Membrane-associated Sec16p is incorporated into transport vesicles derived from the ER that are formed in an in vitro vesicle budding reaction. Sec16p binds to Sec23p, a COPII vesicle coat protein, as shown by the two-hybrid interaction assay and affinity studies in cell extracts. These findings indicate that Sec16p associates with Sec23p as part of the transport vesicle coat structure. Genetic analysis of SEC16 identifies three functionally distinguishable domains. One domain is defined by the five temperature-sensitive mutations clustered in the middle of SEC16. Each of these mutations can be complemented by the central domain of SEC16 expressed alone. The stoichiometry of Sec16p is critical for secretory function since overexpression of Sec16p causes a lethal secretion defect. This lethal function maps to the NH2-terminus of the protein, defining a second functional domain. A separate function for the COOH-terminal domain of Sec16p is shown by its ability to bind Sec23p. Together, these results suggest that Sec16p engages in multiple protein-protein interactions both on the ER membrane and as part of the coat of a completed vesicle.

• Dascher C, Ossig R, Gallwitz D, Schmitt HD
• Identification and structure of four yeast genes (SLY) that are able to suppress the functional loss of YPT1, a member of the RAS superfamily.
• Mol Cell Biol. 1991; 11: 872-85
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• In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the GTP-binding Ypt1 protein (Ypt1p) is essential for endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi protein transport. By exploiting a GAL10-YPT1 fusion to regulate YPT1 expression, three multicopy suppressors, SLY2, SLY12, and SLY41, and a single-copy suppressor, SLY1-20, that allowed YPT1-independent growth were isolated. Wild-type Sly1p is hydrophilic, is essential for cell viability, and differs from Sly1-20p by a single amino acid. SLY2 and SLY12 encode proteins with hydrophobic tails similar to synaptobrevins, integral membrane proteins of synaptic vesicles in higher eucaryotes. Sly41p is hydrophobic and exhibits sequence similarities with the chloroplast phosphate translocator. SLY12 but not SLY41 is an essential gene. The SLY2 null mutant is cold and heat sensitive. The SLY gene products may comprise elements of the protein transport machinery.

• Nakajima H, Hirata A, Ogawa Y, Yonehara T, Yoda K, Yamasaki M
• A cytoskeleton-related gene, uso1, is required for intracellular protein transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• J Cell Biol. 1991; 113: 245-60
• Display abstract

• The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strains blocked in the protein secretion pathway are not able to induce sexual aggregation. We have utilized the defect of aggregation to concentrate the secretion-deficient cells and identified a new gene which functions in the process of intracellular protein transport. The new mutant, uso1, is temperature sensitive for growth and protein secretion. At the restrictive temperature (37 degrees C), uso1 mutant accumulated the core-glycosylated precursor form of the exported protein invertase in the cells. Ultrastructural study of the mutant fixed by the freeze-substitution method revealed expansion of the nuclear envelope lumen and accumulation of the ER at the restrictive temperature. Abnormally oriented bundles of microtubules were often found in the nucleus. The USO1 gene was cloned by complementation of the uso1 temperature-sensitive growth defect. DNA sequence analysis revealed a hydrophilic protein of 1790 amino acids with a COOH-terminal 1,100-amino acid-long alpha-helical structure characteristic of the coiled-coil rod region of the cytoskeleton-related proteins. These observations suggest that Uso1 protein plays a role as a cytoskeletal component in the protein transport from the ER to the later secretory compartments.

• Sikorski RS, Hieter P
• A system of shuttle vectors and yeast host strains designed for efficient manipulation of DNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• Genetics. 1989; 122: 19-27
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• A series of yeast shuttle vectors and host strains has been created to allow more efficient manipulation of DNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Transplacement vectors were constructed and used to derive yeast strains containing nonreverting his3, trp1, leu2 and ura3 mutations. A set of YCp and YIp vectors (pRS series) was then made based on the backbone of the multipurpose plasmid pBLUESCRIPT. These pRS vectors are all uniform in structure and differ only in the yeast selectable marker gene used (HIS3, TRP1, LEU2 and URA3). They possess all of the attributes of pBLUESCRIPT and several yeast-specific features as well. Using a pRS vector, one can perform most standard DNA manipulations in the same plasmid that is introduced into yeast.

• Bohni PC, Deshaies RJ, Schekman RW
• SEC11 is required for signal peptide processing and yeast cell growth.
• J Cell Biol. 1988; 106: 1035-42
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• Among the collection of temperature-sensitive secretion mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, sec11 mutant cells are uniquely defective in signal peptide processing of at least two different secretory proteins. At 37 degrees C, the restrictive growth temperature, sec11 cells accumulate core-glycosylated forms of invertase and acid phosphatase, each retaining an intact signal peptide. In contrast, other sec mutant strains in which transport of core-glycosylated molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum is blocked show no defect in signal peptide cleavage. A DNA fragment that complements the sec11-7 mutation has been cloned. Genetic analysis indicates that the complementing clone contains the authentic SEC11 gene, and that a null mutation at the SEC11 locus is lethal. The DNA sequence of SEC11 predicts a basic protein (estimated pI of 9.5) of 167 amino acids including an NH2-terminal hydrophobic region that may function as a signal and/or membrane anchor domain. One potential N-glycosylation site is found in the 18.8-kD (Sec 11p) predicted protein. The mass of the SEC11 protein is very close to that found for two of the subunits of the canine and hen oviduct signal peptidases. Furthermore, the chromatographic behavior of the hen oviduct enzyme indicates an overall basic charge comparable to the predicted pI of the Sec11p.

• Rose MD, Novick P, Thomas JH, Botstein D, Fink GR
• A Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic plasmid bank based on a centromere-containing shuttle vector.
• Gene. 1987; 60: 237-43
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• A set of genomic plasmid banks was constructed using the centromere-containing yeast shuttle vector YCp50. The centromere-containing vector is useful for the isolation of genes that are toxic to yeast when present in high copy number. Fourteen independent banks were prepared each with an average representation of two to three times the yeast genome. Any individual plasmid from a given bank is guaranteed to be of independent origin from plasmids obtained from each of the other banks. The banks were constructed from three different size classes of DNA fragments that resulted from varying conditions of partial digestion with Sau3A. This avoided the bias caused by differential sensitivity of sites to cleavage with Sau3A. Insert DNA is sufficiently large that most genes will be present in the set of plasmid banks at a frequency of about 0.1%.