Yeast genes YOL002C and SUL1 are involved in neomycin resistance

In previous studies we suggested the importance of the control of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase by a phosphatidylinositol-like pathway for cellular proton extrusion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Brandão et al. 1994; Coccetti et al. 1998). The observations that provided the model above include the inhibition of the glucose-induced activation of the plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase as well as the inhibition of the glucose-induced external acidification by neomycin, a known inhibitor of the phosphatidylinositol turnover in eukaryotic cells. In this work, using two libraries, we isolated two yeast clones that were able to prevent the inhibition of glucose-induced activation of the H⁺-ATPase by neomycin. We show that the YOL002C gene, which encodes a protein of unknown function, and the SUL1 gene, which is a sulphate transporter belonging to the major facilitator superfamily, suppress growth inhibition by neomycin. However, they are not required for glucose-induced activation of the plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase. The resistance of the clones to neomycin is probably related to the level and/or activity of proteins functioning as drug extrusion pumps.