Localization and targeting of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Kre2p/Mnt1p alpha 1,2-mannosyltransferase to a medial-Golgi compartment

The yeast Kre2p/Mnt1p alpha 1,2-mannosyltransferase is a type II membrane protein with a short cytoplasmic amino terminus, a membrane- spanning region, and a large catalytic luminal domain containing one N- glycosylation site. Anti-Kre2p/Mnt1p antibodies identify a 60-kD integral membrane protein that is progressively N-glycosylated in an MNN1-dependent manner. Kre2p/Mnt1p is localized in a Golgi compartment that overlaps with that containing the medial-Golgi mannosyltransferase Mnn1p, and distinct from that including the late Golgi protein Kex1p. To determine which regions of Kre2p/Mnt1p are required for Golgi localization, Kre2p/Mnt1p mutant proteins were assembled by substitution of Kre2p domains with equivalent sequences from the vacuolar proteins DPAP B and Pho8p. Chimeric proteins were tested for correct topology, in vitro and in vivo activity, and were localized intracellularly by indirect immunofluorescence. The results demonstrate that the NH2-terminal cytoplasmic domain is necessary for correct Kre2p Golgi localization whereas, the membrane-spanning and stem domains are dispensable. However, in a test of targeting sufficiency, the presence of the entire Kre2p cytoplasmic tail, plus the transmembrane domain and a 36-amino acid residue luminal stem region was required to localize a Pho8p reporter protein to the yeast Golgi.     

Yeast Kex1p is a Golgi-associated membrane protein: deletions in a cytoplasmic targeting domain result in mislocalization to the vacuolar membrane

We have investigated the localization of Kex1p, a type I transmembrane carboxypeptidase involved in precursor processing within the yeast secretory pathway. Indirect immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of Kex1p in a punctate organelle resembling the yeast Golgi apparatus as identified by Kex2p and Sec7p (Franzusoff, A., K. Redding, J. Crosby, R. S. Fuller, and R. Schekman. 1991. J. Cell Biol. 112:27-37). Glycosylation studies of Kex1p were consistent with a Golgi location, as Kex1p was progressively N-glycosylated in an MNN1-dependent manner. To address the basis of Kex1p targeting to the Golgi apparatus, we examined the cellular location of a series of carboxy-terminal truncations of the protein. The results indicate that a cytoplasmically exposed carboxy-terminal domain is required for retention of this membrane protein within the Golgi apparatus. Deletions of the retention region or overproduction of wild-type Kex1p led to mislocalization of Kex1p to the vacuolar membrane. This unexpected finding is discussed in terms of models involving either the vacuole as a default destination for membrane proteins, or by endocytosis to the vacuole following their default localization to the plasma membrane.     

A Large PEST-like Sequence Directs the Ubiquitination,Endocytosis, and Vacuolar Degradation of the Yeast a-Factor Receptor

The yeast a-factor receptor (encoded by STE3) is subject to two modes of endocytosis, a ligand-dependent endocytosis as well as a constitutive, ligand-independent mode. Both modes are associated with receptor ubiquitination (Roth, A.F., and N.G. Davis. 1996. J. Cell Biol. 134:661–674) and both depend on sequence elements within the receptor''s regulatory, cytoplasmically disposed, COOH-terminal domain (CTD). Here, we concentrate on the Ste3p sequences required for constitutive endocytosis. Constitutive endocytosis is rapid. Receptor is synthesized, delivered to the cell surface, endocytosed, and then delivered to the vacuole where it is degraded, all with a t _1/2 of 15 min. Deletion analysis has defined a 36-residue-long sequence mapping near the COOH-terminal end of the Ste3p CTD that is the minimal sequence required for this rapid turnover. Deletions intruding into this interval block or severely slow the rate of endocytic turnover. Moreover, the same 36-residue sequence directs receptor ubiquitination. Mutants deleted for this sequence show undetectable levels of ubiquitination, and mutants having intermediate endocytosis defects show a correlated reduced level of ubiquitination. Not only necessary for ubiquitination and endocytosis, this sequence also is sufficient. When transplanted to a stable cell surface protein, the plasma membrane ATPase Pma1p, the 36-residue STE3 signal directs both ubiquitination of the PMA1-STE3 fusion protein as well as its endocytosis and consequent vacuolar degradation. Alanine scanning mutagenesis across the 36-residue-long interval highlights its overall complexity—no singular sequence motif or signal is found, instead required sequence elements distribute throughout the entire interval. The high proportion of acidic and hydroxylated amino acid residues in this interval suggests a similarity to PEST sequences—a broad class of sequences which have been shown to direct the ubiquitination and subsequent proteosomal degradation of short-lived nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. A likely possibility, therefore, is that this sequence, responsible for both endocytosis and ubiquitination, may be first and foremost a ubiquitination signal. Finally, we present evidence suggesting that the true signal in the wild-type receptor extends beyond the 36-residue-long sequence defined as a minimal signal to include contiguous PEST-like sequences which extend another 21 residues to the COOH terminus of Ste3p. Together with sequences identified in two other yeast plasma membrane proteins, the STE3 sequence defines a new class of ubiquitination/endocytosis signal.     

Signal-mediated retrieval of a membrane protein from the Golgi to the ER in yeast

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Wbp1 protein is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER), type I transmembrane protein which contains a cytoplasmic dilysine (KKXX) motif. This motif has previously been shown to direct Golgi-to-ER retrieval of type I membrane proteins in mammalian cells (Jackson, M. R., T. Nilsson, and P. A. Peterson. 1993. J. Cell Biol. 121: 317-333). To analyze the role of this motif in yeast, we constructed a SUC2-WBP1 chimera consisting of the coding sequence for the normally secreted glycoprotein invertase fused to the coding sequence of the COOH terminus (including the transmembrane domain and 16-amino acid cytoplasmic tail) of Wbplp. Carbohydrate analysis of the invertase-Wbp1 fusion protein using mannose linkage-specific antiserum demonstrated that the fusion protein was efficiently modified by the early Golgi initial alpha 1,6 mannosyltransferase (Och1p). Subcellular fractionation revealed that > 90% of the alpha 1,6 mannose-modified fusion protein colocalized with the ER (Wbp1p) and not with the Golgi Och1p-containing compartment or other membrane fractions. Amino acid changes within the dily sine motif (KK-->QK, KQ, or QQ) did not change the kinetics of initial alpha 1,6 mannose modification of the fusion protein but did dramatically increase the rate of modification by more distal Golgi (elongating alpha 1,6 and alpha 1,3) mannosyltransferases. These mutant fusion proteins were then delivered directly from a late Golgi compartment to the vacuole, where they were proteolytically cleaved in a PEP4-dependent manner. While amino acids surrounding the dilysine motif played only a minor role in retention ability, mutations that altered the position of the lysines relative to the COOH terminus of the fusion protein also yielded a dramatic defect in ER retention. Collectively, our results indicate that the KKXX motif does not simply retain proteins in the ER but rather directs their rapid retrieval from a novel, Och1p-containing early Golgi compartment. Similar to observations in mammalian cells, it is the presence of two lysine residues at the appropriate COOH-terminal position which represents the most important features of this sorting determinant.     

Endothelial receptor tyrosine kinases involved in angiogenesis

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae EMP47 gene encodes a nonessential type-I transmembrane protein with sequence homology to a class of intracellular lectins defined by ERGIC-53 and VIP36. The 12-amino acid COOH-terminal cytoplasmic tail of Emp47p ends in the sequence KTKLL, which conforms with the consensus for di-lysine-based ER-localization signals. Despite the presence of this motif, Emp47p was shown to be a Golgi protein at steady-state. The di-lysine motif of Emp47p was functional when transplanted onto Ste2p, a plasma membrane protein, conferring ER localization. Nevertheless, the di-lysine motif was required for Golgi-localization of Emp47p and showed the same charge- independent, position-dependent characteristics of other di-lysine motifs. Alpha-COP has been shown to be required for ER localization of di-lysine-tagged proteins. Consistent with this finding, the Ste2p- Emp47p hybrid protein was mislocalized to the cell surface in the alpha- COP mutant, ret1-1. Surprisingly, the Golgi-localization of Emp47p was unaffected by the ret1-1 mutation. To investigate whether Emp47p undergoes retrograde transport from the Golgi to the ER like other di- lysine-tagged proteins we developed an assay to measure this step after block of forward transport in a sec12 mutant. Under these conditions retrograde transport led to a specific redistribution of Emp47p from the Golgi to the ER. This recycling occurred from a Golgi subcompartment containing alpha 1,3 mannose-modified oligosaccharides suggesting that it originated from a medial-or later Golgi compartment. Thus Emp47p cycles between the Golgi apparatus and the ER and requires a di-lysine motif for its alpha-COP-independent, steady state localization in the Golgi.     

Membrane protein retention in the yeast Golgi apparatus: dipeptidyl aminopeptidase A is retained by a cytoplasmic signal containing aromatic residues

The mechanism by which yeast dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (DPAP) A, type II integral membrane protein, is retained in the late Golgi apparatus has been investigated. Prior work demonstrated that the 118-amino acid cytoplasmic domain is both necessary and sufficient for Golgi retention and that mutant or overexpressed DPAP A no longer retained in the Golgi was delivered directly to the vacuolar membrane (Roberts, C. J., S. F. Nothwehr, and T. H. Stevens. 1992. J. Cell Biol. 119:69-83). Replacement of the DPAP A transmembrane domain with a synthetic hydrophobic sequence did not affect either Golgi retention of DPAP A or vacuolar delivery of the retention-defective form of DPAP A. These results indicate that the DPAP A transmembrane domain is not involved in either Golgi retention or targeting of this membrane protein. A detailed mutational analysis of the cytoplasmic domain of DPAP A indicated that the most important elements for retention were within the eight residue stretch 85-92. A 10-amino acid region from DPAP A (81- 90) was sufficient for Golgi retention of alkaline phosphatase, a type II vacuolar membrane protein. Detailed mutational analysis within this 10-amino acid sufficient region demonstrated that a Phe-X-Phe-X-Asp motif was absolutely required for efficient retention. The efficiency of Golgi retention via the DPAP A signal could be diminished by overexpression of wild type but not retention-defective versions of Kex2p, another late Golgi membrane protein, suggesting that multiple Golgi membrane proteins may be retained by a common machinery. These results imply a role for a cytoplasmic signal involving aromatic residues in retention of late Golgi membrane proteins in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

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 Saccharomyces cerevisiae Prenylcysteine Carboxyl Methyltransferase Ste14p Is in the Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane

Eukaryotic proteins containing a C-terminal CAAX motif undergo a series of posttranslational CAAX-processing events that include isoprenylation, C-terminal proteolytic cleavage, and carboxyl methylation. We demonstrated previously that the STE14 gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mediates the carboxyl methylation step of CAAX processing in yeast. In this study, we have investigated the subcellular localization of Ste14p, a predicted membrane-spanning protein, using a polyclonal antibody generated against the C terminus of Ste14p and an in vitro methyltransferase assay. We demonstrate by immunofluorescence and subcellular fractionation that Ste14p and its associated activity are localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane of yeast. In addition, other studies from our laboratory have shown that the CAAX proteases are also ER membrane proteins. Together these results indicate that the intracellular site of CAAX protein processing is the ER membrane, presumably on its cytosolic face. Interestingly, the insertion of a hemagglutinin epitope tag at the N terminus, at the C terminus, or at an internal site disrupts the ER localization of Ste14p and results in its mislocalization, apparently to the Golgi. We have also expressed the Ste14p homologue from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, mam4p, in S. cerevisiae and have shown that mam4p complements a Δste14 mutant. This finding, plus additional recent examples of cross-species complementation, indicates that the CAAX methyltransferase family consists of functional homologues.     

Mutation of a tyrosine localization signal in the cytosolic tail of yeast Kex2 protease disrupts Golgi retention and results in default transport to the vacuole.

Kex2 protease processes pro-alpha-factor in a late Golgi compartment in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The first approximately 30 residues of the 115 amino acid CO2H-terminal cytosolic tail (C-tail) of the Kex2 protein (Kex2p) contain a Golgi retention signal that resembles coated-pit localization signals in mammalian cell surface receptors. Mutation of one (Tyr713) of two tyrosine residues in the C-tail or deletion of sequences adjacent to Tyr713 results in loss of normal Golgi localization. Surprisingly, loss of the Golgi retention signal resulted in transport of C-tail mutant Kex2p to the vacuole (yeast lysosome), as judged by kinetics of degradation and by indirect immunofluorescence. Analysis of the loss of Kex2 function in vivo after shutting off expression of wild-type or mutant forms proved that mutations that cause rapid vacuolar turnover do so by increasing the rate of exit of the enzyme from the pro-alpha-factor processing compartment. The most likely explanation for these results is that mutation of the Golgi retention signal in the C-tail results in transport of Kex2p to the vacuole by default. Wild-type Kex2p also was transported to the vacuole at an increased rate when overproduced, although apparently not due to saturation of a Golgi-retention mechanism. Instead, the wild-type and C-tail mutant forms of Kex2p may follow distinct paths to the vacuole.     

Multiple roles for Rsp5p-dependent ubiquitination at the internalization step of endocytosis

Ubiquitination of integral plasma membrane proteins triggers their rapid internalization into the endocytic pathway. The yeast ubiquitin ligase Rsp5p, a homologue of mammalian Nedd4 and Itch, is required for the ubiquitination and subsequent internalization of multiple plasma membrane proteins, including the alpha-factor receptor (Ste2p). Here we demonstrate that Rsp5p plays multiple roles at the internalization step of endocytosis. Temperature-sensitive rsp5 mutant cells were defective in the internalization of alpha-factor by a Ste2p-ubiquitin chimera, a receptor that does not require post-translational ubiquitination. Similarly, a modified version of Ste2p bearing a NPFXD linear peptide sequence as its only internalization signal was not internalized in rsp5 cells. Internalization of these variant receptors was dependent on the catalytic cysteine residue of Rsp5p and on ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes that bind Rsp5p. Thus, a Rsp5p-dependent ubiquitination event is required for internalization mediated by ubiquitin-dependent and -independent endocytosis signals. Constitutive Ste2p-ubiquitin internalization and fluid-phase endocytosis also required active ubiquitination machinery, including Rsp5p. These observations indicate that Rsp5p-dependent ubiquitination of a trans-acting protein component of the endocytosis machinery is required for the internalization step of endocytosis.     

SEC18/NSF-independent, protein-sorting pathway from the yeast cortical ER to the plasma membrane

Classic studies of temperature-sensitive secretory (sec) mutants have demonstrated that secreted and plasma membrane proteins follow a common SEC pathway via the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus, and secretory vesicles to the cell periphery. The yeast protein Ist2p, which is synthesized from a localized mRNA, travels from the ER to the plasma membrane via a novel route that operates independently of the formation of coat protein complex II-coated vesicles. In this study, we show that the COOH-terminal domain of Ist2p is necessary and sufficient to mediate SEC18-independent sorting when it is positioned at the COOH terminus of different integral membrane proteins and exposed to the cytoplasm. This domain functions as a dominant plasma membrane localization determinant that overrides other protein sorting signals. Based on these observations, we suggest a local synthesis of Ist2p at cortical ER sites, from where the protein is sorted by a novel mechanism to the plasma membrane.     

In vivo topological analysis of Ste2, a yeast plasma membrane protein, by using beta-lactamase gene fusions.

Gene fusions were constructed between Ste2, the receptor for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-factor, and beta la, the secreted form of beta-lactamase encoded by the bla gene of pBR322. The Ste2 and beta la components were linked by a processing fragment (P) from the yeast killer preprotoxin containing a C-terminal lysine-arginine site for cleavage by the Golgi-associated Kex2 protease. Ste2 is predicted to have a rhodopsinlike topology, with an external N terminus and seven transmembrane segments. Fusions to three of the four Ste2 domains predicted to be external resulted in beta la secretion from yeast cells. A fusion at a site just preceding the first transmembrane segment was an exception; the product was cell associated, indicating that the first 44 residues of Ste2 are insufficient to direct secretion of beta la; translocation of this domain presumably requires the downstream transmembrane segment. Expression of fusions located in two domains predicted to be cytoplasmic failed to result in beta la secretion. Following insertion of the preprotoxin signal peptide (S) between the Ste2 and P components of these cytoplasmic fusions, secretion of beta la activity occurred, which is consistent with inversion of the orientation of the beta la reporter. Conversely, insertion of S between Ste2 and P in an external fusion sharply reduced beta la secretion. Complementary information about both cytoplasmic and external domains of Ste2 was therefore provided, and most aspects of the predicted topology were confirmed. The steady-state levels of beta la detected were low, presumably because of efficient degradation of the fusions in the secretory pathway; levels, however, were easily detectable. This method should be valuable in the analysis of in vivo topologies of both homologous and foreign plasma membrane proteins expressed in yeast cells.     

Multiple functions of sterols in yeast endocytosis

Sterols are essential factors for endocytosis in animals and yeast. To investigate the sterol structural requirements for yeast endocytosis, we created a variety of ergDelta mutants, each accumulating a distinct set of sterols different from ergosterol. Mutant erg2Deltaerg6Delta and erg3Deltaerg6Delta cells exhibit a strong internalization defect of the alpha-factor receptor (Ste2p). Specific sterol structures are necessary for pheromone-dependent receptor hyperphosphorylation, a prerequisite for internalization. The lack of phosphorylation is not due to a defect in Ste2p localization or in ligand-receptor interaction. Contrary to most known endocytic factors, sterols seem to function in internalization independently of actin. Furthermore, sterol structures are required at a postinternalization step of endocytosis. ergDelta cells were able to take up the membrane marker FM4-64, but exhibited defects in FM4-64 movement through endosomal compartments to the vacuole. Therefore, there are at least two roles for sterols in endocytosis. Based on sterol analysis, the sterol structural requirements for these two processes were different, suggesting that sterols may have distinct functions at different places in the endocytic pathway. Interestingly, sterol structures unable to support endocytosis allowed transport of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein Gas1p from the endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi compartment.     

cDNA sequences from the alpha subunit of the fibronectin receptor predict a transmembrane domain and a short cytoplasmic peptide

The fibronectin receptor is a complex of two cell surface glycopeptides that mediate the binding of cells to fibronectin substrata. To study the structure of this receptor, we have isolated cDNA clones coding for the human fibronectin receptor alpha subunit from a lambda gt11 placental cDNA library. The cDNAs code for 229 amino acids from the COOH terminus of the alpha subunit. The deduced sequence has a hydrophobic region with properties characteristic of a membrane-spanning domain. From the membrane-spanning domain to the COOH terminus are 23-28 amino acids that are likely to constitute the cytoplasmic domain. These results establish the fibronectin receptor alpha subunit as an integral membrane protein.     

Elimination of defective alpha-factor pheromone receptors.

This report compares trafficking routes of a plasma membrane protein that was misfolded either during its synthesis or after it had reached the cell surface. A temperature-sensitive mutant form of the yeast alpha-factor pheromone receptor (ste2-3) was found to provide a model substrate for quality control of plasma membrane proteins. We show for the first time that a misfolded membrane protein is recognized at the cell surface and rapidly removed. When the ste2-3 mutant cells were cultured continuously at 34 degrees C, the mutant receptor protein (Ste2-3p) failed to accumulate at the plasma membrane and was degraded with a half-life of 4 min, compared with a half-life of 33 min for wild-type receptor protein (Ste2p). Degradation of both Ste2-3p and Ste2p required the vacuolar proteolytic activities controlled by the PEP4 gene. At 34 degrees C, Ste2-3p comigrated with glycosylated Ste2p on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating that Ste2-3p enters the secretory pathway. Degradation of Ste2-3p did not require delivery to the plasma membrane as the sec1 mutation failed to block rapid turnover. Truncation of the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the mutant receptors did not permit accumulation at the plasma membrane; thus, the endocytic signals contained in this domain are unnecessary for intracellular retention. In the pep4 mutant, Ste2-3p accumulated as series of high-molecular-weight species, suggesting a potential role for ubiquitin in the elimination process. When ste2-3 mutant cells were cultured continuously at 22 degrees C, Ste2-3p accumulated in the plasma membrane. When the 22 degrees C culture was shifted to 34 degrees C, Ste2-3p was removed from the plasma membrane and degraded by a PEP4-dependent mechanism with a 24-min half-life; the wild-type Ste2p displayed a 72-min half-life. Thus, structural defects in Ste2-3p synthesized at 34 degrees C are recognized in transit to the plasma membrane, leading to rapid degradation, and Ste2-3p that is preassembled at the plasma membrane is also removed and degraded following a shift to 34 degrees C.     

Structural requirements and sequence motifs for polarized sorting and endocytosis of LDL and Fc receptors in MDCK cells

In MDCK cells, basolateral sorting of most membrane proteins has been shown to depend on distinct cytoplasmic domain determinants. These signals can be divided into those which are related to signals for localization at clathrin-coated pits and those which are unrelated. The LDL receptor bears two tyrosine-containing signals, one of each class, that can independently target receptors from the Golgi complex and from endosomes to the basolateral plasma membrane. We have now investigated the other structural features required for the activity of both determinants. We find that both depend, at least in part, on clusters of 1-3 acidic amino acids located on the COOH-terminal side of each tyrosine. While single residues adjacent to each tyrosine were also found to be critical, the two signals differed in that only the coated pit-unrelated signal could tolerate a phenylalanine in place of its tyrosine residue. We also found that the structural requirements for basolateral targeting of the "coated pit-related" signal were distinct from those required for rapid endocytosis. Apart from sharing a common tyrosine residue, no feature of the NPXY motif for coated pit localization was required for basolateral targeting. We also investigated basolateral targeting of the mouse macrophage Fc receptor (FcRII-B2) which contains a tyrosine-independent coated pit localization signal. Basolateral transport and endocytosis were found to depend on a common dileucine-type motif. Thus, basolateral targeting determinants, like coated pit domains, can contain either tyrosine- or di-leucine-containing signals. The amino acids in the vicinity of these motifs determine whether they function as determinants for endocytosis, basolateral targeting, or both.     

The Golgi-localized Arabidopsis endomembrane protein12 contains both endoplasmic reticulum export and Golgi retention signals at its C terminus

Endomembrane proteins (EMPs), belonging to the evolutionarily conserved transmembrane nine superfamily in yeast and mammalian cells, are characterized by the presence of a large lumenal N terminus, nine transmembrane domains, and a short cytoplasmic tail. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains 12 EMP members (EMP1 to EMP12), but little is known about their protein subcellular localization and function. Here, we studied the subcellular localization and targeting mechanism of EMP12 in Arabidopsis and demonstrated that (1) both endogenous EMP12 (detected by EMP12 antibodies) and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-EMP12 fusion localized to the Golgi apparatus in transgenic Arabidopsis plants; (2) GFP fusion at the C terminus of EMP12 caused mislocalization of EMP12-GFP to reach post-Golgi compartments and vacuoles for degradation in Arabidopsis cells; (3) the EMP12 cytoplasmic tail contained dual sorting signals (i.e., an endoplasmic reticulum export motif and a Golgi retention signal that interacted with COPII and COPI subunits, respectively); and (4) the Golgi retention motif of EMP12 retained several post-Golgi membrane proteins within the Golgi apparatus in gain-of-function analysis. These sorting signals are highly conserved in all plant EMP isoforms and, thus, likely represent a general mechanism for EMP targeting in plant cells.     

Cytoplasmic domain signal sequences that mediate transport of varicella-zoster virus gB from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi

Normal herpesvirus assembly and egress depend on the correct intracellular localization of viral glycoproteins. While several post-Golgi transport motifs have been characterized within the cytoplasmic domains of various viral glycoproteins, few specific endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport signals have been described. We report the identification of two regions within the 125-amino-acid cytoplasmic domain of Varicella-Zoster virus gB that are required for its ER-to-Golgi transport. Native gB or gB containing deletions and specific point mutations in its cytoplasmic domain was expressed in mammalian cells. ER-to-Golgi transport of gB was assessed by indirect immunofluorescence and by the acquisition of Golgi-dependent posttranslational modifications. These studies revealed that the ER-to-Golgi transport of gB requires a nine-amino-acid region (YMTLVSAAE) within its cytoplasmic domain. Mutations of individual amino acids within this region markedly impaired the transport of gB from the ER to the Golgi, indicating that this domain functions by a sequence-dependent mechanism. Deletion of the C-terminal 17 amino acids of the gB cytoplasmic domain was also shown to impair the transport of gB from the ER to the Golgi. However, internal mutations within this region did not disrupt the transport of gB, indicating that its function during gB transport is not sequence dependent. Native gB is also transported to the nuclear membrane of transfected cells. gB lacking as many as 67 amino acids from the C terminus of its cytoplasmic domain continued to be transported to the nuclear membrane at apparently normal levels, indicating that the cytoplasmic domain of gB is not required for nuclear membrane localization.     

The alpha-factor receptor C-terminus is important for mating projection formation and orientation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Successful mating of MATa Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells is dependent on Ste2p, the alpha-factor receptor. Besides receiving the pheromone signal and transducing it through the G-protein coupled MAP kinase pathway, Ste2p is active in the establishment and orientation of the mating projection. We investigated the role of the carboxyl terminus of the receptor in mating projection formation and orientation using a spatial gradient assay. Cells carrying the ste2-T326 mutation, truncating 105 of the 135 amino acids in the receptor tail including a motif necessary for its ligand-mediated internalization, display slow onset of projection formation, abnormal shmoo morphology, and reduced ability to orient the mating projection toward a pheromone source. This reduction was due to the increased loss of mating projection orientation in a pheromone gradient. Cells with a mutated endocytosis motif were defective in reorientation in a pheromone gradient. ste2-Delta296 cells, which carry a complete truncation of the Ste2p tail, exhibit a severe defect in projection formation, and those projections that do form are unable to orient in a pheromone gradient. These results suggest a complex role for the Ste2p carboxy-terminal tail in the formation, orientation, and directional adjustment of the mating projection, and that endocytosis of the receptor is important for this process. In addition, mutations in RSR1/BUD1 and SPA2, genes necessary for budding polarity, exhibited little or no defect in formation or orientation of mating projections. We conclude that mating projection orientation depends upon the carboxyl terminus of the pheromone receptor and not the directional machinery used in budding.     

Golgi-to-late endosome trafficking of the yeast pheromone processing enzyme Ste13p is regulated by a phosphorylation site in its cytosolic domain

This study addressed whether phosphorylation regulates trafficking of yeast membrane proteins that cycle between the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and endosomal system. The TGN membrane proteins A-ALP, a model protein containing the Ste13p cytosolic domain fused to alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and Kex2p were found to be phosphorylated in vivo. Mutation of the S13 residue on the cytosolic domain of A-ALP to Ala was found to block trafficking to the prevacuolar compartment (PVC), whereas a S13D mutation generated to mimic phosphorylation accelerated trafficking into the PVC. The S13 residue was shown by mass spectrometry to be phosphorylated. The rate of endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport of newly synthesized A(S13A)-ALP was indistinguishable from wild-type, indicating that the lack of transport of A(S13A)-ALP to the PVC was instead due to differences in Golgi/endosomal trafficking. The A(S13A)-ALP protein exhibited a TGN-like localization similar to that of wild-type A-ALP. Similarly, the S13A mutation in endogenous Ste13p did not reduce the extent of or longevity of its localization to the TGN as shown by alpha-factor processing assays. These results indicate that S13 phosphorylation is required for TGN-to-PVC trafficking of A-ALP and imply that phosphorylation of S13 may regulate recognition of A-ALP by vesicular trafficking machinery.