Frameshift Suppression in SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE. II. Genetic Properties of Group II Suppressors

Suppressors of ICR-induced mutations that exhibit behavior similar to bacterial frameshift suppressors have been identified in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast suppressors have been divided into two groups. One of these groups (Group II: SUF1, SUF3, SUF4, SUF5 and SUF6) appears to include a set of informational suppressors in which the vehicle of suppression is glycyl-tRNA. Some of the genetic properties of Group II suppressors are described in this communication.——Corevertants of the Group II frameshift mutations his4–519 and leu2–3 have been characterized to determine the spectrum of reversion events induced by the frameshift mutagen ICR-170. Seventythree ICR-induced corevertants were analyzed. With the exception of one corevertant, which carried an allele of SUF1, all carried alleles of SUF3 or SUF5. SUF1, SUF3, SUF4 and SUF6 were represented among spontaneous and UV-induced corevertants. In the course of these experiments one of the suppressors was mapped. SUF5, the probable structural gene for tRNA^GLY1, is located between ade2 and ade9 on chromosome XV.——SUF1, SUF4 and SUF6 have novel properties and comprise a distinct subset of suppressors. Although these suppressors show no genetic linkage to each other, they share several common features including lethality in haploid pairwise combinations, reduced tRNA^GLY3 isoacceptor activity and increased efficiency of suppression in strains carrying the cytoplasmically inherited [PSI] element. In addition, strains carrying SUF1, SUF4 or SUF6 are phenotypically unstable and give rise to mitotic Suf⁺ segregants at high frequency. These segregants invariably contain a linked, second-site mutation that maps in or adjacent to the suppressor gene itself. Strains carrying any of these suppressors also give rise to mitotic segregants that exhibit enhanced efficiency of suppression; mutations responsible for this phenotype map at two loci, upf1 and upf2. These genes show no genetic linkage to any of the Group II suppressors.——Methods that permit positive selection for mutants with decreased or enhanced efficiency of suppression have been devised in order to examine large numbers of variants. The importance of these interacting mutants is underscored by their potential utility in studying suppressor function at the molecular level.     

Frameshift Suppression in SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE. V. Isolation and Genetic Properties of Nongroup-Specific Suppressors

Two classes of frameshift suppressors distributed at 22 different loci were identified in previous studies in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These suppressors exhibited allele-specific suppression of +1 G:C insertion mutations in either glycine or proline codons, designated as group II and group III frameshift mutations, respectively. Genes corresponding to representative suppressors of each group have been shown to encode altered glycine or proline tRNAs containing four base anticodons.—This communication reports the existence of a third class of frameshift suppressor that exhibits a wider range in specificity of suppression. The suppressors map at three loci, suf12, suf13, and suf14, which are located on chromosomes IV, XV, and XIV, respectively. The phenotypes of these suppressors suggest that suppression may be mediated by genes other than those encoding the primary structure of glycine or proline tRNAs.     

Molecular cloning of the SUF2 frameshift suppressor gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A genetic approach to the molecular cloning of frameshift suppressor genes from yeast is described. These suppressors act by suppressing +1 G:C base-pair insertion mutations in glycine or proline codons. The cloning regimen involves an indirect screen for yeast transformants which harbor a functional suppressor gene inserted into the autonomously replicating “shuttle” vector YEp13, followed by transfer of the hybrid plasmid from yeast into Escherichia coli. Using this procedure a 10.7-kb DNA fragment carrying the SUF2 frameshift suppressor gene has been isolated. This suppressor acts specifically on +1 G:C insertions in proline codons. When inserted into an integrative vehicle and reintroduced into yeast by transformation, this fragment integrates by homologous recombination in the region of the SUF2 locus on chromosome III. A large proportion of the fragment overlaps with another cloned DNA segment which carries the closely linked CDC10 gene. The SUF2 fragment carries at least two tRNA genes. The SUF2 gene and one of the tRNA genes are located on a 0.85-kb restriction fragment within the 10.7-kb segment. A method is also described for the isolation of DNA fragments carrying alternative alleles of the SUF2 locus. Using this procedure, the wild-type suf2⁺ allele has been cloned.     

Recessive Uaa Suppressors of the Yeast SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

Recessive lysine-independent revertants were isolated from a ψ⁺ haploid strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing one of the leucine-inserting UAA suppressors, SUP29, and various UAA mutations including lys1-1. The majority of the revertants were found to have recessive suppressors in addition to the pre-existing SUP29 mutation. The recessive suppressors were able to suppress only a very limited number of UAA mutations, and none of the UAG mutations thus far examined. The recessive inefficient UAA suppressors were assigned to three complementation groups, sup111, sup112, and sup113. A high incidence of gene conversion was observed for an allele of sup111. An antisuppressor acting on sup111, but not detectably on SUP29, was inadvertently obtained during the course of the study. Interactions between SUP29, sup111 and the antisuppressor asu12 were studied.     

Temperature-Sensitive Lethal Mutations on Yeast Chromosome I Appear to Define Only a Small Number of Genes

A method was developed for isolating large numbers of mutations on chromosome I of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A strain monosomic for chromosome I (i.e., haploid for chromosome I and diploid for all other chromosomes) was mutagenized with either ethyl methanesulfonate or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N -nitrosoguanidine and screened for temperature-sensitive (Ts^- ) mutants capable of growth on rich, glucose-containing medium at 25° but not at 37°. Recessive mutations induced on chromosome I are expressed, whereas those on the diploid chromosomes are usually not expressed because of the presence of wild-type alleles on the homologous chromosomes. Dominant ts mutations on all chromosomes should also be expressed, but these appeared rarely. — Of the 41 ts mutations analyzed, 32 mapped on chromosome I. These 32 mutations fell into only three complementation groups, which proved to be the previously described genes CDC15, CDC24 and PYK1 (or CDC19). We recovered 16 or 17 independent mutations in CDC15, 12 independent mutations in CDC24 and three independent mutations in PYK1. A fourth gene on chromosome I, MAK16, is known to be capable of giving rise to a ts-lethal allele, but we recovered no mutations in this gene. The remaining nine mutations isolated using the monosomic strain appeared not to map on chromosome I and were apparently expressed in the original mutants because they had become homozygous or hemizygous by mitotic recombination or chromosome loss. — The available information about the size of chromosome I suggests that it should contain approximately 60–100 genes. However, our isolation in the monosomic strain of multiple, independent alleles of just three genes suggests that only a small proportion of the genes on chromosome I is easily mutable to give a Ts^--lethal phenotype. — During these studies, we located CDC24 on chromosome I and determined that it is centromere distal to PYK1 on the left arm of the chromosome.     

Mutations in the anticodon stem affect removal of introns from pre-tRNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

To evaluate the role of exon domains in tRNA splicing, the anti-codon stem of proline pre-tRNAUGG from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was altered by site-directed mutagenesis of the suf8 gene. Sixteen alleles were constructed that encode mutant pre-tRNAs containing all possible base combinations in the last base pair of the anticodon stem adjacent to the anticodon loop (positions 31 and 39). The altered pre-tRNAs were screened by using an in vitro endonucleolytic cleavage assay to determine whether perturbations in secondary structure affect the intron excision reaction. The pre-tRNAs were cleaved efficiently whenever secondary structure in the anticodon stem was maintained through standard base pairing or G.U interactions. However, most of the pre-tRNAs with disrupted secondary structure were poor substrates for intron excision. We also determined the extent to which the suf8 alleles produce functional products in vivo. Each allele was integrated in one to three copies into a yeast chromosome or introduced on a high-copy-number plasmid by transformation. The formation of a functional product was assayed by the ability of each allele to suppress the +1 frameshift mutation his4-713 through four-base codon reading, as shown previously for the SUF8-1 suppressor allele. We found that alleles containing any standard base pair or G.U pair at position 31/39 in the anticodon stem failed to suppress his4-713. We could not assess in vivo splicing with these alleles because the tRNA products, even if they are made, would be expected to read a normal triplet rather than a quadruplet codon. However, all of the alleles that contained a disrupted base pair at position 31/ 39 in the anticodon stem altered the structure of the tRNA in a manner that caused frameshift suppression. Suppression indicated that splicing must have occurred to some extent in vivo even though most of the suppression alleles produced pre-tRNAs that were cleaved with low efficiency or not at all in vitro. These results have important implications for the interpretation of in vitro cleavage assays in general and for the potential use of suppressors to select mutations that affects tRNA splicing.     

Conserved Linkage within a 4-Cm Region of Mouse Chromosome 9 and Human Chromosome 11

A six-point cross was carried out to determine the gene order and distances among loci on mouse chromosome 9. Our results are consistent with the following arrangement: centromere – Lap-1 – (1.2 ± 0.8) – Es-17 – (3.0 ± 1.0) – Ups – (1.3 ± 0.7) – Alp-1 – (23.1 ± 3.4) – Mod-1 – (10.9 ± 2.6) – Acy-1 . This study provides the first estimate of the distances between Es-17, Ups and Alp-1. Exceptions to the preferred association of alleles of Es-17 and Ups have been found in three feral populations and one inbred strain. Evidence is presented for the homology of this chromosome region with the ESA4 – UPS – APO-AI region on the long arm of human chromosome 11.     

Genetic Analysis of the Antennapedia Gene Complex (Ant-C) and Adjacent Chromosomal Regions of DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. II. Polytene Chromosome Segments 84A-84B1,2

The existence of a gene complex in the proximal right arm of chromosome 3 of Drosophila melanogaster involved in the development of the head and thorax was originally suggested by the phenotypes of several dominant homoeotic mutations and their revertants. A screen for mutations utilizing Df(3R) Antp^Ns+R17 (proximally broken in salivary region 84B1,2) yielded, among 102 recovered mutations, 17 localized by deficiency mapping to the putative homoeotic cluster. These fell into four complementation groups, two of which were characterized by homoeotic phenotypes. To explore the limits of the Antennapedia gene complex (ANT-C) more proximally, a second screen has been undertaken utilizing Df(3R)Scr, a deficiency of 84A1–B1,2.—Of 2832 chromosomes screened, 21 bearing alterations localized to polytene interval 84A–84B1,2 have been recovered. Sixteen are recessive lethals, and five showing reduced viability display a visible phenotype in surviving individuals. Complementation and phenotypic analyses revealed four complementation groups proximal to those identified in the previous screen, including two new alleles of the recessive homoeotic mutation, proboscipedia (pb). Ten of the new mutations correspond to complementation groups defined previously in the Df(3R)Antp^Ns+R17 screen four to the EbR11 group, two to the Scr group and four to the Antp group.—On the basis of the phenotypes of the 39 mutations localized to this region, plus their interactions with extant homoeotic mutations, we postulate that there are at least five functional sites comprising the ANT-C. Three have been demonstrated to be homoeotic in nature. The specific homoeotic transformations thus far observed suggest that these loci are critical for normal development of adult labial, maxillary and thoracic structures.     

New Late Gene, dar, Involved in DNA Replication of Bacteriophage T4 I. Isolation, Characterization, and Genetic Location

Suppressors of gene 59-defective mutants were isolated by screening spontaneous, temperature-sensitive (ts) revertants of the amber mutant, amC5, in gene 59. Six ts revertants were isolated. No gene 59-defective ts recombinant was obtained by crossing each ts revertant with the wild type, T4D. However, suppressors of gene 59-defective mutants were obtained from two of these ts revertants. These suppressor mutants are referred to as dar (DNA arrested restoration). dar mutants specifically restored the abnormalities, both in DNA synthesis and burst size, caused by gene 59-defective mutants to normal levels. It is unlikely that dar mutants are nonsense suppressors since theý failed to suppress amber mutations in 11 other genes investigated. The genetic expression of dar is controlled by gene 55; therefore, dar is a late gene. The genetic location of dar has been mapped between genes 24 and 25, a region contiguous to late genes. dar appears to be another nonessential gene of T4 since burst sizes of dar were almost identical to those of the wild type. Mutations in dar did not affect genetic recombination and repair of UV-damaged DNA, but caused a sensitivity to hydroxyurea in progeny formation. The effect of the dar mutation on host DNA degradation cannot account for its hydroxyurea sensitivity. dar mutant alleles were recessive to the wild-type allele as judged by restoration of arrested DNA synthesis. The possible mechanisms for the suppression of defects in gene 59 are discussed.     

Genetic Evidence for Interaction between Nonhomologous Proteins in Yeast and a Case of Suppression at the HIS1 Locus

The HIS1 and THR4 loci are the structural genes for phosphoribosyl-ATP pyrophosphorylase and threonine synthetase, respectively. The allele his1–1S has no enzyme activity at 30°, but does have activity at 15° provided the cell contains the wild-type THR4 allele or a suppressing allele at another locus, designated SUP(his1–1S). Under these conditions, cells with the his1–1S mutation are capable of growth on minimal medium at 15°. Three kinds of reversions of a his1–1S thr4 sup(his1–1S) strain to histidine prototrophy have been obtained: (1) his1–1S locus reversions to HIS1 that restore growth without added histidine at 30°, (2) thr4 reversions to THR4 that simultaneously eliminate the requirement for threonine and restore the low-temperature effect on the his1-1S allele, and (3) mutations from sup to SUP. The SUP allele is not an ochre suppressor, and it is not linked to either HIS1, THR4 or a centromere. It may represent a missense suppressor. It is proposed that the effect of THR4 is caused by aggregation of the wild-type threonine synthetase with defective his1–1S monomers, causing a favorable conformational change in the histidine protein that restores limited enzymatic activity. This can be regarded as a case of complementation between nonhomologous proteins.     

Suppression of XopQ–XopX‐induced immune responses of rice by the type III effector XopG

Effectors that suppress effector‐triggered immunity (ETI) are an essential part of the arms race in the co‐evolution of bacterial pathogens and their host plants. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae uses multiple type III secretion system (T3SS) secreted effectors such as XopU, XopV, XopP, XopG, and AvrBs2 to suppress rice immune responses that are induced by the interaction of two other effectors, XopQ and XopX. Here we show that each of these five suppressors can interact individually with both XopQ and XopX. One of the suppressors, XopG, is a predicted metallopeptidase that appears to have been introduced into X. oryzae pv. oryzae by horizontal gene transfer. XopQ and XopX interact with each other in the nucleus while interaction with XopG sequesters them in the cytoplasm. The XopG E76A and XopG E85A mutants are defective in interaction with XopQ and XopX, and are also defective in suppression of XopQ–XopX‐mediated immune responses. Both mutations individually affect the virulence‐promoting ability of XopG. These results indicate that XopG is important for X. oryzae pv. oryzae virulence and provide insights into the mechanisms by which this protein suppresses ETI in rice.     

Patterns of Genetic and Phenotypic Suppression of lys2 Mutations in the Yeast SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

A total of 358 lys2 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been characterized for suppressibility by the following suppressors: UAA and UAG suppressors that insert tyrosine, serine or leucine; a putative UGA suppressor; an omnipotent suppressor SUP46; and a frameshift suppressor SUF1–1. In addition, the lys2 mutants were examined for phenotypic suppression by the aminoglycoside antibiotic paromomycin, for osmotic remediability and for temperature sensitivity. The mutants exhibited over 50 different patterns of suppression and most of the nonsense mutants appeared similar to nonsense mutants previously described. A total of 24% were suppressible by one or more of the UAA suppressors, 4% were suppressible by one or more of the UAG suppressors, while only one was suppressible by the UGA suppressor and only one was weakly suppressible by the frameshift suppressor. One mutant responded to both UAA and UAG suppressors, indicating that UAA or UAG mutations at certain rare sites can be exceptions to the specific action of UAA and UAG suppressors. Some of the mutants appeared to require certain types of amino acid replacements at the mutant sites in order to produce a functional gene product, while others appeared to require suppressors that were expressed at high levels. Many of the mutants suppressible by SUP46 and paromomycin were not suppressible by any of the UAA, UAG or UGA suppressors, indicating that omnipotent suppression and phenotypic suppression need not be restricted to nonsense mutations. All of the mutants suppressible by SUP46 were also suppressible by paromomycin, suggesting a common mode of action of omnipotent suppression and phenotypic misreading.     

Novel nematode amber suppressors

Nine amber suppressor mutations were isolated in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans by reverting amber alleles of a sex-determining gene, tra-3. One suppressor maps to a known locus, sup-5 III , but the other eight map to three new loci, sup-21 X (five alleles), sup-22 IV (two alleles) and sup-23 IV (one allele). Amber alleles of tra-3 and of a dumpy gene, dpy-20, were used to measure the efficiency of suppression; the sup-21 and the sup-22 alleles were both shown to be heterogeneous and generally weaker suppressors than sup-5 alleles, which are homogeneous. The spectrum of mutations suppressed by a strong sup-21 allele, e1957, was investigated and compared to the spectra for the amber suppressors sup-5 III and sup-7 X, using amber alleles in 13 assorted genes. Some of the differences between these spectra may be due to limited tissue specificity in sup-21 expression.—Suppression of dpy-20 was used to show that the sex-linked suppressors sup-7 and sup-21 are not dosage compensated in male (XO) relative to hermaphrodite (XX).—Several uses of amber suppressors are critically discussed: for identifying null mutations, for varying levels of gene activity and for detecting maternal mRNA.     

Linkage relationships of 19 enzyme Loci in maize

Linkage relationships of 19 enzyme loci have been examined. The chromosomal locations of eight of these loci are formally reported for the first time in this paper. These localizations should assist in the construction of additional useful chromosome marker stocks, especially since several of these enzyme loci lie in regions that were previously poorly mapped. Six loci are on the long arm of chromosome 1. The arrangement is (centromere)—Mdh4-mmm-Pgm1-Adh1-Phi-Gdh1, with about 46% recombination between Mdh4 and Gdh1.—Linkage studies with a2 and pr have resulted in the localization of four enzyme genes to chromosome 5 with arrangement Pgm2-Mdh5-Got3-a2-(centromere)-pr-Got2. Pgm2 lies approximately 35 map units distal to a2 in a previously unmapped region of the short arm of 5, beyond ameiotic.—Approximately 23% recombination was observed between Mdh4 and Pgm1 on chromosome 1, while 17% recombination occurred between Mdh5 and Pgm2 on chromosome 5. Similarly, linkages between Idh1 and Mdh1, about 22 map units apart on chromosome 8, and between Mdh2 and Idh2, less than 5 map units apart on chromosome 6, were observed. Thus, segments of chromosomes 1 and 5 and segments of 6 and 8 may represent duplications on nonhomologous chromosomes.     

CHL1 is a nuclear protein with an essential ATP binding site that exhibits a size-dependent effect on chromosome segregation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae chl1 mutants have a significant increase in the rate of chromosome missegregation. CHL1 encodes a 99 kDa predicted protein with an ATP binding site consensus, a putative helix–turn–helix DNA binding motif, and homology to helicases. Using site-directed mutagenesis, I show that mutations that are predicted to abolish ATP binding in CHL1 inactivate its function in chromosome segregation. Furthermore, overexpression of these mutations interferes with chromosome transmission of a 125 kb chromosome fragment in a wild-type strain. Polyclonal antibodies against CHL1 show that CHL1 is predominantly in the nuclear fraction of S.cerevisiae. CHL1 function is more critical for the segregation of small chromosomes. In chl1Δ1/chl1Δ1 mutants, artificial circular or linear chromosomes <150 kb in size exhibit near random segregation (0.12 per cell division), whereas all chromosomes tested >225 kb were lost at rates (5 × 10^–3 per cell division) comparable to that observed for endogenous chromosome III. These results reveal an important role for ATPases/DNA helicases in chromosome segregation. Such enzymes may alter DNA topology to allow loading of proteins involved in maintaining sister chromatid cohesion.     

Effect of trisomy 6 on recombination in chromosome 9 of maize

The effect of an additional chromosome 6 upon recombination in chromosome 9 was investigated in maize. Trisomic 6 plants and their disomic sibs, heterozygous for three loci of chromosome 9 (yg, sh and wx), were testcrossed, and recombination in the regions yg–sh and sh–wx was analyzed. Single exchanges in the sh–wx region and double exchanges were more frequent in trisomics, particularly in female flowers.——In reciprocal testcrosses, higher male crossover rates were found for the sh–wx region, and the difference was enhanced in trisomic 6 plants.     

Genetic Evidence That Recognition of Cosq, the Signal for Termination of Phage λ DNA Packaging, Depends on the Extent of Head Filling

Packaging a phage λ chromosome involves cutting the chromosome from a concatemer and translocating the DNA into a prohead. The cutting site, cos, consists of three subsites: cosN, the nicking site; cosB, a site required for packaging initiation; and cosQ, a site required for termination of packaging. cosB contains three binding sites (R sequences) for gpNu1, the small subunit of terminase. Because cosQ has sequence identity to the R sequences, it has been proposed that cosQ is also recognized by gpNu1. Suppressors of cosB mutations were unable to suppress a cosQ point mutation. Suppressors of a cosQ mutation (cosQ1) were isolated and found to be of three sorts, the first affecting a base pair in cosQ. The second type of cosQ suppression involved increasing the length of the phage chromosome to a length near to the maximum capacity of the head shell. A third class of suppressors were missense mutations in gene B, which encodes the portal protein of the virion. It is speculated that increasing DNA length and altering the portal protein may reduce the rate of translocation, thereby increasing the efficiency of recognition of the mutant cosQ. None of the cosQ suppressors was able to suppress cosB mutations. Because cosQ and cosB mutations are suppressed by very different types of suppressors, it is concluded that cosQ and the R sequences of cosB are recognized by different DNA-binding determinants.     

The Essential Function of B. subtilis RNase III Is to Silence Foreign Toxin Genes

RNase III–related enzymes play key roles in cleaving double-stranded RNA in many biological systems. Among the best-known are RNase III itself, involved in ribosomal RNA maturation and mRNA turnover in bacteria, and Drosha and Dicer, which play critical roles in the production of micro (mi)–RNAs and small interfering (si)–RNAs in eukaryotes. Although RNase III has important cellular functions in bacteria, its gene is generally not essential, with the remarkable exception of that of Bacillus subtilis. Here we show that the essential role of RNase III in this organism is to protect it from the expression of toxin genes borne by two prophages, Skin and SPβ, through antisense RNA. Thus, while a growing number of organisms that use RNase III or its homologs as part of a viral defense mechanism, B. subtilis requires RNase III for viral accommodation to the point where the presence of the enzyme is essential for cell survival. We identify txpA and yonT as the two toxin-encoding mRNAs of Skin and SPβ that are sensitive to RNase III. We further explore the mechanism of RNase III–mediated decay of the txpA mRNA when paired to its antisense RNA RatA, both in vivo and in vitro.