The yeast secretory pathway is perturbed by mutations in PMR1, a member of a Ca2+ ATPase family

The genes for two new P-type ATPases, PMR1 and PMR2, have been identified in yeast. A comparison of the deduced sequences of the PMR proteins with other known ion pumps showed that both proteins are very similar to Ca2+ ATPases. PMR1 is identical to SSC1, a gene previously identified by its effect on secretion of some foreign proteins from yeast. Proteins secreted from pmr1 mutants lack the outer chain glycosylation that normally results from passage through the Golgi. Loss of PMR1 function suppresses the lethality of ypt1-1, a mutation that blocks the secretion pathway. These data suggest that PMR1 functions as a Ca2+ pump affecting transit through the secretory pathway.     

Selection of secretory protein-encoding genes by fusion with PHO5 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Secretory protein-encoding genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been cloned by a novel procedure that is based on the functional selection of their fusions with acid phosphatase (APase) at the DNA level. DNA fragments that functionally replace the promoter and signal sequence-encoding regions of the PHO5 gene (encoding APase) have been obtained by positive selection from a pool of cloned random DNA fragments. Five unique DNA sequences containing the promoter, and encoding signal sequences have been isolated. We have also isolated the complete gene, SSP120, encoding one of these S. cerevisiae secretory proteins, SSP120. Gene disruption studies have shown that the SSP120 gene is not essential for viability and growth. The SSP120 amino acid (aa) sequence has 13.5% identity with the middle 88-250 aa residues of the chicken glycosylation site-binding protein. However, SSP120 disruption did not affect protein glycosylation in yeast. The present study provides an alternative approach for the isolation of genes encoding secretory proteins, in contrast to classical genetic approaches that require isolation of functionally defective mutations followed by gene isolation by functional complementation. The present procedure should contribute to our understanding of protein sorting by permitting the cloning of genes encoding proteins targeted to different organelles in the secretory pathway.     

Overexpression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RER2 gene in Trichoderma reesei affects dolichol dependent enzymes and protein glycosylation

Protein secretion in Trichoderma reesei could be stimulated by overexpression of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae DPM1 gene encoding dolichyl phosphate mannose synthase (DPMS) a key enzyme in the O-glycosylation pathway. The secreted proteins were glycosylated to the wild type level. On the other hand, the elevated concentration of GDP-mannose, a direct substrate for DPMS, resulting from overexpression in T. reesei of the mpg1 gene coding for guanyltransferase, did not affect secretion of proteins but did affect the degree of their O- and N-glycosylation. In this paper, we examined the effects of dolichol, an indispensable carrier of sugar residues in protein glycosylation, on the synthesis of glycosylated proteins. An increase in dolichol synthesis was obtained by overexpression of the yeast gene encoding cis-prenyltransferase, the first enzyme of the mevalonate pathway committed to dolichol biosynthesis. We observed that, an increased concentration of dolichol resulted in an increased expression of the dpm1 gene and DPMS activity and in overglycosylation of secreted proteins.     

Mining secreted proteins that function in pepper fruit development and ripening using a yeast secretion trap (YST)

Plant cells secrete diverse sets of constitutively- and conditionally-expressed proteins under various environmental and developmental states. Secreted protein populations, or secretomes have multiple functions, including defense responses, signaling, metabolic processes, and developmental regulation. To identify genes encoding secreted proteins that function in fruit development and ripening, a yeast secretion trap (YST) screen was employed using pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit cDNAs. The YST screen revealed 80 pepper fruit-related genes (CaPFRs) encoding secreted proteins including cell wall proteins, several of which have not been previously described. Transient GFP-fusion assay and an in planta secretion trap were used to validate the secretion of proteins encoded by selected YST clones. In addition, RNA gel blot analyses provided further insights into their expression and regulation during fruit development and ripening. Integrating our data, we conclude that the YST provides a valuable functional genomics tool for the identification of substantial numbers of novel secreted plant proteins that are associated with biological processes, including fruit development and ripening.     

分泌蛋白特异性基因陷阱的设计与验证

蛋白质分子向细胞外分泌的过程有赖于信号肽的介导.基因陷阱是功能性基因克隆的一种有效方法,经典的基因陷阱以geo作为报告基因,对所克隆的基因类型没有选择性.将绿脓杆菌外毒素、2A序列、IL-2受体穿膜区以及新霉素磷酸转移酶的基因依次融合构建新型报告基因——peo,该报告基因能够特异性地甄别具有信号肽编码序列的基因.为验证peo对信号肽编码序列的特异性甄别作用,以peo为报告基因,构建了3种质粒载体,分别模拟用基因陷阱载体进行筛选时可能出现的3种情况,通过转染HeLa细胞、G418筛选以及碱性磷酸酶检测,证明peo能够有效地区分信号肽和非信号肽编码序列,以peo为报告基因改造的基因陷阱载体可以用于分泌蛋白基因的筛选.     

The three genes lipB, lipC, and lipD involved in the extracellular secretion of the Serratia marcescens lipase which lacks an N-terminal signal peptide.

The extracellular lipase of Serratia marcescens Sr41, lacking a typical N-terminal signal sequence, is secreted via a signal peptide-independent pathway. The 20-kb SacI DNA fragment which allowed the extracellular lipase secretion was cloned from S. marcescens by selection of a phenotype conferring the extracellular lipase activity on the Escherichia coli cells. The subcloned 6.5-kb EcoRV fragment was revealed to contain three open reading frames which are composed of 588, 443, and 437 amino acid residues constituting an operon (lipBCD). Comparisons of the deduced amino acid sequences of the lipB, lipC, and lipD genes with those of the Erwinia chrysanthemi prtDEC, prtEEC, and prtFEC genes encoding the secretion apparatus of the E. chrysanthemi protease showed 55, 46, and 42% identity, respectively. The products of the lipB and lipC genes were 54 and 45% identical to the S. marcescens hasD and hasE gene products, respectively, which were secretory components for the S. marcescens heme-binding protein and metalloprotease. In the E. coli DH5 cells, all three lipBCD genes were essential for the extracellular secretion of both S. marcescens lipase and metalloprotease proteins, both of which lack an N-terminal signal sequence and are secreted via a signal-independent pathway. Although the function of the lipD gene seemed to be analogous to those of the prtFEC and tolC genes encoding third secretory components of ABC transporters, the E. coli TolC protein, which was functional for the S. marcescens Has system, could not replace LipD in the LipB-LipC-LipD transporter reconstituted in E. coli. These results indicated that these three proteins are components of the device which allows extracellular secretion of the extracellular proteins of S. marcescens and that their style is similar to that of the PrtDEF(EC) system.     

Combined analysis of secreted proteins and glycosylation identifies prognostic features in cholangiocarcinoma

Secreted proteins are overexpressed in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and actively involved in promoting metastatic spread. Many of these proteins possess one or more sites of glycosylation and their various glycoforms have potential utility as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers. To evaluate the effects of secretome glycosylation on patient outcome, we elucidated the glycosylation patterns of proteins secreted by parental and metastatic CCA cells using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our analysis showed that the secretome of CCA cells was dominated by fucosylated and fucosialylated glycoforms. Based on the glycan and protein profiles, we evaluated the combined prognostic significance of glycosyltransferases and secretory proteins. Significantly, genes encoding fucosyltransferases and sialyltransferases showed favorable prognostic effects when combined with secretory protein-coding gene expression, particularly thrombospondin-1. Combining these measures may provide improved risk assessment for CCA and be used to indicate stages of disease progression.     

Gene and enhancer trap tagging of vascular-expressed genes in poplar trees

We report a gene discovery system for poplar trees based on gene and enhancer traps. Gene and enhancer trap vectors carrying the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene were inserted into the poplar genome via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation, where they reveal the expression pattern of genes at or near the insertion sites. Because GUS expression phenotypes are dominant and are scored in primary transformants, this system does not require rounds of sexual recombination, a typical barrier to developmental genetic studies in trees. Gene and enhancer trap lines defining genes expressed during primary and secondary vascular development were identified and characterized. Collectively, the vascular gene expression patterns revealed that approximately 40% of genes expressed in leaves were expressed exclusively in the veins, indicating that a large set of genes is required for vascular development and function. Also, significant overlap was found between the sets of genes responsible for development and function of secondary vascular tissues of stems and primary vascular tissues in other organs of the plant, likely reflecting the common evolutionary origin of these tissues. Chromosomal DNA flanking insertion sites was amplified by thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR and sequenced and used to identify insertion sites by reference to the nascent Populus trichocarpa genome sequence. Extension of the system was demonstrated through isolation of full-length cDNAs for five genes of interest, including a new class of vascular-expressed gene tagged by enhancer trap line cET-1-pop1-145. Poplar gene and enhancer traps provide a new resource that allows plant biologists to directly reference the poplar genome sequence and identify novel genes of interest in forest biology.     

A functional antibody lacking N-linked glycans is efficiently folded, assembled and secreted by tobacco mesophyll protoplasts

A potential drawback in the use of plants as an expression platform for pharmaceutical proteins such as antibodies is that plant-specific N-glycosylation can result in proteins with altered function and potential antigenicity. In many cases, the N-glycans are essential for the correct folding, assembly and transport of the recombinant proteins. We tested whether progressive removal of glycosylation sites had a detrimental effect on the synthesis, assembly and secretion of a plant-made immunoglobulin G, Guy's 13. Our results indicate that the plant secretory pathway can cope well with aglycosylated antibody chains. The immunoglobulin without N-linked glycans is correctly assembled and secreted by tobacco protoplasts. Capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay also shows that antigen-binding properties are unaffected. Our results therefore suggest one possible alternative to the engineering of a humanized glycosylation machinery in plants.     

Genes expressed in the ring gland,the major endocrine organ of Drosophila melanogaster.

We have used an enhancer-trap approach to begin characterizing the function of the Drosophila endocrine system during larval development. Five hundred and ten different lethal PZ element insertions were screened to identify those in which a reporter gene within the P element showed strong expression in part or all of the ring gland, the major site of production and release of developmental hormones, and which had a mutant phenotype consistent with an endocrine defect. Nine strong candidate genes were identified in this screen, and eight of these are expressed in the lateral cells of the ring gland that produce ecdysteroid molting hormone (EC). We have confirmed that the genes detected by these enhancer traps are expressed in patterns similar to those detected by the reporter gene. Two of the genes encode proteins, protein kinase A and calmodulin, that have previously been implicated in the signaling pathway leading to EC synthesis and release in other insects. A third gene product, the translational elongation factor EF-1alpha F1, could play a role in the translational regulation of EC production. The screen also identified the genes couch potato and tramtrack, previously known from their roles in peripheral nervous system development, as being expressed in the ring gland. One enhancer trap revealed expression of the gene encoding the C subunit of vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) in the medial cells of the ring gland, which produce the juvenile hormone that controls progression through developmental stages. This could reveal a function of V-ATPase in the response of this part of the ring gland to adenotropic neuropeptides. However, the gene identified by this enhancer trap is ubiquitously expressed, suggesting that the enhancer trap is detecting only a subset of its control elements. The results show that the enhancer trap approach can be a productive way of exploring tissue-specific genetic functions in Drosophila.     

Signal-exon trap: a novel method for the identification of signal sequences from genomic DNA

We describe a genomic DNA-based signal sequence trap method, signal-exon trap (SET), for the identification of genes encoding secreted and membrane-bound proteins. SET is based on the coupling of an exon trap to the translation of captured exons, which allows screening of the exon-encoded polypeptides for signal peptide function. Since most signal sequences are expected to be located in the 5′-terminal exons of genes, we first demonstrate that trapping of these exons is feasible. To test the applicability of SET for the screening of complex genomic DNA, we evaluated two critical features of the method. Specificity was assessed by the analysis of random genomic DNA and efficiency was demonstrated by screening a 425 kb YAC known to contain the genes of four secretory or membrane-bound proteins. All trapped clones contained a translation initiation signal followed by a hydrophobic stretch of amino acids representing either a known signal peptide, transmembrane domain or novel sequence. Our results suggest that SET is a potentially useful method for the isolation of signal sequence-containing genes and may find application in the discovery of novel members of known secretory gene clusters, as well as in other positional cloning approaches.     

Alkaline phosphatase reporter transposon for identification of genes encoding secreted proteins in gram-positive microorganisms

We describe the construction of TnFuZ, a genetic tool for the discovery and mutagenesis of proteins exported from gram-positive bacteria. This tool combines a transposable element (Tn4001) of broad host range in gram-positive bacteria and an alkaline phosphatase gene (phoZ) derived from a gram-positive bacterium that has been modified by removal of the region encoding its export signal. Mutagenesis of Streptococcus pyogenes with TnFuZ ("FuZ" stands for fusions to phoZ) identified genes encoding secreted proteins whose expression was enhanced during growth in an aerobic environment. Thus, TnFuZ should be valuable for analysis of protein secretion, gene regulation, and virulence in gram-positive bacteria.     

带有报告基因的板栗疫病菌寄生隐赤壳分泌表达突变体库的构建及分泌缺陷突变体的筛选

丝状真菌分泌蛋白与其致病性密切相关,目前对于病原真菌的蛋白胞外分泌途径及其调控机制的报道不多。为建立一个方便高效的真菌分泌蛋白调控途径的遗传研究体系,本研究以植物病原丝状真菌——板栗疫病菌寄生隐赤壳Cryphonectria parasitica为对象,选取分泌表达量最高的两个分泌蛋白的信号肽SP1和SP2,分别构建带有GUS报告基因的分泌蛋白表达载体pCPXBle-SP1-GUS和pCPXBle-SP2-GUS并用于转化板栗疫病菌。选择高效分泌GUS蛋白的转化株SP1-9为出发菌株,利用农杆菌介导的遗传转化技术构建了T-DNA插入突变体库,从576个突变体中筛选到2株GUS分泌表达明显降低的突变体。本研究成功构建了可用于研究丝状真菌蛋白分泌的遗传研究体系,并筛选获得了分泌蛋白缺陷突变体,为深入研究丝状真菌分泌途径及其调控机制奠定了基础。     

The influence of topology and glycosylation on the fate of heterologous secretory proteins made in Xenopus oocytes

Secretory proteins made in Xenopus laevis oocytes under the direction of heterologous messenger RNA are modified, topologically segregated and exported. Thus the oocyte may serve as a useful surrogate secretory system and we have studied some of the factors governing access to the export pathway. Unglycosylated chicken ovalbumin, synthesized and trapped in the cytosol, is not secreted but glycosylated ovalbumin, found sequestered within vesicles, is exported from oocytes. However, ovalbumin, which is transferred across the endoplasmic reticulum in the presence of tunicamycin and which is indistinguishable by immunoprecipitation, by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and by concanavalin-A--Sepharose binding from the cytosolic form, is still secreted. Guinea-pig milk proteins and human interferon are also exported from tunicamycin-treated frog cells. These observations demonstrate that access to the endoplasmic reticulum but not glycosylation is a mandatory intermediate step in secretion, and emphasize the advantages of the oocyte as a surrogate system for the study of the later events in the gene expression pathway.     

Secretion of rat serum albumin by COS cells transfected with a spliced cDNA gene. A system to study protein sorting

Certain structural features of secreted proteins may function as "sorting signals" to direct the various steps required in the secretory pathway. In order to identify and study the function of these signals we have cloned a complete cDNA gene encoding rat serum albumin (RSA) and expressed this gene in COS-1 cells via an SV40-plasmid shuttle vector. The gene was constructed by splicing together a segment of genomic DNA and three cDNA fragments excised from recombinant plasmids. DNA endonuclease digestion and ligation at restriction sites common to overlapping regions of these four RSA DNA fragments assured the maintenance of the translation reading frame during the construction of this gene. COS-1 cells transfected with the recombinant vector containing the full-length RSA gene (pSV2rsa) synthesize and secrete RSA immunoreactive material into the culture medium. This mammalian expression system provides a means to study the signals and processes involved in intracellular transport of secreted proteins.