A screen for upstream components of the yeast protein kinase C signal transduction pathway identifies the product of the SLG1 gene

We employed the constitutive BCK1-20 allele of the gene for the MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) in the yeast Pkc signal transduction pathway to develop a genetic screen for mutants in genes encoding upstream components. Transposon mutagenesis yielded a mutant that was completely dependent on the active allele in the absence of osmotic stabilization. The transposon had integrated at the yeast SLG1 (HCS77) locus. This gene encodes a putative membrane protein. Haploid slg1 deletion strains are sensitive to caffeine, as expected for mutants in the Pkc pathway, as well as a variety of other drugs. The response to elevated temperatures and the dependence on osmotic stabilization depends on the genetic background. Thus, in the strain used for mutagenesis, disruption of SLG1 causes the cells to become non-viable in the absence of osmotic stabilization at both 30°?C and 37°?C. In a different genetic background this phenotype was not observed. Sensitivity of the haploid deletion mutants to caffeine can be partially suppressed by overexpression of genes for other components of the Pkc pathway, such as PKC1, SLT2, ROM2, and STE20. In addition, a SLG1-lacZ reporter construct shows higher expression in the presence of caffeine or magnesium chloride in a wild-type diploid background.     

A screen for upstream components of the yeast protein kinase C signal transduction pathway identifies the product of the SLG1 gene

We employed the constitutive BCK1-20 allele of the gene for the MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) in the yeast Pkc signal transduction pathway to develop a genetic screen for mutants in genes encoding upstream components. Transposon mutagenesis yielded a mutant that was completely dependent on the active allele in the absence of osmotic stabilization. The transposon had integrated at the yeast SLG1 (HCS77) locus. This gene encodes a putative membrane protein. Haploid slg1 deletion strains are sensitive to caffeine, as expected for mutants in the Pkc pathway, as well as a variety of other drugs. The response to elevated temperatures and the dependence on osmotic stabilization depends on the genetic background. Thus, in the strain used for mutagenesis, disruption of SLG1 causes the cells to become non-viable in the absence of osmotic stabilization at both 30° C and 37° C. In a different genetic background this phenotype was not observed. Sensitivity of the haploid deletion mutants to caffeine can be partially suppressed by overexpression of genes for other components of the Pkc pathway, such as PKC1, SLT2, ROM2, and STE20. In addition, a SLG1-lacZ reporter construct shows higher expression in the presence of caffeine or magnesium chloride in a wild-type diploid background. Received: 2 December 1997 / Accepted: 15 December 1997     

Two classes of isocitrate lyase genes are expressed during late embryogeny and postgermination in Brassica napus L.

Deletion of the SLT2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which codes for a homologue of MAP (mitogen-activated) protein kinases, causes an autolytic lethal phenotype in cells grown at 37° C. The gene encodes domains characteristic of protein kinases, which include a lysine (at position 54) that lies 19 residues from a glycine-rich cluster, considered to be the putative ATP binding site. The ability of three mutant alleles of SLT2 generated by site-directed mutagenesis, namely E54 (glutamic acid), R54 (arginine) and F54 (phenylalanine), to complement slt2 mutants was tested. All three failed to complement the autolytic phenotype and were unable to restore growth and viability of cells. A strain obtained by transplacement of slt2-F54 also behaved as a thermosensitive autolytic mutant. By immunoprecipitation with polyclonal antibodies raised against Slt2 protein expressed in Escherichia coli, it was possible to confirm that alteration of the lysine-54 residue did not affect the stability of the protein, thus allowing us to conclude that activity of the Slt2 protein kinase is critically required for growth and morphogenesis of S. cerevisiae at 37° C. A significant fraction of the mutant cell population lysed at 24° C and the cells displayed a characteristic alteration of the surface consisting of a typical depression in an area of the cell wall. At 37° C, the cell surface was clearly disorganized.     

Low temperature highlights the functional role of the cell wall integrity pathway in the regulation of growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Unlike other stresses, the physiological significance and molecular mechanisms involved in the yeast cold response are largely unknown. In the present study, we show that the CWI (cell wall integrity) pathway plays an important role in the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at low temperatures. Cells lacking the Wsc1p (wall integrity and stress response component 1) membrane sensor or the MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases) Bck1p (bypass of C kinase 1), Mkk (Mapk kinase) 1p/Mkk2p or Slt2p (suppressor of lyt2) exhibited cold sensitivity. However, there was no evidence of either a cold-provoked perturbation of the cell wall or a differential cold expression program mediated by Slt2p. The results of the present study suggest that Slt2p is activated by different inputs in response to nutrient signals and mediates growth control through TORC1 (target of rapamycin 1 complex)-Sch9p (suppressor of cdc25) and PKA (protein kinase A) at low temperatures. We found that absence of TOR1 (target of rapamycin 1) causes cold sensitivity, whereas a ras2Δ mutant shows increased cold growth. Lack of Sch9p alleviates the phenotype of slt2Δ and bck1Δ mutant cells, as well as attenuation of PKA activity by overexpression of BCY1 (bypass of cyclase mutations 1). Interestingly, swi4Δ mutant cells display cold sensitivity, but the phenotype is neither mediated by the Slt2p-regulated induction of Swi4p (switching deficient 4)-responsive promoters nor influenced by osmotic stabilization. Hence, cold signalling through the CWI pathway has distinct features and might mediate still unknown effectors and targets.     

Functional characterization of the MKC1 gene of Candida albicans, which encodes a mitogen-activated protein kinase homolog related to cell integrity.

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases represent a group of serine/threonine protein kinases playing a central role in signal transduction processes in eukaryotic cells. Using a strategy based on the complementation of the thermosensitive autolytic phenotype of slt2 null mutants, we have isolated a Candida albicans homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MAP kinase gene SLT2 (MPK1), which is involved in the recently outlined PKC1-controlled signalling pathway. The isolated gene, named MKC1 (MAP kinase from C. albicans), coded for a putative protein, Mkc1p, of 58,320 Da that displayed all the characteristic domains of MAP kinases and was 55% identical to S. cerevisiae Slt2p (Mpk1p). The MKC1 gene was deleted in a diploid Candida strain, and heterozygous and homozygous strains, in both Ura+ and Ura- backgrounds, were obtained to facilitate the analysis of the function of the gene. Deletion of the two alleles of the MKC1 gene gave rise to viable cells that grew at 28 and 37 degrees C but, nevertheless, displayed a variety of phenotypic traits under more stringent conditions. These included a low growth yield and a loss of viability in cultures grown at 42 degrees C, a high sensitivity to thermal shocks at 55 degrees C, an enhanced susceptibility to caffeine that was osmotically remediable, and the formation of a weak cell wall with a very low resistance to complex lytic enzyme preparations. The analysis of the functions downstream of the MKC1 gene should contribute to understanding of the connection of growth and morphogenesis in pathogenic fungi.     

Putative homologs of SSK22 MAPKK kinase and PBS2 MAPK kinase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encoded by os-4 and os-5 genes for osmotic sensitivity and fungicide resistance in Neurospora crassa

We cloned and characterized Neurospora NcSSK22 and NcPBS2 genes, similar to yeast SSK22 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase and the PBS2 MAP kinase kinase genes, respectively. Disruptants of the NcSSK22 gene were sensitive to osmotic stress and resistant to iprodione and fludioxonil. Their phenotypes were similar to those of osmotic-sensitive (os) mutants os-1, os-2, os-4, and os-5. The os-4 mutant strain transformed with the wild-type NcSSK22 gene grew on a medium containing 4% NaCl and was sensitive to iprodione and fludioxonil. In contrast, the NcPBS2 gene complemented the osmotic sensitivity and fungicide resistance of the os-5 mutant strain. We sequenced the NcPBS2 gene of the os-5 mutant strain (NM216o) and found five nucleotides deleted within the kinase domain. This result suggests that the gene products of os-4 and os-5 are components of the MAP kinase cascade, which is probably regulated upstream by two-component histidine kinase encoded by the os-1/nik1 gene.     

The role of Gilgamesh protein kinase in Drosophila melanogaster spermatogenesis

The cellular function of the gilgamesh mutation (89B9-12) of casein kinase gene in Drosophila spermatogenesis was studied. It was demonstrated that the sterility resulting from this mutation is connected with the abnormalities in spermatid individualization. A phylogenetic study of the protein sequences of casein kinases 1 from various organisms was conducted. The Gilgamesh protein was shown to be phylogenetically closer to the cytoplasmic casein kinase family, represented by the YCK3, YCK2, and YCK1 proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and animal gamma-casein kinases. It is known that these yeast casein kinases are involved in vesicular trafficking, which, in turn, is related in its genetic control to the cell membrane remodeling during spermatid individualization. Thus, the data of phylogenetic analysis fit well the results obtained by studying the mutation phenotype.     

ASR1, a stress-induced tomato protein, protects yeast from osmotic stress

Asr1 , a tomato gene induced by abiotic stress, belongs to a family, composed by at least three members, involved in adaptation to dry climates. To understand the mechanism by which proteins of this family seem to protect cells from water loss in plants, we expressed Asr1 in the heterologous expression system Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of a galactose-inducible promoter. In a mutant yeast strain deficient in one component of the stress-responsive high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway, namely the MAP kinase Hog 1, the synthesis of ASR1 protein restores growth under osmotic stress conditions such as 0.5  M NaCl and 1.2  M sorbitol. In contrast, the rescuing of this phenotype was less evident using a wild-type strain or the upstream MAP kinase kinase (Pbs2)-deficient strain. In both knock-out strains impaired in glycerol synthesis because of a dysfunctional HOG pathway, but not in wild-type, ASR1 led to the accumulation of endogenous glycerol in an osmotic stress-independent and unrestrained manner. These data suggest that ASR1 complements yeast HOG-deficient phenotypes by inducing downstream components of the HOG pathway. The results are discussed in terms of the function of ASR proteins in planta at the molecular and cellular level.     

A cdc-like autolytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant altered in budding site selection is complemented by SPO12, a sporulation gene.

LYT1 is an essential gene for the growth and morphogenesis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A detailed characterization of mutants carrying the lyt1-1 allele showed that this mutation was recessive and pleiotropic, affecting both mitotic and meiotic functions. At the nonpermissive temperature of 37 degrees C, lyt1 haploid strains budded at a distal position (instead of an axial one, as in wild-type haploid strains) and underwent autolysis when the buds were almost the size of the mother cells. These mitotic alterations in cell stability and budding topology were dependent on growth and protein synthesis. Autolysis was prevented by inhibiting DNA synthesis (with hydroxyurea) or by blocking the assembly of microtubules (with benomyl), suggesting that loss of cell viability must occur at a fixed mitotic cycle stage after DNA synthesis and mitotic spindle assembly. On the other hand, lyt1-1/lyt1-1 diploids failed to sporulate at both 24 and 37 degrees C. Taking into account these characteristics, the lyt1 mutant could be considered a cdc-like mutant. By genetic transformation of an appropriate lyt1 strain with a genomic library, ligated to the multicopy vector YEp13, we isolated a gene capable of complementing mitotic alterations but not the meiotic defect. This was the sporulation-specific gene SPO12, which is expressed under the control of the locus MAT in meiosis and is also expressed in the mitotic cycle (V. Parkes and L. H. Johnston, Nucleic Acids Res. 20:5617-5623, 1992). A significant level of SPO12 mRNA can be detected when this gene is inserted in a multicopy plasmid.     

The role of Gilgamesh protein kinase in Drosophila melanogaster spermatogenesis

The cellular function of the gilgamesh mutation (89B9-12) of casein kinase gene in Drosophila spermatogenesis was studied. It was demonstrated that the sterility resulting from this mutation is connected with the abnormalities in spermatid individualization. A phylogenetic study of the protein sequences of casein kinases 1 from various organisms was conducted. The Gilgamesh protein was shown to be phylogenetically closer to the cytoplasmic casein kinase family, represented by the YCK3, YCK2, and YCK1 proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and animal γ-casein kinases. It is known that these yeast casein kinases are involved in vesicular trafficking, which, in turn, is related in its genetic control to the cell membrane remodeling during spermatid individualization. Thus, the data of phylogenetic analysis fit well the results obtained by studying the mutation phenotype.     

A novel yeast gene coding for a putative protein kinase

A yeast gene termed YKR2 coding for a putative protein kinase was isolated using the cloned cDNA for rabbit protein kinase C as a hybridization probe. The encoded protein YKR2, containing 677 amino acids, shows about 40% sequence identity in the kinase region to a family of serine/threonine-specific protein kinases from various species.     

Multiple Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase genes in a unicellular eukaryote.

We purified a Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with properties similar to mammalian type II CaM kinases. Degenerate oligonucleotides designed on the basis of the amino acid sequence of tryptic peptides from the 55 kd subunit of the yeast CaM kinase were used to isolate its gene from a set of lambda gt11-yeast genomic DNA phage clones initially selected by the ability to bind 125I-labelled yeast CaM. The cloned gene (CMK1) encodes an open reading frame that is homologous to the sequences of vertebrate type II CaM kinases. Several criteria demonstrated that the CMK1 gene product is the 55 kd polypeptide. Neither over-production (11-fold) nor complete elimination of the CMK1 gene product had any detectably deleterious effect on yeast cell growth. Extracts from cmk1 delta cells, which lacked detectable p55 using an antiserum raised against a Staphylococcus aureus protein A-CMK1 fusion protein, possessed significant residual Ca2+/CAM-dependent protein kinase activity. Using the CMK1 gene as a probe at low stringency, a second gene (CMK2) encoding another CaM-dependent protein kinase with striking sequence similarity to CMK1 was cloned. Deletion of CMK2, or both CMK1 and CMK2, was not lethal, although loss of CMK2 caused a slow rate of spore germination.     

A mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPKA) is involved in polarized growth in the filamentous fungus, Aspergillus nidulans

An Aspergillus nidulans kinase gene, which encodes a protein kinase with high similarity to mitogen-activated protein kinases involved in cell wall construction and morphogenesis in yeast species, was cloned and sequenced. Targeted deletion of the Aspergillus nidulans kinase gene indicates that this kinase is involved in germination of conidial spores and polarized growth. These defects were largely remedied on complex high osmolarity media, although abnormal swellings of hyphal tips were still observed. Glycerol (1 M) only supported the growth of compact colonies. The Aspergillus nidulans kinase gene is, thus, required for normal polarized growth at several stages of colony formation in the filamentous fungus A. nidulans.     

Protein kinases involved in mating and osmotic stress in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

Systematic disruption of genes encoding kinases and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was performed in Kluyveromyces lactis haploid cells. The mutated strains were assayed by their capacity to mate and to respond to hyperosmotic stress. The K. lactis Ste11p (KlSte11p) MAPK kinase kinase (MAPKKK) was found to act in both mating and osmoresponse pathways while the scaffold KlSte5p and the MAPK KlFus3p appeared to be specific for mating. The p21-activated kinase KlSte20p and the kinase KlSte50p participated in both pathways. Protein association experiments showed interaction of KlSte50p and KlSte20p with Gα and Gβ, respectively, the G protein subunits involved in the mating pathway. Both KlSte50p and KlSte20p also showed interaction with KlSte11p. Disruption mutants of the K. lactis PBS2 (KlPBS2) and KlHOG1 genes of the canonical osmotic response pathway resulted in mutations sensitive to high salt and high sorbitol but dispensable for mating. Mutations that eliminate the MAPKK KlSte7p activity had a strong effect on mating and also showed sensitivity to osmotic stress. Finally, we found evidence of physical interaction between KlSte7p and KlHog1p, in addition to diminished Hog1p phosphorylation after a hyperosmotic shock in cells lacking KlSte7p. This study reveals novel roles for components of transduction systems in yeast.     

Biochemical characterization of the tobacco 42-kD protein kinase activated by osmotic stress

In tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), hyperosmotic stress induces rapid activation of a 42-kD protein kinase, referred to as Nicotiana tabacum osmotic stress-activated protein kinase (NtOSAK). cDNA encoding the kinase was cloned and, based on the predicted amino acid sequence, the enzyme was assigned to the SNF1-related protein kinase type 2 (SnRK2) family. The identity of the enzyme was confirmed by immunoprecipitation of the active kinase from tobacco cells subjected to osmotic stress using antibodies raised against a peptide corresponding to the C-terminal sequence of the kinase predicted from the cloned cDNA. A detailed biochemical characterization of NtOSAK purified from stressed tobacco cells was performed. Our results show that NtOSAK is a calcium-independent Ser/Thr protein kinase. The sequence of putative phosphorylation sites recognized by NtOSAK, predicted by the computer program PREDIKIN, resembled the substrate consensus sequence defined for animal and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) AMPK/SNF1 kinases. Our experimental data confirmed these results, as various targets for AMPK/SNF1 kinases were also efficiently phosphorylated by NtOSAK. A range of protein kinase inhibitors was tested as potential modulators of NtOSAK, but only staurosporine, a rather nonspecific protein kinase inhibitor, was found to abolish the enzyme activity. In phosphorylation reactions, NtOSAK exhibited a preference for Mg(2+) over Mn(2+) ions and an inability to use GTP instead of ATP as a phosphate donor. The enzyme activity was not modulated by 5'-AMP. To our knowledge, these results represent the first detailed biochemical characterization of a kinase of the SnRK2 family.     

Characterization of OSR1, a member of the mammalian Ste20p/germinal center kinase subfamily

In examining the protein kinase components of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (MAPK) cascades that regulate the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in Drosophila S2 cells, we previously found that distinct upstream kinases were involved in responses to sorbitol and lipopolysaccharide. Here we have extended that analysis to the possible MAPK kinase kinase kinases (MAP4Ks) in the JNK pathway. Fray, a putative Drosophila MAP4K, provided a major contribution to JNK activation by sorbitol. To explore the possible link to JNK in mammalian cells, we isolated and characterized OSR1 (oxidative stress-responsive 1), one of two human Fray homologs. OSR1 is a 58-kDa protein of 527 amino acids that is widely expressed in mammalian tissues and cell lines. Of potential regulators surveyed, endogenous OSR1 is activated only by osmotic stresses, notably sorbitol and to a lesser extent NaCl. However, OSR1 did not increase the activity of coexpressed JNK, nor did it activate three other MAPKs, p38, ERK2, and ERK5. A two-hybrid screen implicated another Ste20p family member, the p21-activated protein kinase PAK1, as an OSR1 target. OSR1 phosphorylated threonine 84 in the N-terminal regulatory domain of PAK1. Replacement of threonine 84 with glutamate reduced the activation of PAK1 by an active form of the small G protein Cdc42, suggesting that phosphorylation by OSR1 modulates the G protein sensitivity of PAK isoforms.