Isolation and characterization of osmosensitive vacuolar mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast vacuole plays an important role in nitrogen metabolism, storage and intracellular macromolecular degradation. Evidence suggests that it is also involved in osmohomeostasis of the cell. We have taken a mutational approach for the analysis of vacuolar function and biogenesis by the isolation of 97 mutants unable to grow if high concentrations of salt are present in the medium. Phenotypic analysis was able to demonstrate that apart from osmosensitivity the mutations also conferred other properties such as altered vacuolar morphology and secretion of the vacuolar enzymes carboxypeptidase Y, proteinase A, proteinase B and alpha-mannosidase. The mutants fall into at least 17 complementation groups, termed ssv for salt-sensitive vacuolar mutants, of which two are identical to complementation groups isolated by others. We conclude that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae correct vacuolar biogenesis and protein targeting is required for osmotolerance as well as other important cellular processes.