scholarly journals The Neurospora crassa exocyst complex tethers Spitzenkörper vesicles to the apical plasma membrane during polarized growth

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1312-1326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meritxell Riquelme ◽  
Erin L. Bredeweg ◽  
Olga Callejas-Negrete ◽  
Robert W. Roberson ◽  
Sarah Ludwig ◽  
...  

Fungal hyphae are among the most highly polarized cells. Hyphal polarized growth is supported by tip-directed transport of secretory vesicles, which accumulate temporarily in a stratified manner in an apical vesicle cluster, the Spitzenkörper. The exocyst complex is required for tethering of secretory vesicles to the apical plasma membrane. We determined that the presence of an octameric exocyst complex is required for the formation of a functional Spitzenkörper and maintenance of regular hyphal growth in Neurospora crassa. Two distinct localization patterns of exocyst subunits at the hyphal tip suggest the dynamic formation of two assemblies. The EXO-70/EXO-84 subunits are found at the peripheral part of the Spitzenkörper, which partially coincides with the outer macrovesicular layer, whereas exocyst components SEC-5, -6, -8, and -15 form a delimited crescent at the apical plasma membrane. Localization of SEC-6 and EXO-70 to the plasma membrane and the Spitzenkörper, respectively, depends on actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. The apical region of exocyst-mediated vesicle fusion, elucidated by the plasma membrane–associated exocyst subunits, indicates the presence of an exocytotic gradient with a tip-high maximum that dissipates gradually toward the subapex, confirming the earlier predictions of the vesicle supply center model for hyphal morphogenesis.

2001 ◽  
Vol 155 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan E. Adamo ◽  
John J. Moskow ◽  
Amy S. Gladfelter ◽  
Domenic Viterbo ◽  
Daniel J. Lew ◽  
...  

The Rho family GTPase Cdc42 is a key regulator of cell polarity and cytoskeletal organization in eukaryotic cells. In yeast, the role of Cdc42 in polarization of cell growth includes polarization of the actin cytoskeleton, which delivers secretory vesicles to growth sites at the plasma membrane. We now describe a novel temperature-sensitive mutant, cdc42-6, that reveals a role for Cdc42 in docking and fusion of secretory vesicles that is independent of its role in actin polarization. cdc42-6 mutants can polarize actin and deliver secretory vesicles to the bud, but fail to fuse those vesicles with the plasma membrane. This defect is manifested only during the early stages of bud formation when growth is most highly polarized, and appears to reflect a requirement for Cdc42 to maintain maximally active exocytic machinery at sites of high vesicle throughput. Extensive genetic interactions between cdc42-6 and mutations in exocytic components support this hypothesis, and indicate a functional overlap with Rho3, which also regulates both actin organization and exocytosis. Localization data suggest that the defect in cdc42-6 cells is not at the level of the localization of the exocytic apparatus. Rather, we suggest that Cdc42 acts as an allosteric regulator of the vesicle docking and fusion apparatus to provide maximal function at sites of polarized growth.


1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1725-1739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Roth ◽  
Wei Guo ◽  
Peter Novick

The accurate targeting of secretory vesicles to distinct sites on the plasma membrane is necessary to achieve polarized growth and to establish specialized domains at the surface of eukaryotic cells. Members of a protein complex required for exocytosis, the exocyst, have been localized to regions of active secretion in the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae where they may function to specify sites on the plasma membrane for vesicle docking and fusion. In this study we have addressed the function of one member of the exocyst complex, Sec10p. We have identified two functional domains of Sec10p that act in a dominant-negative manner to inhibit cell growth upon overexpression. Phenotypic and biochemical analysis of the dominant-negative mutants points to a bifunctional role for Sec10p. One domain, consisting of the amino-terminal two-thirds of Sec10p directly interacts with Sec15p, another exocyst component. Overexpression of this domain displaces the full-length Sec10 from the exocyst complex, resulting in a block in exocytosis and an accumulation of secretory vesicles. The carboxy-terminal domain of Sec10p does not interact with other members of the exocyst complex and expression of this domain does not cause a secretory defect. Rather, this mutant results in the formation of elongated cells, suggesting that the second domain of Sec10p is required for morphogenesis, perhaps regulating the reorientation of the secretory pathway from the tip of the emerging daughter cell toward the mother–daughter connection during cell cycle progression.


2000 ◽  
Vol 149 (7) ◽  
pp. 1473-1484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela J. Plant ◽  
Frank Lafont ◽  
Sandra Lecat ◽  
Paul Verkade ◽  
Kai Simons ◽  
...  

Nedd4 is a ubiquitin protein ligase (E3) containing a C2 domain, three or four WW domains, and a ubiquitin ligase HECT domain. We have shown previously that the C2 domain of Nedd4 is responsible for its Ca2+-dependent targeting to the plasma membrane, particularly the apical region of epithelial MDCK cells. To investigate this apical preference, we searched for Nedd4-C2 domain-interacting proteins that might be involved in targeting Nedd4 to the apical surface. Using immobilized Nedd4-C2 domain to trap interacting proteins from MDCK cell lysate, we isolated, in the presence of Ca2+, a ∼35–40-kD protein that we identified as annexin XIII using mass spectrometry. Annexin XIII has two known isoforms, a and b, that are apically localized, although XIIIa is also found in the basolateral compartment. In vitro binding and coprecipitation experiments showed that the Nedd4-C2 domain interacts with both annexin XIIIa and b in the presence of Ca2+, and the interaction is direct and optimal at 1 μM Ca2+. Immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy revealed colocalization of Nedd4 and annexin XIIIb in apical carriers and at the apical plasma membrane. Moreover, we show that Nedd4 associates with raft lipid microdomains in a Ca2+-dependent manner, as determined by detergent extraction and floatation assays. These results suggest that the apical membrane localization of Nedd4 is mediated by an association of its C2 domain with the apically targeted annexin XIIIb.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 908-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Bühler ◽  
Daisuke Hagiwara ◽  
Norio Takeshita

ABSTRACT Polarized growth in filamentous fungi needs a continuous supply of proteins and lipids to the growing hyphal tip. One of the important membrane compounds in fungi is ergosterol. At the apical plasma membrane ergosterol accumulations, which are called sterol-rich plasma membrane domains (SRDs). The exact roles and formation mechanism of the SRDs remained unclear, although the importance has been recognized for hyphal growth. Transport of ergosterol to hyphal tips is thought to be important for the organization of the SRDs. Oxysterol binding proteins, which are conserved from yeast to human, are involved in nonvesicular sterol transport. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae seven oxysterol-binding protein homologues (OSH1 to -7) play a role in ergosterol distribution between closely located membranes independent of vesicle transport. We found five homologous genes ( oshA to oshE ) in the filamentous fungi Aspergillus nidulans . The functions of OshA-E were characterized by gene deletion and subcellular localization. Each gene-deletion strain showed characteristic phenotypes and different sensitivities to ergosterol-associated drugs. Green fluorescent protein-tagged Osh proteins showed specific localization in the late Golgi compartments, puncta associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, or diffusely in the cytoplasm. The genes expression and regulation were investigated in a medically important species Aspergillus fumigatus , as well as A. nidulans . Our results suggest that each Osh protein plays a role in ergosterol distribution at distinct sites and contributes to proper fungal growth.


2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Wang ◽  
S.C. Hsu

Exocytosis is a highly ordered vesicle trafficking pathway that targets proteins to the plasma membrane for membrane addition or secretion. Research over the years has discovered many proteins that participate at various stages in the mammalian exocytotic pathway. At the early stage of exocytosis, co-atomer proteins and their respective adaptors and GTPases have been shown to play a role in the sorting and incorporation of proteins into secretory vesicles. At the final stage of exocytosis, SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor) and SNARE-associated proteins are believed to mediate the fusion of secretory vesicles at the plasma membrane. There are multiple events that may occur between the budding of secretory vesicles from the Golgi and the fusion of these vesicles at the plasma membrane. The most obvious and best-known event is the transport of secretory vesicles from Golgi to the vicinity of the plasma membrane via microtubules and their associated motors. At the vicinity of the plasma membrane, however, it is not clear how vesicles finally dock and fuse with the plasma membrane. Identification of proteins involved in these events should provide important insights into the mechanisms of this little known stage of the exocytotic pathway. Currently, a protein complex, known as the sec6/8 or the exocyst complex, has been implicated to play a role at this late stage of exocytosis.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aina Masgrau ◽  
Andrea Battola ◽  
Trinidad Sanmartin ◽  
Leszek P. Pryszcz ◽  
Toni Gabaldón ◽  
...  

AbstractBoi1 and Boi2 (Boi1/2) are budding yeast plasma membrane proteins that function in polarized growth, and in cytokinesis inhibition in response to chromosome bridges via the NoCut abscission checkpoint. How Boi1/2 act in these two distinct processes is not understood. We demonstrate that Boi1/2 are required for a late step in the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane of the growing bud. Cells lacking Boi1/2 accumulate secretory vesicles and are defective in bud growth. In contrast, Boi2 is specifically required for abscission inhibition in cells with chromatin bridges. The SH3 domain of Boi2, which is dispensable for bud growth and targets Boi2 to the site of abscission, is essential for abscission inhibition. Gain of function of the exocyst, a conserved protein complex involved in tethering of exocytic vesicles to the plasma membrane, rescued secretion and bud growth defects in boi mutant cells, and abrogated NoCut checkpoint function. Thus, Boi2 functions redundantly with Boi1 to promote the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane at sites of polarized growth, and acts as an abscission inhibitor during cytokinesis in response to chromatin bridges.


2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (14) ◽  
pp. 2685-2695 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Parton ◽  
S. Fischer-Parton ◽  
M. K. Watahiki ◽  
A. J. Trewavas

Regulated secretory vesicle delivery, vesicle fusion and rapid membrane recycling are all contentious issues with respect to tip growth in plant, fungal and animal cells. To examine the organisation and dynamics of membrane movements at the growing pollen tube apex and address the question of their relationship to growth, we have used the membrane stain FM4-64 both as a structural marker and as a quantitative assay. Labelling of living Lilium Longiflorum pollen tubes by FM4-64 resulted in a distinct staining pattern in the tube apex, which corresponds spatially to the previously identified cone-shaped `apical clear zone' containing secretory vesicles. Dye uptake could be inhibited by sodium azide and followed a strict temporal sequence from the plasma membrane to a population of small (1-2 μm diameter) discrete internal structures, with subsequent appearance of dye in the apical region and ultimately in vacuolar membranes. Washout of the dye rapidly removed the plasma membrane staining, which was followed by a gradual decline in the apical fluorescence over more than an hour. Injected aqueous FM4-64 solution showed a relatively even distribution within the pollen tube. Association of FM4-64 with apical secretory vesicles was supported by the effects of the inhibitors Brefeldin-A and Cytochalasin-D, which are known to affect the localisation and number of such vesicles, on the FM4-64 staining pattern. Examination of the dynamics of FM4-64 labelling in the pollen tube tip by time-lapse observation, supported by fluorescence-recovery-after-photobleaching (FRAP) analysis, suggested the possibility of distinct pathways of bulk membrane movement both towards and, significantly, away from the apex. Quantitative analysis of FM4-64 distribution in the apex revealed that fluctuations in fluorescence 5 to 10 μm subapically, and to a lesser extent the apical 3 μm, could be related to the periodic oscillation in pollen tube growth rate. This data reveals a quantitative relationship between FM4-64 staining and growth rate within an individual tube.


2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1218-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaojie Li ◽  
Liangcheng Du ◽  
Gary Yuen ◽  
Steven D. Harris

In filamentous fungi, the stabilization of a polarity axis is likely to be a pivotal event underlying the emergence of a germ tube from a germinating spore. Recent results implicate the polarisome in this process and also suggest that it requires localized membrane organization. Here, we employ a chemical genetic approach to demonstrate that ceramide synthesis is necessary for the formation of a stable polarity axis in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans. We demonstrate that a novel compound (HSAF) produced by a bacterial biocontrol agent disrupts polarized growth and leads to loss of membrane organization and formin localization at hyphal tips. We show that BarA, a putative acyl-CoA-dependent ceramide synthase that is unique to filamentous fungi mediates the effects of HSAF. Moreover, A. nidulans possesses a second likely ceramide synthase that is essential and also regulates hyphal morphogenesis. Our results suggest that filamentous fungi possess distinct pools of ceramide that make independent contributions to polarized hyphal growth, perhaps through the formation of specialized lipid microdomains that regulate organization of the cytoskeleton.


2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (5) ◽  
pp. G904-G916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Guo ◽  
L. Nyasae ◽  
L. T. Braiterman ◽  
A. L. Hubbard

Cu is an essential cofactor of cellular proteins but is toxic in its free state. The hepatic Cu-ATPase ATP7B has two functions in Cu homeostasis: it loads Cu+onto newly synthesized apoceruloplasmin in the secretory pathway, thereby activating the plasma protein; and it participates in the excretion of excess Cu+into the bile. To carry out these two functions, the membrane protein responds to changes in intracellular Cu levels by cycling between the Golgi and apical region. We used polarized hepatic WIF-B cells and high-resolution confocal microscopy to map the itinerary of endogenous and exogenous ATP7B under different Cu conditions. In Cu-depleted cells, ATP7B resided in a post- trans-Golgi network compartment that also contained syntaxin 6, whereas in Cu-loaded cells, the protein relocated to unique vesicles very near to the apical plasma membrane as well as the membrane itself. To determine the role of ATP7B's cytoplasmic NH2terminus in regulating its intracellular movements, we generated seven mutations/deletions in this large [∼650 amino acid (AA)] domain and analyzed the Cu-dependent behavior of the mutant ATP7B proteins in WIF-B cells. Truncation of the ATP7B NH2terminus up to the fifth copper-binding domain (CBD5) yielded an active ATPase that was insensitive to cellular Cu levels and constitutively trafficked to the opposite (basolateral) plasma membrane domain. Fusion of the NH2-terminal 63 AA of ATP7B to the truncated protein restored both its Cu responsiveness and correct intracellular targeting. These results indicate that important targeting information is contained in this relatively short sequence, which is absent from the related CuATPase, ATP7A.


2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 973-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Songer ◽  
Mary Munson

The exocyst is an essential protein complex required for targeting and fusion of secretory vesicles to sites of exocytosis at the plasma membrane. To study the function of the exocyst complex, we performed a structure-based mutational analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae exocyst subunit Sec6p. Two “patches” of highly conserved residues are present on the surface of Sec6p; mutation of either patch does not compromise protein stability. Nevertheless, replacement of SEC6 with the patch mutants results in severe temperature-sensitive growth and secretion defects. At nonpermissive conditions, although trafficking of secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane is unimpaired, none of the exocyst subunits are polarized. This is consistent with data from other exocyst temperature-sensitive mutants, which disrupt the integrity of the complex. Surprisingly, however, these patch mutations result in mislocalized exocyst complexes that remain intact. Our results indicate that assembly and polarization of the exocyst are functionally separable events, and that Sec6p is required to anchor exocyst complexes at sites of secretion.


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