scholarly journals Mechanisms for Curing Yeast Prions

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6536
Author(s):  
Lois E. Greene ◽  
Farrin Saba ◽  
Rebecca E. Silberman ◽  
Xiaohong Zhao

Prions are infectious proteins that self-propagate by changing from their normal folded conformation to a misfolded conformation. The misfolded conformation, which is typically rich in β-sheet, serves as a template to convert the prion protein into its misfolded conformation. In yeast, the misfolded prion proteins are assembled into amyloid fibers or seeds, which are constantly severed and transmitted to daughter cells. To cure prions in yeast, it is necessary to eliminate all the prion seeds. Multiple mechanisms of curing have been found including inhibiting severing of the prion seeds, gradual dissolution of the prion seeds, asymmetric segregation of the prion seeds between mother and daughter cells during cell division, and degradation of the prion seeds. These mechanisms, achieved by using different protein quality control machinery, are not mutually exclusive; depending on conditions, multiple mechanisms may work simultaneously to achieve curing. This review discusses the various methods that have been used to differentiate between these mechanisms of curing.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Mehdi Kabani

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae hosts an ensemble of protein-based heritable traits, most of which result from the conversion of structurally and functionally diverse cytoplasmic proteins into prion forms. Among these, [PSI+], [URE3] and [PIN+] are the most well-documented prions and arise from the assembly of Sup35p, Ure2p and Rnq1p, respectively, into insoluble fibrillar assemblies. Yeast prions propagate by molecular chaperone-mediated fragmentation of these aggregates, which generates small self-templating seeds, or propagons. The exact molecular nature of propagons and how they are faithfully transmitted from mother to daughter cells despite spatial protein quality control are not fully understood. In [PSI+] cells, Sup35p forms detergent-resistant assemblies detectable on agarose gels under semi-denaturant conditions and cytosolic fluorescent puncta when the protein is fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP); yet, these macroscopic manifestations of [PSI+] do not fully correlate with the infectivity measured during growth by the mean of protein infection assays. We also discovered that significant amounts of infectious Sup35p particles are exported via extracellular (EV) and periplasmic (PV) vesicles in a growth phase and glucose-dependent manner. In the present review, I discuss how these vesicles may be a source of actual propagons and a suitable vehicle for their transmission to the bud.


Microbiology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 154 (7) ◽  
pp. 1876-1885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Sugimoto ◽  
Kozue Saruwatari ◽  
Chihana Higashi ◽  
Kenji Sonomoto

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 635-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang-Nim Park ◽  
Xiaohong Zhao ◽  
Yang-In Yim ◽  
Horia Todor ◽  
Robyn Ellerbrock ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The [ PSI + ] yeast prion is formed when Sup35 misfolds into amyloid aggregates. [ PSI + ], like other yeast prions, is dependent on the molecular chaperone Hsp104, which severs the prion seeds so that they pass on as the yeast cells divide. Surprisingly, however, overexpression of Hsp104 also cures [ PSI + ]. Several models have been proposed to explain this effect: inhibition of severing, asymmetric segregation of the seeds between mother and daughter cells, and dissolution of the prion seeds. First, we found that neither the kinetics of curing nor the heterogeneity in the distribution of the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled Sup35 foci in partially cured yeast cells is compatible with Hsp104 overexpression curing [ PSI + ] by inhibiting severing. Second, we ruled out the asymmetric segregation model by showing that the extent of curing was essentially the same in mother and daughter cells and that the fluorescent foci did not distribute asymmetrically, but rather, there was marked loss of foci in both mother and daughter cells. These results suggest that Hsp104 overexpression cures [ PSI + ] by dissolution of the prion seeds in a two-step process. First, trimming of the prion seeds by Hsp104 reduces their size, and second, their amyloid core is eliminated, most likely by proteolysis.


2005 ◽  
Vol 168 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félix Machín ◽  
Jordi Torres-Rosell ◽  
Adam Jarmuz ◽  
Luis Aragón

Mitotic cell division involves the equal segregation of all chromosomes during anaphase. The presence of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats on the right arm of chromosome XII makes it the longest in the budding yeast genome. Previously, we identified a stage during yeast anaphase when rDNA is stretched across the mother and daughter cells. Here, we show that resolution of sister rDNAs is achieved by unzipping of the locus from its centromere-proximal to centromere-distal regions. We then demonstrate that during this stretched stage sister rDNA arrays are neither compacted nor segregated despite being largely resolved from each other. Surprisingly, we find that rDNA segregation after this period no longer requires spindles but instead involves Cdc14-dependent rDNA axial compaction. These results demonstrate that chromosome resolution is not simply a consequence of compacting chromosome arms and that overall rDNA compaction is necessary to mediate the segregation of the long arm of chromosome XII.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2638
Author(s):  
Carole Luthold ◽  
Herman Lambert ◽  
Solenn M. Guilbert ◽  
Marc-Antoine Rodrigue ◽  
Margit Fuchs ◽  
...  

The cochaperone BCL2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3), in complex with the heat shock protein HSPB8, facilitates mitotic rounding, spindle orientation, and proper abscission of daughter cells. BAG3 and HSPB8 mitotic functions implicate the sequestosome p62/SQSTM1, suggesting a role for protein quality control. However, the interplay between this chaperone-assisted pathway and the mitotic machinery is not known. Here, we show that BAG3 phosphorylation at the conserved T285 is regulated by CDK1 and activates its function in mitotic cell shape remodeling. BAG3 phosphorylation exhibited a high dynamic at mitotic entry and both a non-phosphorylatable BAG3T285A and a phosphomimetic BAG3T285D protein were unable to correct the mitotic defects in BAG3-depleted HeLa cells. We also demonstrate that BAG3 phosphorylation, HSPB8, and CDK1 activity modulate the molecular assembly of p62/SQSTM1 into mitotic bodies containing K63 polyubiquitinated chains. These findings suggest the existence of a mitotically regulated spatial quality control mechanism for the fidelity of cell shape remodeling in highly dividing cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailesh Kumar ◽  
Elliot A. Dine ◽  
Ethan Paddock ◽  
Danielle N. Steinberg ◽  
Lois E. Greene ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The yeast prion [URE3] propagates as a misfolded amyloid form of the Ure2 protein. Propagation of amyloid-based yeast prions requires protein quality control (PQC) factors, and altering PQC abundance or activity can cure cells of prions. Yeast antiprion systems composed of PQC factors act at normal abundance to restrict establishment of the majority of prion variants that arise de novo. While these systems are well described, how they or other PQC factors interact with prion proteins remains unclear. To gain insight into such interactions, we identified mutations outside the Ure2 prion-determining region that destabilize [URE3]. Despite residing in the functional domain, 16 of 17 mutants retained Ure2 activity. Four characterized mutations caused rapid loss of [URE3] yet allowed [URE3] to propagate under prion-selecting conditions. Two sensitized [URE3] to Btn2, Cur1, and Hsp42, but in different ways. Two others reduced amyloid formation in vitro. Of these, one impaired prion replication and the other apparently impaired transmission. Thus, widely dispersed sites outside a prion’s amyloid-forming region can contribute to prion character, and altering such sites can disrupt prion propagation by altering interactions with PQC factors.


Author(s):  
Michèle Reindl ◽  
Janpeter Stock ◽  
Kai P. Hussnaetter ◽  
Aycin Genc ◽  
Andreas Brachmann ◽  
...  

AbstractSubcellular targeting of proteins is essential to orchestrate cytokinesis in eukaryotic cells. During cell division of Ustilago maydis, for example, chitinases must be specifically targeted to the fragmentation zone at the site of cell division to degrade remnant chitin and thus separate mother and daughter cells. Chitinase Cts1 is exported to this location via an unconventional secretion pathway putatively operating in a lock-type manner. The underlying mechanism is largely unexplored. Here, we applied a forward genetic screen based on UV mutagenesis to identify components essential for Cts1 export. The screen revealed a novel factor termed Jps1 lacking known protein domains. Deletion of the corresponding gene confirmed its essential role for Cts1 secretion. Localization studies demonstrated that Jps1 colocalizes with Cts1 in the fragmentation zone of dividing yeast cells. While loss of Jps1 leads to exclusion of Cts1 from the fragmentation zone and strongly reduced unconventional secretion, deletion of the chitinase does not disturb Jps1 localization. Yeast-two hybrid experiments suggest that the two proteins interact. In essence, we identified a novel component of unconventional secretion that functions in the fragmentation zone to enable export of Cts1. We hypothesize that Jps1 acts as an anchoring factor, supporting the proposed novel lock-type mechanism of unconventional secretion.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (38) ◽  
pp. 11977-11982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Yang ◽  
Mark A. McCormick ◽  
Jiashun Zheng ◽  
Zhengwei Xie ◽  
Mitsuhiro Tsuchiya ◽  
...  

Budding yeast divides asymmetrically, giving rise to a mother cell that progressively ages and a daughter cell with full lifespan. It is generally assumed that mother cells retain damaged, lifespan limiting materials (“aging factors”) through asymmetric division. However, the identity of these aging factors and the mechanisms through which they limit lifespan remain poorly understood. Using a flow cytometry-based, high-throughput approach, we quantified the asymmetric partitioning of the yeast proteome between mother and daughter cells during cell division, discovering 74 mother-enriched and 60 daughter-enriched proteins. While daughter-enriched proteins are biased toward those needed for bud construction and genome maintenance, mother-enriched proteins are biased towards those localized in the plasma membrane and vacuole. Deletion of 23 of the 74 mother-enriched proteins leads to lifespan extension, a fraction that is about six times that of the genes picked randomly from the genome. Among these lifespan-extending genes, three are involved in endosomal sorting/endosome to vacuole transport, and three are nitrogen source transporters. Tracking the dynamic expression of specific mother-enriched proteins revealed that their concentration steadily increases in the mother cells as they age, but is kept relatively low in the daughter cells via asymmetric distribution. Our results suggest that some mother-enriched proteins may increase to a concentration that becomes deleterious and lifespan-limiting in aged cells, possibly by upsetting homeostasis or leading to aberrant signaling. Our study provides a comprehensive resource for analyzing asymmetric cell division and aging in yeast, which should also be valuable for understanding similar phenomena in other organisms.


2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 337-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek E. Dimcheff ◽  
John L. Portis ◽  
Byron Caughey

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