Albert Hinnen

The sequence of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene PHO2 codes for a regulatory protein with unusual aminoacid composition

A new centromere vector for the construction of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene library, allowing direct selection for DNA insert, will be described. From that library the gene for the regulatory protein PHO2 involved in PHO5 induction has been cloned by complementation of a pho2 mutation. The complementing activity was shown to be located on a 3.6 kb HindIII fragment. This fragment was used to evict the genomic copy and with appropriate genetic crosses we proved, that the cloned gene is PHO2. The DNA sequence of PHO2 was determined. Analysis of the sequence data uncovered striking homology regions with PHO4, another protein necessary for the induction of PHO5. The relevance of the observed homology will be discussed.

Identification of the yeast ACC1 gene product (acetyl-CoA carboxylase) as the target of the polyketide fungicide soraphen A

Soraphen A, a polyketide isolated from the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum, is a potent inhibitor of fungal growth. We have used a genetic approach to localize the target of this drug, employing Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. We have isolated soraphen A-resistant mutants and found that all of them map at the same genetic locus and exhibit a broad range of semidominant phenotypes. Data from genetic crosses of soraphen A-resistant clones with an acc1 mutant revealed that ACC1, coding for acetyl-CoA carboxylase (E.C. 6.4.1.2), is tightly linked to soraphen A resistance. Partially-purified enzyme extracts containing acetyl-CoA carboxylase were prepared and assayed for their soraphen A sensitivity. Our experiments showed that the catalytic activity of the wild-type enzyme is inhibited in vitro by soraphen A while the mutant enzyme remains catalytically active. Taken together these data strongly suggest that the ACC1 gene product is the primary target for soraphen A in vivo.

Constitutive and inducible expression of human cytochrome P450IA1 in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: An alternative enzyme source for in vitro studies

A cDNA of human cytochrome P450IA1 was expressed in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on a multicopy plasmid under the control of the constitutive GAPFL or the inducible PHO5 promoter. Microsomes of transformed yeast contained substantial amounts of the heterologous enzyme as determined by reduced CO-difference spectra (156-68 pmol/mg). Enzyme kinetics with 7-ethoxyresorufin as substrate resulted in a Km value of 92 nM and a Vmax value of 223 pmol/mg/min, which is comparable to data obtained with human liver microsomes. The antimycotic drug ketoconazole (Ki = 22nM) as well as the isozyme specific P450 inhibitor alpha-naphthoflavone (Ki = 1.2 nM) were shown to be strong inhibitors of human P450IA1. Taken together, these data show that heterologous P450 gene expression in yeast is a potent instrument for the study of enzyme specific parameters and might be used to answer further questions with regard to substrate specificity as well as drug interaction in a background with no interfering activities.

One-step gene replacement in yeast by cotransformation.

A general method to replace chromosomal DNA sequences of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by any in vitro modified DNA sequence has been developed and was applied to the PHO5 locus on chromosome II. A recipient strain was constructed in which part of the chromosomal PHO5 sequence was substituted by the URA3 gene. Replacement of this pho5-URA3 substitution by pho5 mutant alleles was achieved in one step by cotransformation with a pho5 DNA fragment and the self-replicating plasmid YEp13, which contains the LEU2 gene as a selectable marker. Leu+ transformants were selected, and the replacement events at the PHO5 locus were detected by their Ura- phenotype (1-4% of the Leu+ were Ura-). In a similar way the PHO5 coding sequence was replaced by the sequence coding for human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA).

The influence of GAP promoter variants on hirudin production, average plasmid copy number and cell growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

SummaryThe yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been engineered to synthesize and secrete desulfato-hirudin (hirudin), a thrombin inhibitor from the leech Hirudo medicinalis. The synthetic gene coding for hirudin was expressed constitutively under the control of four size-variants of the yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter (GAP) and cloned into a 2 μ based multicopy yeast vector. The constitutive action of the four promoter variants was confirmed by demonstrating that the expression and secretion of hirudin is growth-related. The different efficiencies of the promoter variants not only affected hirudin expression but also led to changes in several cellular parameters, such as cell growth, average plasmid copy number and plasmid stability. The observed changes show that yeast cells establish a specific equilibrium for each promoter variant. We conclude, that the adjustment of cellular parameters in response to the expression levels of a heterologous protein is regulated by two counteracting selective forces: (1) the need for complementation of the auxotrophic host marker by the plasmid-encoded selection gene which, in the case of dLEU2, requires several plasmid copies; and (2) a selective advantage of cells with a lower copy number enabling them to escape the burden of heterologous protein production.

Drug‐induced phenotypes provide a tool for the functional analysis of yeast genes

The post‐genome sequencing era of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is defined by the analysis of newly discovered open reading frames of unknown function. In this report, we describe a genetic method for the rapid identification and characterisation of genes involved in a given phenotype. This approach is based on the ability of overexpressed genomic DNA fragments to cure an induced phenotype in yeast. To validate this concept, yeast cells carrying a yeast DNA library present on multicopy plasmid vectors were screened for resistance to the antifungal drug ketoconazole. Among 1·2 million colonies 13 clones tested positive, including those expressing the lanosterol C‐14 demethylase, known to be a cellular target for azole drugs, and the cytochrome‐c oxidase of mitochondria, regulating the respiratory chain electron transport. Several other resistant clones were identified, which code for yeast proteins of so far unknown function. These genes may represent potential candidates for antifungal drug effects. Together with the availability of the entire yeast genome sequence, the described genetic screening method is a powerful tool for the effective functional analysis of yeast genes.

A 28-bp segment of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PHO5 upstream activator sequence confers phosphate control to the CYC1-lacZ gene fusion

Two regions within the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PHO5 upstream activator sequence (UAS) are involved in phosphate dependent transcription activation [Rudolph and Hinnen, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84 (1987) 1340-1344]. In experiments carried out in vivo we showed that one of these can compensate for the CYC1 UAS and expresses the heterologous CYC1-lacZ gene in response to phosphate starvation. A 28-bp segment is very efficient in gene activation, and a 19-bp subsegment that corresponds to the UASp consensus sequence brings about a weak but still detectable activation. As was observed with other UAS, gene activation is obtained with either orientation of the element, and tandem copies yield double lacZ activity compared to a single copy. No gene activation is observed in a pho4 and in a pho2 mutant. Absence of PHO2 reduces the basal expression of CYC1.

Heterologous expression of human microsomal epoxide hydrolase in saccharomyces cerevisiae: Study of the valpromide-carbamazepine epoxide interaction

A cDNA of human microsomal epoxide hydrolase (hmEH) was constitutively and inducibly expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The heterologous enzyme was located mainly in the microsomal fraction of yeast cells. Yeast microsomes containing hmEH exerted styrene oxide hydrolase activity (Km = 300 microM; Vmax = 22 nmol/mg min) as well as carbamazepine epoxide hydrolase activity. The hmEH catalysed exclusively the formation of carbamazepine-10,11-transdihydrodiol, since no carbamazepine-10,11-cisdihydrodiol was detected. Inhibition studies using these microsomes revealed unequivocally hmEH as the target for inhibition by the antiepileptic drug valpromide. A Ki value of 27 microM was determined for the inhibitor valpromide with styrene oxide as substrate. For carbamazepine epoxide, a Ki value of 8.6 microM was obtained, which is well in line with data published for hmEH determined with human liver microsomes. Our results demonstrate the potential of heterologous gene expression in S. cerevisiae and its application to the in vitro study of pharmacological and toxicological problems.

SINGLE-READ SEQUENCE TAGS OF A LIMITED NUMBER OF GENOMIC DNA FRAGMENTS PROVIDE AN INEXPENSIVE TOOL FOR COMPARATIVE GENOME ANALYSIS

Single‐read sequences from both ends of 415 3‐kb average size genomic DNA fragments of Candida albicans were compared with the complete sequence data of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Comparison at the protein level, translated DNA against protein sequences, revealed 138 sequence tags with clear similarity to S. cerevisiae proteins or open reading frames. One case of synteny was found for the open reading frames of RAD16 and LYS2, which are adjacent to each other in S. cerevisiae and C. albicans.

Homologous recombination partly restores the secretion defect of underglycosylated acid phosphatase in yeast

Abstract The majority of secreted acid phosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is encoded by the PHO5 gene. The secretion level of this acid phosphatase is directly determined by its level of glycosylation. Consequently, PHO5-11-encoded acid phosphatase which lacks 11 of 12 glycosylation sites is only poorly secreted. We have isolated and characterized both UV- and EMS-induced variants, which are partly able to restore the secretion of acid phosphatase. Our data indicate that the improved secretion is caused by mitotic intrachromosomal recombination between the PHO5-11 allele and the homologous tandemly repeated PHO3 sequences, resulting in the restoration of glycosylation sites in PHO5-11. Two different recombination mechanisms, unequal sister-chromatid exchange and sister-chromatid gene conversion, are responsible for these alterations of the PHO5-11 locus. Thus, recombination between mutant and wild-type sequences are able to restore the ability of mutant yeast cells to secrete acid phosphatase.