Sequences in the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae maltose permease are required for vacuolar degradation but not glucose-induced internalization

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, glucose addition to maltose fermenting cells causes a rapid loss of maltose transport activity and ubiquitin-mediated vacuolar proteolysis of maltose permease. GFP-tagged Mal61 maltose permease was used to explore the role of the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain in glucose-induced inactivation. In maltose-grown cells, Mal61/HA-GFP localizes to the cell surface and, surprisingly, to the vacuole. Studies of end3Δ and doa4Δ mutants indicate that a slow constitutive internalization of Mal61/HA-GFP is required for its vacuolar localization. Site-specific mutagenesis of multiple serine/threonine residues in a putative PEST sequence of the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of maltose permease blocks glucose-induced Mal61p degradation but does not affect the rapid loss of maltose transport activity associated with glucose-induced internalization. The internalized multiple Ser/Thr mutant protein co-localizes with Snf7p in a putative late endosome or E-compartment. Further, alteration of a putative dileucine [D/EExxxLL/I] motif at residues 64–70 causes a significant defect in maltose transport activity and mislocalization to an E-compartment but appears to have little impact on glucose-induced internalization. We conclude that the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of maltose permease is not the target of the signaling pathways leading to glucose-induced internalization of Mal61 permease but is required for its subsequent delivery to the vacuole for degradation.     

Carboxin resistance transformation of the homobasidiomycete fungus Pleurotus ostreatus

A novel selection marker gene for transformation of the white-rot basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus was developed by introducing a point mutation in a gene which encodes the iron-sulfur protein (Ip) subunit of succinate dehydrogenase. The mutant gene, Cbx ^R, encodes a modified Ip subunit with an amino-acid substitution (His239 to Leu) and confers resistance to the systemic fungicide, carboxin. The DNA sequence was integrated ectopically in the chromosome of the transformants. This is the first report of a homologous marker gene which is available for the molecular breeding of an edible mushroom. Received: 24 August / 1 December 1999     

Thrombosis from a prothrombin mutation conveying antithrombin resistance

We identified a novel mechanism of hereditary thrombosis associated with antithrombin resistance, with a substitution of arginine for leucine at position 596 (p.Arg596Leu) in the gene encoding prothrombin (called prothrombin Yukuhashi). The mutant prothrombin had moderately lower activity than wild-type prothrombin in clotting assays, but the formation of thrombin-antithrombin complex was substantially impaired. A thrombin-generation assay revealed that the peak activity of the mutant prothrombin was fairly low, but its inactivation was extremely slow in reconstituted plasma. The Leu596 substitution caused a gain-of-function mutation in the prothrombin gene, resulting in resistance to antithrombin and susceptibility to thrombosis.     

The MAL63 gene of Saccharomyces encodes a cysteine-zinc finger protein

Summary Inducible maltose fermentation by tSaccharomyces carlesbergensis requires the product of the MAL63 gene of the MAL6 locus. It has been suggested that this gene product is an activator protein controlling the expression of the structural genes encoding the maltose fermentative enzymes perhaps by binding to DNA sequences upstream of these genes. We report the sequence of the MAL63 gene. A single open reading frame is seen capable of encoding a protein of 470 amino acid residues. The deduced sequence of this protein indicates that it is a cysteine-zinc forger protein supporting the hypothesis that the MAL63 gene product is a DNA binding protein.     

Novel polymorphism in the promoter and coding regions of the human cholecystokinin B receptor gene: an association analysis with schizophrenia

Genetic variations in the 5'-untranslated region and the coding region of the CCK-B receptor (CCK-BR) gene were investigated in healthy controls. Novel variants (-215 C-->A, Leu37Phe, Arg319Glu) were found in addition to the mutations (Val125Iso, His207His, Arg215His, 2491 C-->A) reported previously. In the present study, association analysis was carried out for these variants between 80 unrelated schizophrenic patients and 100 healthy controls. The genotype frequency of the -215 C-->A nucleotide substitution in the 5'-untranslated region of CCK-BR gene was significantly higher in the schizophrenic patients than in the controls (6.25%, P = 0.037). However, the difference was not significant after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Moreover, no association was found between the clinical characteristics of the patients and the genotype frequencies of the variants. These results suggest that the CCK-BR gene polymorphisms have no association with schizophrenia nor its clinical heterogeneity. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 88:700-704, 1999.     

The substitution of Arg for Gly2433 in the human skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor is associated with malignant hyperthermia

Single strand conformations! polymorphism analysis was usedto screen exons 43 and 44 In the skeletal muscle ryanodlne receptorgene from 17 positively diagnosed members of families in whichchromosome 19–1 Inked malignant hyperthermla (MH) wassegregating. A polymorphism In two unrelated Individuals wasfound to result from the substitution of A for G7297, leadingto the substitution of Arg for Gly²⁴³³ .This mutation Is adjacentto a mutation (Arg²⁴³⁴ to His) previously linked to MH and centralcore disease (Y.Zhang et al., Nature Genet 1993, 5, 46–50).Subsequent screening showed the presence of the mutation infour of 106 MH families tested and Its absence from about 1000other chromosomes. The mutation was present In all six individualsIn four families who had had an MH reaction, in two obligatecarriers and in 10 Individuals diagnosed as MH susceptible bythe caffeine/halothane contracture test (CHCT). The mutationwas present In an Individual with a normal response to the CHCTand was absent in three individuals with a positive CHCT response.These discrepancies would be consistent with inaccuracies inthe CHCT and/or with segregation of a second MH allele withintwo of the four affected families.     

Isomaltose formed by alpha-glucosidases triggers amylase induction in Aspergillus nidulans

Among various alpha-glucobioses examined, isomaltose was the most effective inducer for amylase synthesis in Aspergillus nidulans. Amylase induction by maltose was completely inhibited by addition of castanospermine or cycloheximide, while induction by isomaltose was not affected by the inhibitors, suggesting that amylase induction by maltose requires inducible alpha-glucosidases. Disruption of the alpha-glucosidase A gene ( agdA), the alpha-glucosidase B gene ( agdB), or both genes did not abolish maltose-dependent induction, although amylase production induced by maltose decreased about 2-fold in the agdA/ agdB double disruptant, compared with that in the agdB disruptant at all concentrations tested. Upon induction by isomaltose, amylase synthesis was enhanced considerably in the agdB and agdA/ agdB disruptants. Even at 3 nM, isomaltose induced amylase production in the double disruptant, supporting the suggestion that isomaltose is a physiological inducer for amylase. Therefore, maltose must be converted to isomaltose by alpha-glucosidases prior to triggering amylase synthesis, but no specific alpha-glucosidase is required for amylase induction by maltose. Probably any alpha-glucosidases having isomaltose-forming activity, including AgdA and AgdB, may participate in amylase induction by maltose.