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We report the cloning and characterization of Pichia pastoris PEX19 by complementation of a peroxisome-deficient mutant strain. Import of peroxisomal targeting signal 1- and 2-containing peroxisomal matrix proteins is defective inpex19 mutants. PEX19 encodes a hydrophilic 299-amino acid protein with sequence similarity toSaccharomyces cerevisiae Pex19p and human and Chinese hamster PxF, all farnesylated proteins, as well as hypothetical proteins from Caenorhabditis elegans andSchizosaccharomyces pombe. The farnesylation consensus is conserved in PpPex19p but dispensable for function and appears unmodified under the conditions tested. Pex19p localizes predominantly to the cytosolic fraction. Biochemical and two-hybrid analyses confirmed that Pex19p interacts with Pex3p, as seen in S. cerevisiae, but unexpectedly also with Pex10p. Two-hybrid analysis demonstrated that the amino-terminal 42 amino acids of Pex19p interact with the carboxyl-terminal 335 amino acids of Pex3p. In addition, the extreme carboxyl terminus of Pex19p (67 amino acids) is required for interaction with the amino-terminal 380 amino acids of Pex10p. Biochemical and immunofluorescence microscopy analyses ofpex19Δ cells identified the membrane protein Pex3p in peroxisome remnants that were not previously observed in S. cerevisiae. These small vesicular and tubular (early) remnants are morphologically distinct from other Pppex mutant (late) remnants, suggesting that Pex19p functions at an early stage of peroxisome biogenesis.

Dihydroxyacetone kinase (DAK) is essential for methanol assimilation in methylotrophic yeasts. We have cloned the DAK gene from Pichia pastoris by functional complementation of a mutant that was unable to grow on methanol. An open reading frame of 1824 bp was identified that encodes a 65·3 kDa protein with high homology to DAK from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although DAK from P. pastoris contained a C-terminal tripeptide, TKL, which we showed can act as a peroxisomal targeting signal when fused to the green fluorescent protein, the enzyme was primarily cytosolic. The TKL tripeptide was not required for the biochemical function of DAK because a deletion

The pas2 mutant of the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is characterized by a deficiency in peroxisome biogenesis. We have cloned the PpPAS2 gene by functional complementation and show that it encodes a protein of 455 amino acids with a molecular mass of 52 kDa. In a Pppas2 null mutant, import of both peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (PTS1)- and PTS2-containing proteins is impaired as shown by biochemical fractionation and fluorescence microscopy. No morphologically distinguishable peroxisomal structures could be detected by electron microscopy in Pppas2 null cells induced on methanol and oleate, suggesting that PpPas2p is involved in the early stages of peroxisome biogenesis. PpPas2p is a peroxisomal membrane protein (PMP) and is resistant to extraction by 1 M NaCl or alkaline sodium carbonate, suggesting that it is a peroxisomal integral membrane protein. Two hydrophobic domains can be distinguished which may be involved in anchoring PpPas2p to the peroxisomal membrane. PpPas2p is homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pas3p. The first 40 amino acids of PpPas2p, devoid of the hydrophobic domains, are sufficient to target a soluble fluorescent reporter protein to the peroxisomal membrane, with which it associates tightly. A comparison with the membrane peroxisomal targeting signal of PMP47 of Candida boidinii revealed a stretch of positively charged amino acids common to both sequences. The role of peroxisomal membrane targeting signals and transmembrane domains in anchoring PMPs to the peroxisomal membrane is discussed.

The location and sequence of the PDA1 gene, encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were determined. The PDA1 gene was located on a 6.2 kb fragment of chromosome V, approximately 18 kb centromere distal to RAD3. Consistent with this, the PDA1 gene was genetically mapped at 4 cM from RAD3. A part of the 6.2 kb fragment of chromosome V was sequenced. The nucleotide sequence contained the PDA1 open reading frame and the entire putative promoter. Computer analysis revealed a putative GCN4 binding motif in the PDA1 promoter. The presence of transcriptional elements was experimentally determined by deletion analysis. To this end, ExoIII deletions were constructed in the 5' to 3' direction of the PDA1 promoter and effects on transcription were determined by Northern analysis. Transcription was unaffected upon deletion to position -190 relative to the ATG start codon. Deletions from position -148 and beyond, however, reduced promoter activity at least 40-fold. Apparently the 42 bp between nucleotides -190 and -148 contain an element essential for transcription. Inactivation of the PDA1 promoter could not be attributed to deletions of a recognizable TATA element or any known yeast regulatory motifs. The possible role of the CCCTT sequence present in the 42 bp region and also in the promoters of the other genes encoding subunits of the PDH complex is discussed.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated by disruption of the PDA1 gene. To this end, the PDA1 gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was replaced by the dominant Tn5ble marker. Disruption of the PDA1 gene abolished production of the E1 alpha subunit and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. Two additional phenotypes were observed in the Pdh-mutants: (a) a reduced growth rate in glucose medium which was partially complemented by the amino acid leucine; (b) an increase in formation of petites which lack mitochondrial DNA [rho0], during growth on glucose. Both phenotypes were shown to be a result of inactivation of the PDA1 gene. Explanations for these phenotypes are discussed.

The E1 alpha and E1 beta subunits of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were purified. Antibodies raised against these subunits were used to clone the corresponding genes from a genomic yeast DNA library in the expression vector lambda gt11. The gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit was unique and localized on a 1.7-kb HindIII fragment from chromosome V. The identify of the gene was confirmed in two ways. (a) Expression of the gene in Escherichia coli produced a protein that reacted with the anti-E1 alpha serum. (b) Gene replacement at the 1.7-kb HindIII fragment abolished both pyruvate dehydrogenase activity and the production of proteins reacting with anti-E1 alpha serum in haploid cells. In addition, the 1.7-kb HindIII fragment hybridized to a set of oligonucleotides derived from amino acid sequences from the N-terminal and central regions of the human E1 alpha peptide. We propose to call the gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the yeast pyruvate dehydrogenase complex PDA1. Screening of the lambda gt11 library using the anti-E1 beta serum resulted in the reisolation of the RAP1 gene, which was located on chromosome XIV.

We cloned the gene coding for the quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. This clone complements gdh mutations in A. calcoaceticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. The gene codes for a protein with an Mr of 83,000. Evidence is presented for the presence of two different glucose dehydrogenase enzymes in A. calcoaceticus: a protein with an Mr of 83,000 and a dimer of two identical subunits with an Mr of 50,000.

We describe the identification and characterization of the BMH1 gene from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The gene encodes a putative protein of 292 amino acids which is more than 50% identical with the bovine brain 14-3-3 protein and proteins isolated from sheep brain which are strong inhibitors of protein kinase C. Disruption mutants and strains with the BMH1 gene on multicopy plasmids have impaired growth on minimal medium with glucose as carbon source, i.e. a 30–50% increase in generation time. These observations suggest a regulatory function of the bmh1 protein. In contrast to strains with an intact or a disrupted BMH1 gene, strains with the BMH1 gene on multicopy plasmids hardly grew on media with acetate or glycerol as carbon source.