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A series of yeast expression plasmids which comprise segments of the cDNA sequences encoding rat topo II alpha have been constructed. The transcription of these constructs is under the control of the yeast GAL1 promoter. Galactose-dependent expression of the cloned rat topo II alpha cDNA complemented a yeast top2ts mutation, as well as a deletion mutation at the yeast TOP2 locus. Truncation of 12 N-terminal amino acids and/or 158 C-terminal amino acids of rat topo II alpha had no effect on its ability functionally to substitute for top2ts. Moreover, a cDNA construct with mutated putative leucine zipper domain (amino acids 993-1013) retained the complementation activity. These observations suggest that transformants capable of conditional topo II alpha expression can be exploited as a useful model system for studies on the structure-function relationships of wild-type and mutated topo II alpha, as well as the interplay of potential antitumor drugs with the enzyme.

Expression of fusion proteins between prepro-alpha-factor and somatostatin (SRIF) in yeast, resulted in the correct processing and secretion of the heterologous 14-amino acid SRIF peptide (1). When the chimeric genes were placed under the control of yeast acid phosphatase (PHO5) promoter, significant amount of an unglycosylated form of the fusion precursor molecule accumulated intracellularly, suggesting disruption of an endoplasmic reticulum-mediated function. We report here that the appearance of the precursor is due to an alteration in the three amino terminal residues of the chimera, i.e., Met-Arg-Phe in native prepro-alpha-factor is changed to Met-Phe-Lys in the hybrids. The unglycosylated precursor represents a population of molecules that are disrupted at an early stage of targeting to or translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Our data demonstrate that the N-terminus plays an important role in topogenesis. Furthermore, these results show that translocation and glycosylation can be uncoupled from protein synthesis in vivo, and therefore can be posttranslational events in yeast.

The SFP2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been characterized. The deduced amino acid sequence contained twelve highly hydrophobic domains and showed 50, 47, 44 and 48% homologies to Neurospora crassa sulfate permease II (CYS14), soybean GMAK170 nodulin, human colon mucosa protein (DRA) and a putative open reading frame (ORF) downstream of Escherichia coli prs (phosphoribosyl pyrophosphatate synthetase) gene, respectively, in the aligned regions. Cells lacking SFP2 were viable and displayed no obvious decrease in their growth rate. Southern blot analysis revealed that SFP2 exists as a single copy in haploid genome. Northern blot analysis showed that SFP2 produced a 2.8-kb transcript which was highly expressed under sulfur derepressing condition. SFP2 mRNA was found to turn over with a half-life of approximately 15 min, which may contribute to the regulation of sulfate permease function, and reached its maximal level in about 22 h after depression.

We cloned the full genomic DNA of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene and examined its expression. The expression of yeast MGMT gene is decreased when cells reach stationary phase and cannot be induced by the pretreatment with alkylating agents, methylmethanesulfonate (MMS) or N-methyl-N'-nitroso-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). The transcription initiation site was determined by primer extension analysis. This analysis showed that the authentic start codon is the ATG at position +32 from transcription initiation site.

A homology (rhp51+) of the RAD51 gene in Schizosaccharomyces pombe was cloned by screening a Sz. pombe genomic library using the 3'-end of RAD51 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a probe. As in S. cerevisiae, the sequence of rhp51+ showed two MluI cell-cycle boxes and a putative DNA damage-responsive element in its upstream region. The open reading frame codes for a 365-amino-acid (aa) polypeptide with an estimated molecular mass of 40,555 Da. The deduced aa sequence shows 27, 66, 75 and 80% identity with Escherichia coli RecA, S. cerevisiae Rad51 and the Rad51 homologs from chicken and humans, respectively. The aa sequence encoded by rhp51+ contains A- and B-type nucleotide-binding consensus sequences, as found in other RAD51 homologs. Northern blot analysis showed that rhp51+ encodes a 1.7-kb transcript. Methyl methanesulfonate treatment increased the level of this transcript three- to fivefold. Southern hybridization analysis suggests that a single copy of rhp51+ exists in the Sz. pombe genome.

The RAD4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is essential for the nucleotide excision repair, was isolated from a yeast genomic library and the expression of this gene has been investigated. RAD4 mRNA was approximately 2.3 kb and di not contain intervening sequence, as determined by S1 nuclease mapping and Northern blot analysis. Transcription start site was located at 48 bp upstream of the ATG initiation codon. RAD4 gene is not induced by UV light damages as indicated by the absence of change in mRNA level after UV exposure in wild type yeast cells. The size of Rad4 protein overexpressed in Escherichia coli was found to be 89 kDa by SDS-PAGE. This is consistent with the size of the gene's ORF, which encodes 730 amino acids with the calculated molecular weight of 84456. The RAD4 protein contains many potential kinase dependent phosphorylation sites and its C-terminus is highly acidic like other DNA repair proteins of S. cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae express RAD4 gene for nucleotide excision repair of UV-induced DNA damages. Upon complementation with rad4-4 mutant, a 7.6 kb clone containing the RAD4 gene designated as pPC1 was isolated from a yeast genomic library. The pPC1 was further narrowed to 2.5 kb flanked with BglII and BamHI sites. The cloned RAD4 gene was found to propagate in E. coli without loss of its complementing activity. Pulse-field gel electrophoresis indicated that the cloned RAD4 gene was localized in the right arm of chromosome V. DNA-tRNA hybridization revealed that the cloned gene did not contain a suppressor tRNA gene. The rad4 mutants with various plasmids containing the cloned RAD4 gene, regardless of their copy number, had enhanced resistance against UV damages equivalent to that found in wild type. As determined by S1 nuclease digestion, the RAD4 transcript was found to be 2.3 kb in size and the S1 nuclease mapping revealed the production of a protected fragment of 760 nucleotides within the transcript. Transcriptional start point was found at 48 base pairs upstream from the first ATG codon of the translation initiation codon. The overexpressed Rad4 protein was estimated to be 89 kD and confirmed the expected size based on the actual length of RAD4 gene. Upon stationary phase culturing, E. coli cells transformed with the cloned RAD4 gene had a delayed entrance into exponential growth phase and produced reduced amount of host proteins. These results have indicated that the pPC1 is a functional RAD4 gene playing a unique role involved in the nucleotide excision repair of yeast without any genetic change during amplication in E. coli.

The activity of DNA topoisomerase I present in the nuclear extract of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was inhibited by additions of NAD, the substrate of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. This NAD-inhibited topoisomerase activity was restored to the normal level in a dose-dependent manner by adding 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), an inhibitor of the polymerase. The 3-AB sensitive polymerase enzyme activity, as determined by the rate of incorporation of the radiolabelled NAD in permeabilized cells, increased by treatment of cells with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in a dose-dependent manner. While the additions of MMS increased the polymerase activity, it has caused a decrease in cell survival. However, this cell killing activity of MMS was markedly potentiated by adding benzamide, another inhibitor of polymerase. Thus, these results suggest that the mode of modification of nuclear proteins by altering the poly(ADP-ribosylation) in S. cerevisiae resembles with those observed in mammalian cells.

A gene, analogous to the RAD4 gene, which is required for nucleotide excision repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also exists in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. RNA isolated from wild type S. pombe cells strongly cross-hybridized with the 1.2 kb PvuII DNA fragment of the S. cerevisiae RAD4 genomic clone (pPC1). Chromosomal DNA isolated from S. pombe had similar restriction patterns to those from S. cerevisiae, as determined by Southern blot analysis. Two species of mRNA, 3.1 and 1.8 kb, were identified by Northern hybridization. The level of these transcripts did not increase upon UV-irradiation, suggesting that the RAD4-like gene in S. pombe is not UV-inducible.

The previously isolated RAD4 gene designated as pPC1 from the genomic library of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Yoon et al., 1985, Korean J. Genetics 7, 97-104) appeared to propagate in Escherichia coli and yet retained its complementing activity to rad4 mutants without inactivation. The subcloned RAD4 gene was found to be localized within a 2.5 kb DNA fragment flanking Bg1II and BamHI sites in the insert DNA, and was shown to have the same restriction map as a yeast chromosomal DNA, as determined by Southern hybridization. Tetrad analysis and pulse-field chromosome mapping have revealed that the cloned RAD4 gene can be mapped and integrated into the yeast chromosome V, the actual site of this gene. DNA-tRNA hybridization has shown that the isolated RAD4 gene did not contain a suppressor tRNA gene. These results have indicated that the pPC1 is a functional RAD4 gene playing a unique role involved in the nucleotide excision repair of yeast without any genetic change during amplification in E. coli.