Activities, substrate specificity, and genetic interactions of fission yeast Siw14, a cysteinyl-phosphatase-type inositol pyrophosphatase.

Importance: The inositol pyrophosphate signaling molecule 1,5-IP ₈ modulates fission yeast phosphate homeostasis via its action as an agonist of RNA 3'-processing and transcription termination. Cellular 1,5-IP ₈ levels are determined by a balance between the activities of the inositol polyphosphate kinase Asp1 and several inositol pyrophosphatase enzymes. Here, we characterize Schizosaccharomyces pombe Siw14 (SpSiw14) as a cysteinyl-phosphatase-family pyrophosphatase enzyme capable of hydrolyzing the phosphoanhydride substrates inorganic pyrophosphate, inorganic polyphosphate, and inositol pyrophosphates 5-IP ₇ , 1-IP ₇ , and 1,5-IP ₈ . Genetic analyses implicate SpSiw14 in 1,5-IP ₈ catabolism in vivo , insofar as: loss of SpSiw14 activity is lethal in the absence of the Nudix-type inositol pyrophosphatase enzyme Aps1; and siw14 ∆ aps1 ∆ lethality depends on synthesis of 1,5-IP ₈ by the Asp1 kinase. Suppression of siw14 ∆ aps1 ∆ lethality by loss-of-function mutations of 3'-processing/termination factors points to precocious transcription termination as the cause of 1,5-IP ₈ toxicosis.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.