Post-translational regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins tagged with the hormone-binding domains of mammalian nuclear receptors.

In the post-genome sequencing era the functional analysis of newly discovered proteins becomes more and more important. In this report we describe a genetic approach to the post-translational regulation of protein function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by creating conditional lethal mutants. The yeast ORFs YDL139c, YDL147w, ERG3 and ERG11 were tagged with sequences encoding the hormone-binding domains of mammalian steroid receptors by PCR-mediated, targeted integration into the yeast genome. We found that the function of the chimeric proteins is regulated in a hormone-dependent way. This technique provides another important tool for the functional analysis of the yeast proteome.

Apoptosis in coxsackievirus B3-caused diseases: interaction between the capsid protein VP2 and the proapoptotic protein siva.

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a common factor in human myocarditis. Apoptotic events are present in CVB3-induced disease, but it is unclear how CVB3 is involved in apoptosis and which viral proteins may induce the apoptotic pathway. In this report we demonstrate that the human and murine proapoptotic protein Siva specifically interact with the CVB3 capsid protein VP2. Furthermore, the transcription of Siva is strongly induced in tissue of CVB3-infected mice and is present in the same area which is positively stained for apoptosis, CD27, and CD70. It has been proposed that Siva is involved in the CD27/CD70-transduced apoptosis. Therefore, we suggest a molecular mechanism through which apoptotic events contributes to CVB3-caused pathogenesis.

Application of the green fluorescent protein as a reporter for Ace1-based, two-hybrid studies.

The two-hybrid system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a genetic approach for the detection of of protein-protein interactions in vivo. This technology relies on the the activity of separated DNA-binding and transactivation domains of specific transcription factors to reconstitute an active transcription factor complex if interacting proteins are fused to these domains. Interactions are consequently detected through the activity of reporter genes. The two-hybrid technology has been successfully applied for the determination of interactions between numerous proteins of several organisms. Conventional reporter systems, such as the beta-galacatosidase from Escherichia coli, suffer from a variety of drawbacks, including the requirement for external substrates. In this report, we describe an alternative version of the two hybrid system using the combined advantages of the copper-inducible transcription factor Acel together with the yeast metallothionein gene CUP1 and the green fluorescence protein from aquatic invertebrates as reporters. This technique allows the copper-dependent monitoring of protein-protein interactions in living yeast cells.

Functional analysis of 150 deletion mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a systematic approach.

In a systematic approach to the study of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes of unknown function, 150 deletion mutants were constructed (1 double, 149 single mutants) and phenotypically analysed. Twenty percent of all genes examined were essential. The viable deletion mutants were subjected to 20 different test systems, ranging from high throughput to highly specific test systems. Phenotypes were obtained for two-thirds of the mutants tested. During the course of this investigation, mutants for 26 of the genes were described by others. For 18 of these the reported data were in accordance with our results. Surprisingly, for seven genes, additional, unexpected phenotypes were found in our tests. This suggests that the type of analysis presented here provides a more complete description of gene function.

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.