Analysis of COPII Vesicles Indicates a Role for the Emp47-Ssp120 Complex in Transport of Cell Surface Glycoproteins.

Coat protein complex II (COPII) vesicle formation at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) transports nascent secretory proteins forward to the Golgi complex. To further define the machinery that packages secretory cargo and targets vesicles to Golgi membranes, we performed a comprehensive proteomic analysis of purified COPII vesicles. In addition to previously known proteins, we identified new vesicle proteins including Coy1, Sly41 and Ssp120, which were efficiently packaged into COPII vesicles for trafficking between the ER and Golgi compartments. Further characterization of the putative calcium-binding Ssp120 protein revealed a tight association with Emp47 and in emp47Δ cells Ssp120 was mislocalized and secreted. Genetic analyses demonstrated that EMP47 and SSP120 display identical synthetic positive interactions with IRE1 and synthetic negative interactions with genes involved in cell wall assembly. Our findings support a model in which the Emp47-Ssp120 complex functions in transport of plasma membrane glycoproteins through the early secretory pathway.

The Erv41-Erv46 complex serves as a retrograde receptor to retrieve escaped ER proteins.

Signal-dependent sorting of proteins in the early secretory pathway is required for dynamic retention of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi components. In this study, we identify the Erv41-Erv46 complex as a new retrograde receptor for retrieval of non-HDEL-bearing ER resident proteins. In cells lacking Erv41-Erv46 function, the ER enzyme glucosidase I (Gls1) was mislocalized and degraded in the vacuole. Biochemical experiments demonstrated that the luminal domain of Gls1 bound to the Erv41-Erv46 complex in a pH-dependent manner. Moreover, in vivo disturbance of the pH gradient across membranes by bafilomycin A1 treatment caused Gls1 mislocalization. Whole cell proteomic analyses of deletion strains using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in culture identified other ER resident proteins that depended on the Erv41-Erv46 complex for efficient localization. Our results support a model in which pH-dependent receptor binding of specific cargo by the Erv41-Erv46 complex in Golgi compartments identifies escaped ER resident proteins for retrieval to the ER in coat protein complex I-formed transport carriers.

Horizontal transmission of Marek's disease virus requires US2, the UL13 protein kinase, and gC.

Marek's disease virus (MDV) causes a general malaise in chickens that is mostly characterized by the development of lymphoblastoid tumors in multiple organs. The use of bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) for cloning and manipulation of the MDV genome has facilitated characterization of specific genes and genomic regions. The development of most MDV BACs, including pRB-1B-5, derived from a very virulent MDV strain, involved replacement of the US2 gene with mini-F vector sequences. However, when reconstituted viruses based on pRB-1B were used in pathogenicity studies, it was discovered that contact chickens housed together with experimentally infected chickens did not contract Marek's disease (MD), indicating a lack of horizontal transmission. Staining of feather follicle epithelial cells in the skins of infected chickens showed that virus was present but was unable to be released and/or infect susceptible chickens. Restoration of US2 and removal of mini-F sequences within viral RB-1B did not alter this characteristic, although in vivo viremia levels were increased significantly. Sequence analyses of pRB-1B revealed that the UL13, UL44, and US6 genes encoding the UL13 serine/threonine protein kinase, glycoprotein C (gC), and gD, respectively, harbored frameshift mutations. These mutations were repaired individually, or in combination, using two-step Red mutagenesis. Reconstituted viruses were tested for replication, MD incidence, and their abilities to horizontally spread to contact chickens. The experiments clearly showed that US2, UL13, and gC in combination are essential for horizontal transmission of MDV and that none of the genes alone is able to restore this phenotype.

Cell wall stress responses in Bacillus subtilis: the regulatory network of the bacitracin stimulon.

In response to sublethal concentrations of antibiotics, bacteria often induce an adaptive response that can contribute to antibiotic resistance. We report the response of Bacillus subtilis to bacitracin, an inhibitor of cell wall biosynthesis found in its natural environment. Analysis of the global transcriptional profile of bacitracin-treated cells reveals a response orchestrated by two alternative sigma factors (sigmaB and sigmaM) and three two-component systems (YvqEC, YvcPQ and BceRS). All three two-component systems are located next to target genes that are strongly induced by bacitracin, and the corresponding histidine kinases share an unusual topology: they lack about 100 amino acids in their extracellular sensing domain, which is almost entirely buried in the cytoplasmic membrane. Sequence analysis indicates that this novel N-terminal sensing domain is a characteristic feature of a subfamily of histidine kinases, found almost entirely in Gram-positive bacteria and frequently linked to ABC transporters. A systematic mutational analysis of bacitracin-induced genes led to the identification of a new bacitracin-resistance determinant, bceAB, encoding a putative ABC transporter. The bcrC bacitracin resistance gene, which is under the dual control of sigmaX and sigmaM, was also induced by bacitracin. By comparing the bacitracin and the vancomycin stimulons, we can differentiate between loci induced specifically by bacitracin and those that are induced by multiple cell wall-active antibiotics.