The complete sequence of the yeast genome predicts the existence of 29 proteins belonging to the ubiquitous ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily. Using binary comparison, phylogenetic classification and detection of conserved amino acid residues, the yeast ABC proteins have been classified in a total of six clusters, including ten subclusters of distinct predicted topology and presumed distinct function. Study of the yeast ABC proteins provides insight into the physiological function and biochemical mechanisms of their human homologues, such as those involved in cystic fibrosis, adrenoleukodystrophy, Zellweger syndrome, multidrug resistance and the antiviral activity of interferons.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome encodes 15 fullsize ATP binding cassette transporters (ABC), of which PDR5, SNQ2, and YOR1 are known to be regulated by the transcription factors Pdr1p and Pdr3p (pleiotropic drug resistance). We have identified two new ABC transporter-encoding genes, PDR10 and PDR15, which were upregulated by the PDR1-3 mutation. These genes, as well as four other ABC transporter-encoding genes, were deleted in order to study the properties of Yor1p. The PDR1-3 gain-of-function mutant was then used to overproduce Yor1p up to 10% of the total plasma membrane proteins. Despite their different topologies, both Yor1p and Pdr5p mediated the ATP-dependent translocation of similar drugs and phospholipids across the yeast cell membrane. Both ABC transporters exhibit ATP hydrolysis in vitro, but Pdr5p ATPase activity is about 15 times higher than that of Yor1p, which may indicate mechanistic or regulatory differences between the two enzymes. The yeast YOR11 gene confers oligomycin resistance on overexpression in a 2-m plasmid (1). Its nucleotide sequence reveals an ORF of 1477 amino acids encoding an ABC protein highly homologous to mammalian transporters such as the multidrug resistance-conferring enzyme MRP (BLAST (see Ref. 2) sequence homology score: p ϭ e Ϫ228 ), the organic anion transporter cMOAT (p ϭ e Ϫ216 ), the sulfonylurea receptor (p ϭ e Ϫ164 ), and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator CFTR (p ϭ e Ϫ132 ). Yor1p is a "full-size" ABC transporter with the topology (TM-NBF) 2 (3, 4). It consists of two homologous halves, with each containing a putative ATP-binding domain (NBF) and a transmembrane domain of six membrane spans (TM). Cui et al. (5) showed that Yor1p confers resistance to a series of drugs including reveromycin A and suggested that Yor1p may be involved in the cellular efflux of organic anions including the fluorescent dye rhodamine B. They also showed that incubation with reveromycin A increases the YOR1 mRNA level. The transcription of YOR1 is controlled by the homologous pair of transcription factors Pdr1p/Pdr3p. The level of YOR1 transcription is decreased by the deletion of either PDR1 or PDR3 and increased in the presence of the gain-of-function PDR1 alleles (1).In this paper, we have investigated the transport activity of Yor1p. Building on previous studies, which indicated that the (TM-NBF) 2 -type Yor1p, together with the (NBF-TM) 2 -type Pdr5p and Snq2p ABC transporters, are overexpressed in the PDR1-3 mutant plasma membrane (6 -8), the PDR1-3 mutant has been used as a tool that enhances the Yor1p protein level. As another investigative tool, we constructed a set of isogenic strains, in the PDR1-3 mutant, with multiple deletions of homologous ABC genes since, in situations where two or more proteins located in the same subcellular compartment share a common substrate, a clear phenotype is only seen when all the corresponding genes are deleted, as illustrated by the work of Mahé et al. (9), who showed that Pdr5p and Snq2p have an overlapping transport ...

Gene silencing by the repressive telomeric chromatin environment, referred to as telomere position effect (TPE), has been well characterized in yeast and depends on telomere length. However, proof of its existence at native human chromosome ends has remained elusive, mainly owing to the paucity of genes near telomeres. The discovery of TERRAs, the telomeric noncoding RNAs transcribed from subtelomeric promoters, paved the way to probing for telomere-length impact on physiological TPE. Using cell lines of various origins, we show that telomere elongation consistently represses TERRA expression. Repression is mediated by increased trimethylated H3K9 density at telomeres and by heterochromatin protein HP1α, with no detectable spreading of the marks beyond the telomeric tract, restricting human TPE to telomere transcription. Our data further support the existence of a negative-feedback mechanism in which longer TERRA molecules repress their own transcription upon telomere elongation.

Analysis of the transport functions of individual Candida albicans plasma membrane drug efflux pumps is hampered by the multitude of endogenous transporters. We have stably expressed C. albicans Cdr1p, the major pump implicated in multiple-drug-resistance phenotypes, from the genomic PDR5 locus in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant (AD1-8u ؊ ) from which seven major transporters of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family have been deleted. High-level expression of Cdr1p, under the control of the S. cerevisiae PDR5 promoter and driven by S. cerevisiae Pdr1p transcriptional regulator mutation pdr1-3, was demonstrated by increased levels of mRNA transcription, increased levels of nucleoside triphosphatase activity, and immunodetection in plasma membrane fractions. S. cerevisiae AD1-8u؊ was hypersensitive to azole antifungals (the MICs at which 80% of cells were inhibited [MIC 80 s] were 0.625 g/ml for fluconazole, <0.016 g/ml for ketoconazole, and <0.016 g/ml for itraconazole), whereas the strain (AD1002) that overexpressed C. albicans Cdr1p was resistant to azoles (MIC 80 s of fluconazole, ketoconazole, and itraconazole, 30, 0.5, and 4 g/ml, respectively). Drug resistance correlated with energy-dependent drug efflux. AD1002 demonstrated resistance to a variety of structurally unrelated chemicals which are potential drug pump substrates. The controlled overexpression of C. albicans Cdr1p in an S. cerevisiae background deficient in other pumps allows the functional analysis of pumping specificity and mechanisms of a major ABC transporter involved in drug efflux from an important human pathogen.Candida albicans is an asexual diploid fungus that causes opportunistic infections commonly seen in immunocompromised and debilitated patients (9, 30). An estimated 33 to 55% of patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection and AIDS contract oropharyngeal candidosis (34), and the synthetic triazole fluconazole has been the mainstay of their treatment. The widespread use of prolonged fluconazole therapy has increased the incidence of treatment failure due to fluconazole-resistant C. albicans (3,14,21,34,42). A number of studies have identified the major azole resistance mechanisms (1,20,38,41,42,(44)(45)(46). These include overexpression of, or mutations in, the drug target, 14␣-sterol demethylase; mutations in other parts of the sterol biosynthesis pathway; and, most commonly, overexpression of drug efflux proteins.C. albicans possesses transporters such as Cdr1p and Cdr2p with homology to proteins of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family (10,16,18,19,31), as well as Ben r p, which has homology to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) class of drugproton antiport efflux pumps (1,5,36,46). The BEN r gene encodes a transporter associated with resistance to benomyl and methotrexate when it is expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The C. albicans CDR1 gene is a homologue of S. cerevisiae PDR5, which encodes a multidrug efflux pump, and CDR1 is the gene most often associated with energy-dependent drug efflux in fluconazole-r...