The yeast endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane-localized chaperone Shr3 plays a critical role in enabling amino acid permeases (AAPs) to fold and attain proper structures required for functional expression at the plasma membrane. In the absence of Shr3, AAPs specifically accumulate in the ER, where despite the correct insertion of their 12 transmembrane segments (TMSs), they aggregate forming large molecular weight complexes. We show that Shr3 prevents aggregation and facilitates the functional assembly of independently coexpressed N- and C-terminal fragments of the general AAP Gap1. Shr3 interacts with and maintains the first five TMSs in a conformation that can posttranslationally assemble with the remaining seven TMSs. We also show that Doa10- and Hrd1-dependent ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathways redundantly degrade AAP aggregates. In combination, doa10Δ hrd1Δ mutations stabilize AAP aggregates and partially suppress amino acid uptake defects of shr3 mutants. Consequently, in cells with impaired ERAD, AAPs are able to attain functional conformations independent of Shr3. These findings illustrate that folding and degradation are tightly coupled processes during membrane protein biogenesis.

The SHR3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an integral membrane component of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) with four membrane-spanning segments and a hydrophilic, cytoplasmically oriented carboxyl-terminal domain. Mutations in SHR3 specifically impede the transport of all 18 members of the amino acid permease (aap) gene family away from the ER. Shr3p does not itself exit the ER. Aaps fully integrate into the ER membrane and fold properly independently of Shr3p. Shr3p physically associates with the general aap Gap1p but not Sec61p, Gal2p, or Pma1p in a complex that can be purified from N-dodecylmaltoside-solubilized membranes. Pulse-chase experiments indicate that the Shr3p-Gap1p association is transient, a reflection of the exit of Gap1p from the ER. The ER-derived vesicle COPII coatomer components Sec13p, Sec23p, Sec24p, and Sec31p but not Sar1p bind Shr3p via interactions with its carboxyl-terminal domain. The mutant shr3-23p, a nonfunctional membrane-associated protein, is unable to associate with aaps but retains the capacity to bind COPII components. The overexpression of either Shr3p or shr3-23p partially suppresses the temperature-sensitive sec12-1 allele. These results are consistent with a model in which Shr3p acts as a packaging chaperone that initiates ER-derived transport vesicle formation in the proximity of aaps by facilitating the membrane association and assembly of COPII coatomer components.

In response to discrete environmental cues, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells adjust patterns of gene expression and protein activity to optimize metabolism. Nutrient‐sensing systems situated in the plasma membrane (PM) of yeast have only recently been discovered. Ssy1p is one of three identified components of the Ssy1p–Ptr3p–Ssy5 (SPS) sensor of extracellular amino acids. SPS sensor‐initiated signals are known to modulate the expression of a number of amino acid and peptide transporter genes (i.e. AGP1, BAP2, BAP3, DIP5, GAP1, GNP1, TAT1, TAT2 and PTR2) and arginase (CAR1). To obtain a better understanding of how cells adjust metabolism in response to extracellular amino acids in the environment and to assess the consequences of loss of amino acid sensor function, we investigated the effects of leucine addition to wild‐type and ssy1 null mutant cells using genome‐wide transcription profile analysis. Our results indicate that the previously identified genes represent only a subset of the full spectrum of Ssy1p‐dependent genes. The expression of several genes encoding enzymes in amino acid biosynthetic pathways, including the branched‐chain, lysine and arginine, and the sulphur amino acid biosynthetic pathways, are modulated by Ssy1p. Additionally, the proper transcription of several nitrogen‐regulated genes, including NIL1 and DAL80, encoding well‐studied GATA transcription factors, is dependent upon Ssy1p. Finally, several genes were identified that require Ssy1p for wild‐type expression independently of amino acid addition. These findings demonstrate that yeast cells require the SPS amino acid sensor component, Ssy1p, to adjust diverse cellular metabolic processes properly.

The general amino acid permease (Gap1p) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an integral membrane protein that contains 12 hydrophobic regions predicted to be membrane-spanning segments. A topological reporter construct, encoding an internal 53-amino acid peptide of invertase (Suc2p) containing three Asp-X-Ser/Thr glycosylation sites, was inserted in-frame into the hydrophilic NH 2 -and COOH-terminal domains and each of the 11 hydrophilic loops that separate the 12 hydrophobic segments of Gap1p. The resulting 13 gene sandwich fusion proteins were expressed in a gap1⌬ null mutant strain; 9 of these retain amino acid transport activity and are folded and correctly targeted to the plasma membrane. The glycosylation state of each of the fusion proteins was monitored; the results indicate that all 12 hydrophobic segments of Gap1p span the membrane, and the NH 2 and COOH termini are cytoplasmically oriented. These results were independently tested by isolating sealed right-side-out microsomes from sec12-1 strains expressing six different Gap1p constructs containing functional factor Xa protease cleavage sites. The pattern of factor Xa protease cleavage was found to be consistent with the presence of 12 membrane-spanning domains. Gap1p exhibited the same membrane topology in strains lacking Shr3p; therefore, Gap1p fully integrates into the ER membrane independently of this permease-specific packaging chaperone.

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