The exocyst is a conserved protein complex proposed to mediate vesicle tethering at the plasma membrane. Previously, we identified SEB1/SBH1, encoding the ␤ subunit of the Sec61p ER translocation complex, as a multicopy suppressor of the sec15-1 mutant, defective for one subunit of the exocyst complex. Here we show the functional and physical interaction between components of endoplasmic reticulum translocon and the exocytosis machinery. We show that overexpression of SEB1 suppresses the growth defect in all exocyst sec mutants. In addition, overexpression of SEC61 or SSS1 encoding the other two components of the Sec61p complex suppressed the growth defects of several exocyst mutants. Seb1p was coimmunoprecipitated from yeast cell lysates with Sec15p and Sec8p, components of the exocyst complex, and with Sec4p, a secretory vesicle associated Rab GTPase that binds to Sec15p and is essential for exocytosis. The interaction between Seb1p and Sec15p was abolished in sec15-1 mutant and was restored upon SEB1 overexpression. Furthermore, in wild type cells overexpression of SEB1 as well as SEC4 resulted in increased production of secreted proteins. These findings propose a novel functional and physical link between the endoplasmic reticulum translocation complex and the exocyst.The targeting and fusion of transport vesicles with plasma membrane is mediated by a molecular machinery highly conserved in evolution. Prior to the fusion at the plasma membrane the secretory vesicles are recognized by the exocyst complex, which is proposed to function as a tethering factor for the vesicles at plasma membrane in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This protein complex, composed of Sec3p, Sec5p, Sec6p, Sec8p, Sec10p, Sec15p, Exo70p, and Exo84p (1, 2), has a central role in establishing cell polarity in yeast (3, 4). The mammalian homologue of the exocyst, the octameric Sec6-Sec8 complex, is essential for epithelial cell polarization and for synapse formation (5, 6). The interaction of small GTPases of the Ras and Rho family proteins, Sec4p, Cdc42p, Rho1p, and Rho3p in yeast (7-11) and RalA in mammalian cells (12)(13)(14), with the exocyst complex suggests that the function of the exocyst is highly regulated (15). The exocyst-like tethering function may not be restricted to the exocytosis process as a homologous octameric Sec34-Sec35 complex was recently characterized in the ER 1 -Golgi interface membranes in yeast (16,17). Based on sequence homology an additional exocyst-like complex, the Vps53-Vps54-Vps55p complex, might be functional at the yeast Golgivacuole interface (16,18). The precise function of these exocystlike complexes is presently unclear. Mammalian equivalents for these novel complexes have not yet been identified. However, homologues of their subunits are found in mammalian cells. The finding that Exo84p protein is functional in mRNA splicing in yeast cells (19) suggests that exocyst complex or its individual subcomponents may also display functions at least apparently unrelated to secretion.In a genetic screen we previous...

In this study, we have analyzed the association of the Sec1p interacting protein Mso1p with the membrane fusion machinery in yeast. We show that Mso1p is essential for vesicle fusion during prospore membrane formation. Green fluorescent protein-tagged Mso1p localizes to the sites of exocytosis and at the site of prospore membrane formation. In vivo and in vitro experiments identified a short amino-terminal sequence in Mso1p that mediates its interaction with Sec1p and is needed for vesicle fusion. A point mutation, T47A, within the Sec1p-binding domain abolishes Mso1p functionality in vivo, and mso1T47A mutant cells display specific genetic interactions with sec1 mutants. Mso1p coimmunoprecipitates with Sec1p, Sso1/2p, Snc1/2p, Sec9p, and the exocyst complex subunit Sec15p. In sec4-8 and SEC4I133 mutant cells, association of Mso1p with Sso1/2p, Snc1/2p, and Sec9p is affected, whereas interaction with Sec1p persists. Furthermore, in SEC4I133 cells the dominant negative Sec4I133p coimmunoprecipitates with Mso1p-Sec1p complex. Finally, we identify Mso1p as a homologue of the PTB binding domain of the mammalian Sec1p binding Mint proteins.These results position Mso1p in the interface of the exocyst complex, Sec4p, and the SNARE machinery, and reveal a novel layer of molecular conservation in the exocytosis machinery. INTRODUCTIONEvolutionarily conserved molecular machinery regulates transport vesicle targeting, tethering, and fusion in eukaryotic cells. In yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae this machinery involves the activity of the eight-subunit (Sec3p, Sec5p, Sec6p, Sec8p, Sec10p, Sec15p, Exo70p, and Exo84p) tethering complex, the exocyst, a rab family small GTPase Sec4p, and the exocytic SNARE complex (Snc1/2p, Sec9p, and Sso1/2p) thought to drive the actual lipid bilayer fusion . The exocyst subunit Sec15p has been shown to act as an effector for Sec4p (Guo et al., 1999). In addition, sec4-8 mutant cells are defective in Snc1/2p-Sec9p-Sso1/2p SNARE complex assembly (Carr et al., 1999). Despite these and numerous other studies, the regulatory mechanisms for SNARE complex formation are still poorly understood. The Sec1/Munc18 (SM) protein family members represent central regulators of SNARE complex function. These proteins perform an essential, albeit currently poorly understood function in SNARE complex regulation (Gallwitz and Jahn, 2003;Toonen and Verhage, 2003;Kauppi et al., 2004).Yeast S. cerevisiae possesses four Sec1p-family proteins: Sec1p mediates vesicle fusion at the plasma membrane (Novick et al., 1981;Carr et al., 1999), Sly1p mediates vesicle fusion at the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi interface (Ossig et al., 1991), Vps33p is required for endosome to vacuole transport and vacuole maintenance (Banta et al., 1990), and Vps45p mediates Golgi-to-vacuole transport (Piper et al., 1994;Cowles et al., 1994). Sec1p is the closest homologue of the mammalian Munc18-1 that has been shown to associate with syntaxin 1 and to regulate the syntaxin 1-synaptobrevin-SNAP-25 SNARE complex assembly (Misura et al., 2000;Kaup...