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SUMMARY In Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, two enzymes of the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway, oxidosqualene cyclase (Erg7p) and 3-keto reductase (Erg27p) interact such that loss of the 3-keto reductase also results in a concomitant loss of activity of the upstream oxidosqualene cyclase. This interaction wherein Erg27p has a stabilizing effect on Erg7p was examined to determine whether Erg7p reciprocally has a protective effect on Erg27p. To this aim, three yeast strains each lacking the ERG7 gene were tested for 3-ketoreductase activity by incubating either cells or cell homogenates with unlabeled and radiolabeled 3-ketosteroids. In these experiments, the ketone substrates were effectively reduced to the corresponding alcohols, providing definitive evidence that oxidosqualene cyclase is not required for the 3-ketoreductase activity. This suggests that, in S. cerevisiae, the protective relationship between the 3-keto reductase (Erg27p) and oxidosqualene cyclase (Erg7p) is not reciprocal. However, the absence of the Erg7p, appears to affect other enzymes of sterol biosynthesis downstream of lanosterol formation. Following incubation with radiolabeled and non-radiolabeled 3-ketosteroids we detected differences in hydroxysteroid accumulation and ergosterol production between wild-type and ERG7 mutant strains. We suggest that oxidosqualene cyclase affects Erg25p (C-4 sterol oxidase) and/or Erg26p (C-3 sterol dehydrogenase/C-4 decarboxylase), two enzymes that, in conjunction with Erg27p are involved in C-4 sterol demethylation.

SummaryProtein-protein interaction studies in the S. cerevisiae ergosterol biosynthetic pathway suggest that enzymes in this pathway may act as an integrated multienzyme complex. The yeast sterol 3-ketoreductase (Erg27p) required for C-4 demethylation of sterols has previously been shown to also be required for the function of the upstream oxidosqualene cyclase/lanosterol synthase (Erg7p); thus, erg27 mutants accumulate oxidosqualenes as precursors rather than 3-ketosterones. In the present study, we have created various mutations in the ERG27 gene. These mutations include 5 C-terminal truncations, 6 internal deletions, and 32 point mutants of which 14 were obtained by site directed mutagenesis and 18 by random mutagenesis. We have characterized these ERG27 mutations by determining the following: Erg27 and Erg7 enzyme activities, presence of Erg27p as determined by western immunoblots, ability to grow on various sterol substrates and GC sterol profiles. Mutations of the predicted catalytic residues, Y202F and K206A, resulted in the endogenous accumulation of 3-ketosterones rather than oxidosqualenes suggesting retention of Erg7 enzyme activity. This novel phenotype demonstrated that the catalytic function of Erg27p can be separated from its Erg7p chaperone ability. Other erg27 mutations resulted in proteins that were present, as determined by western immunoblotting, but unable to interact with the Erg7 protein. We also classify Erg27p as belonging to the SDR (short chain dehydrogenase/reductase) family of enzymes and demonstrate the possibility of homo -or hetero-dimerization of the protein. This study provides new insights into the role of Erg27p in sterol biosynthesis.

SummaryIn mammals and yeasts, oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) catalyzes the formation of lanosterol, the first cyclic intermediate in sterol biosynthesis. We used a murine myeloma cell line (NS0), deficient in the 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 7 (HSD17B7), as a model to study the potential interaction of the HSD17B7 with the OSC in mammals. HSD17B7 is the orthologue of the yeast steroid-3-ketoreductase (ERG27), an enzyme of ergosterol biosynthesis that plays a protective role towards OSC. Tracer experiments with NS0 cells showed that OSC is fully active in these mammalian cells, suggesting that in mammals the ketosteroid reductase is not required for OSC activity. Mouse and human HSD17B7 were overexpressed in ERG27-deletant yeast cells, and recombinant strains were tested for (i) the ability to grow on different media, (ii) steroid-3-ketoreductase activity, and (iii) OSC activity. Recombinant strains grew more slowly than the control yeast ERG27-overexpressing strain on sterol-deficient media, whereas the growth rate was normal on media supplemented with a 3-ketoreductase substrate. The full enzymatic functionality of mammalian steroid-3-ketoreductase expressed in yeast along with the lack of (yeast) OSC activity point to an inability of the mammalian reductase to assist yeast OSC. Results demonstrate that in mammals, unlike in yeast, OSC and steroid-3-ketoreductase are non-interacting proteins.

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