The CHO1-encoded phosphatidylserine synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is phosphorylated and inhibited by protein kinase A in vitro. CHO1 alleles bearing Ser 46 3 Ala and/or Ser 47 3 Ala mutations were constructed and expressed in a cho1⌬ mutant lacking phosphatidylserine synthase. In vitro, the S46A/S47A mutation reduced the total amount of phosphorylation by 90% and abolished the inhibitory effect protein kinase A had on phosphatidylserine synthase activity. The enzyme phosphorylation by protein kinase A, which was time-and dose-dependent and dependent on the concentration of ATP, caused a electrophoretic mobility shift from a 27-kDa form to a 30-kDa form. The two electrophoretic forms of phosphatidylserine synthase were present in exponential phase cells, whereas only the 27-kDa form was present in stationary phase cells. In vivo labeling with 32 P i and immune complex analysis showed that the 30-kDa form was predominantly phosphorylated when compared with the 27-kDa form. However, the S46A/S47A mutations abolished the protein kinase A-mediated electrophoretic mobility shift. The S46A/S47A mutations also caused a 55% reduction in the total amount of phosphatidylserine synthase in exponential phase cells and a 66% reduction in the amount of enzyme in stationary phase cells. In phospholipid composition analysis, cells expressing the S46A/S47A mutant enzyme exhibited a 57% decrease in phosphatidylserine and a 40% increase in phosphatidylinositol. These results indicate that phosphatidylserine synthase is phosphorylated on Ser 46 and Ser 47 by protein kinase A, which results in a higher amount of enzyme for the net effect of stimulating the synthesis of phosphatidylserine.
In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the CHO1-encoded3 is an ER-associated enzyme that catalyzes the formation of PS by a Mn 2ϩ -dependent sequential reaction by displacing CMP from CDP-DAG with serine ( Fig. 1) (1-5). The enzyme possesses a CDP-alcohol phosphotransferase motif, DGX 2 ARX 7,8 GX 3 DX 3 D (residues 130 -152) within a larger domain that is common to phospholipid biosynthetic enzymes (e.g. PI synthase) that catalyze similar types of reactions (6) (Fig. 1). The reaction product PS is a major membrane phospholipid in yeast, accounting for up to 18% of the total membrane phospholipids (7-9). In addition, PS synthase catalyzes the committed step in the synthesis of PE and PC via the de novo CDP-DAG pathway (7-11) (Fig. 1). As such, PS synthase is one of the most highly regulated enzymes of phospholipid synthesis in this organism (10,12,13).Genetic and biochemical mechanisms regulate the expression and activity of PS synthase. The expression of CHO1 is regulated by water-soluble phospholipid precursors (e.g. inositol, choline, ethanolamine, and serine) (14 -18), essential nutrients (e.g. zinc) (19), and growth phase (20, 21). These forms of regulation occur through a regulatory circuit involving a UAS INO cis-acting element in the CHO1 promoter, the positive transcription factors Ino2p and Ino4p, and the transcriptional repressor...