Transcriptional regulation of the yeast vacuolar aminopeptidase yscI encoding gene (APE1) by carbon sources

Aminopeptidase yscCo-II: a new cobalt-dependent aminopeptidase from yeast-purification and biochemical characterization

Saccharomyces cerevisiae aminopeptidase yscCo-II (APCo-II) was purified to apparent homogeneity by gel filtration, affinity chromatography and anion-exchange chromatography. APCo-II is an hexameric cobalt-dependent metallo-enzyme with an estimated native molecular mass of 290 kDa. Enzyme activity is only detected in the presence of cobalt ions at pH 7.0. Substrate specificity studies indicate that aminopeptidase yscCo-II cleaves only basic N-terminal residues. PMSF, Cu(2+), 1,10-phenanthroline and bestatin were found to be very strong inhibitors of aminopeptidase yscCo-II activity. Kinetic studies indicated that the enzyme has a similar K(m) and Ka(Co )(activation constant of cobalt) and, following extraction of cobalt from the enzyme, activity was recovered only after cobalt addition.

Regulation of the yeast vacuolar aminopeptidase Y gene (APY1) expression

The steady-state levels of the aminopeptidase Y (APY1) transcript and the level of assayable aminopeptidase Y activity were measured under a variety of nutritional conditions. Specific APY1 mRNA is less abundant in cells grown in minimal medium than in cells grown in rich medium, while active enzyme levels follow just the opposite pattern. Aminopeptidase Y activity decreases when cells are deprived of glucose without a concomitant fall in mRNA levels. Production of aminopeptidase Y is not markedly affected by nitrogen regulation. APY1 gene expression is not disturbed in heat-shocked cells. Our data support the idea that the main control event in vacuolar aminopeptidase Y expression is a post-transcriptional step.

Review: biosynthesis and function of yeast vacuolar proteases

The yeast vacuole, which is equivalent to the lysosome of higher eukaryotes, is one of the best characterized degradative organelles. This review describes the biosynthesis and function of yeast vacuolar proteases. Most of these enzymes are delivered to the vacuole via the early compartments of the secretory pathway and the endosome, while one of them is directly imported from the cytoplasm. The proteases are synthesized as precursors which undergo many post-translational modifications before the final active form is generated. Proteolytic activation by developments in the analysis of the functions of vacuolar proteolysis are described. Substrates of the vacuolar proteases are mostly imported via endocytosis or autophagocytosis, and vacuolar proteolysis appears to be mainly important under nutritional stress conditions and sporulation.

Identification of regulatory proteins that might be involved in carbon catabolite repression of the aminopeptidase I gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Transcription of the vacuolar aminopeptidase yscI (APE1) gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has previously been suggested to require the participation of a cis upstream activation sequence (UAS) involved in carbon catabolite repression that responds to glucose. To determine the structure of the APE1 UAS element, we used the 18-bp sequence 5'-ATGAATTAGTCAGCTTCT-3' as the DNA-binding site. Using gel mobility shift assays, we have identified a 78 kDa protein from yeast that binds specifically to both single and double-stranded forms of the UAS DNA-binding site. We have also identified a 48 kDa heterodimer from yeast that binds specifically to the single-stranded form of the UAS and whose DNA binding activity is remarkably heat stable. Even though the APE1 UAS contains a consensus sequence for the binding of the yeast activator protein yAP1, the two DNA-protein complexes could still be detected in a strain bearing a deletion in the YAP1 gene.