Biomedical subjects

Gary W Jones

Publications and source records attributed to Gary W Jones.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Importance of the Hsp70 ATPase domain in yeast prion propagation.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae non-Mendelian genetic element [PSI+] is the prion form of the translation termination factor Sup35p. The ability of [PSI+] to propagate efficiently has been shown previously to depend upon the action of protein chaperones. In this article we describe a genetic screen that identifies an array of mutants within the two major cytosolic Hsp70 chaperones of yeast, Ssa1p and Ssa2p, which impair the propagation of [PSI+]. All but one of the mutants was located within the ATPase domain of Hsp70, which highlights the important role of regulation of Hsp70-Ssa ATP hydrolysis in prion propagation. A subset of mutants is shown to alter Hsp70 function in a way that is distinct from that of previously characterized Hsp70 mutants that alter [PSI+] propagation and supports the importance of interdomain communication and Hsp70 interaction with nucleotide exchange factors in prion propagation. Analysis of the effects of Hsp70 mutants upon propagation of a second yeast prion [URE3] further classifies these mutants as having general or prion-specific inhibitory properties.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2005

The yeast prion protein Ure2: structure, function and folding.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein Ure2 functions as a regulator of nitrogen metabolism and as a glutathione-dependent peroxidase. Ure2 also has the characteristics of a prion, in that it can undergo a heritable conformational change to an aggregated state; the prion form of Ure2 loses the regulatory function, but the enzymatic function appears to be maintained. A number of factors are found to affect the prion properties of Ure2, including mutation and expression levels of molecular chaperones, and the effect of these factors on structure and stability are being investigated. The relationship between structure, function and folding for the yeast prion Ure2 are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Chaperoning prions: the cellular machinery for propagating an infectious protein?

Newly made polypeptide chains require the help of molecular chaperones not only to rapidly reach their final three-dimensional forms, but also to unfold and then correctly refold them back to their biologically active form should they misfold. Most prions are an unusual type of protein that can exist in one of two stable conformations, one of which leads to formation of an infectious alternatively folded form. Studies in Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) have revealed that prions can exploit the molecular chaperone machinery in the cell in order to ensure stable propagation of the infectious, aggregation-prone form. The disaggregation of yeast prion aggregates by molecular chaperones generates forms of the prion protein that can seed the protein polymerisation that underlies the prion propagation cycle. In this article, we review what we have learnt about the role of molecular chaperones in yeast prion propagation, describe a model that can explain the role of various classes of molecular chaperones and their co-chaperones, and speculate on the possible involvement of chaperones in the propagation of mammalian prions.

Cytosol↗

PubMed2003

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hsp70 mutations affect [PSI+] prion propagation and cell growth differently and implicate Hsp40 and tetratricopeptide repeat cochaperones in impairment of [PSI+].

We previously described an Hsp70 mutant (Ssa1-21p), altered in a conserved residue (L483W), that dominantly impairs yeast [PSI(+)] prion propagation without affecting growth. We generated new SSA1 mutations that impaired [PSI(+)] propagation and second-site mutations in SSA1-21 that restored normal propagation. Effects of mutations on growth did not correlate with [PSI(+)] phenotype, revealing differences in Hsp70 function required for growth and [PSI(+)] propagation and suggesting that Hsp70 interacts differently with [PSI(+)] prion aggregates than with other cellular substrates. Complementary suppression of altered activity between forward and suppressing mutations suggests that mutations that impair [PSI(+)] affect a similar Hsp70 function and that suppressing mutations similarly overcome this effect. All new mutations that impaired [PSI(+)] propagation were located in the ATPase domain. Locations and homology of several suppressing substitutions suggest that they weaken Hsp70's substrate-trapping conformation, implying that impairment of [PSI(+)] by forward mutations is due to altered ability of the ATPase domain to regulate substrate binding. Other suppressing mutations are in residues important for interactions with Hsp40 or TPR-containing cochaperones, suggesting that such interactions are necessary for the impairment of [PSI(+)] propagation caused by mutant Ssa1p.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2002

The shortened replicative life span of prohibitin mutants of yeast appears to be due to defective mitochondrial segregation in old mother cells.

Prohibitin proteins have been implicated in cell proliferation, aging, respiratory chain assembly and the maintenance of mitochondrial integrity. The prohibitins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Phb1 and Phb2, have strong sequence similarity with their human counterparts prohibitin and BAP37, making yeast a good model organism in which to study prohibitin function. Both yeast and mammalian prohibitins form high-molecular-weight complexes (Phb1/2 or prohibitin/BAP37, respectively) in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Expression of prohibitins declines with senescence, both in mammalian fibroblasts and in yeast. With a total loss of prohibitins, the replicative (budding) life span of yeast is reduced, whilst the chronological life span (the survival of stationary cells over time) is relatively unaffected. This effect of prohibitin loss on the replicative life span is still apparent in the absence of an assembled respiratory chain. It also does not reflect the production of extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA circles (ERCs), a genetic instability thought to be a major cause of replicative senescence in yeast. Examination of cells containing a mitochondrially targeted green fluorescent protein indicates this shortened life span is a reflection of defective mitochondrial segregation from the mother to the daughter in the old mother cells of phb mutant strains. Old mother phb mutant cells display highly aberrant mitochondrial morphology and, frequently, a delayed segregation of mitochondria to the daughter. They often arrest growth with their last bud strongly attached and with the mitochondria adjacent to the septum between the mother and the daughter cell.

Cell Division↗