Walter Lab

  • Walter Lab
  • Research
    • The Unfolded Protein Response and IRE1 Signaling in Health and Disease
    • Organellar quality control, dynamics, and inheritance
    • RNA processing in the unfolded protein response
    • The integrated stress response and its role in cognition
    • ATF6-branch signaling through regulated proteolysis
  • Lab Members
    • Current
    • Alumni
  • Contact Us
  • Social
  • Publications
  • News & Notes

The yeast cell fusion protein Prm1p requires covalent dimerization to promote membrane fusion.

Engel A, Aguilar PS, Walter P. The yeast cell fusion protein Prm1p requires covalent dimerization to promote membrane fusion. PLoS One 5:e10593, 2010
(PMCID : 2868043) (PMID : 20485669) (PDF)

Abstract

Prm1p is a multipass membrane protein that promotes plasma membrane fusion during yeast mating. The mechanism by which Prm1p and other putative regulators of developmentally controlled cell–cell fusion events facilitate membrane fusion has remained largely elusive. Here, we report that Prm1p forms covalently linked homodimers. Covalent Prm1p dimer formation occurs via intermolecular disulfide bonds of two cysteines, Cys-120 and Cys-545. PRM1 mutants in which these cysteines have been substituted are fusion defective. These PRM1 mutants are normally expressed, retain homotypic interaction and can traffic to the fusion zone. Because prm1-C120S and prm1-C545S mutants can form covalentdimers when coexpressed with wild-type PRM1, an intermolecular C120-C545 disulfide linkage is inferred. Cys-120 is adjacent to a highly conserved hydrophobic domain. Mutation of a charged residue within this hydrophobic domain abrogates formation of covalent dimers, trafficking to the fusion zone, and fusion-promoting activity. The importance of intermolecular disulfide bonding informs models regarding the mechanism of Prm1-mediated cell–cell fusion.


Deprecated: genesis_footer_creds_text is deprecated since version 3.1.0! Use genesis_pre_get_option_footer_text instead. This filter is no longer supported. You can now modify your footer text using the Theme Settings. in /nas/content/live/wlabdemo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5698

Copyright © 2022  Walter Lab | University of California, San Francisco | Howard Hughes Medical Institute