Isolation and properties of an arginine-binding protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Transfer of exponentially growing cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae epsilon 1278 b to a fresh medium (or simply to distilled water) resulted in the loss of ability to transport arginine (and lysine), accompanied by the release of several proteins from the membrane surface or periplasmic space. Fractionation by ultrafiltration, Sephadex G-50 chromatography and freeze-drying yielded a homogeneous protein (55 mg per 100 g dry weight of cells) with specific binding ability for L-arginine (Kd = 3.8 X 10(-1) M) and L-lysine (Ki = 4.2 X 10(-4) M). The protein contains over 40 amino acid residues and has a molecular weight of about 5,000. In solution, it appears to aggregate as its concentration is raised, thereby decreasing the overall binding capacity for arginine. Addition of the protein to a depleted culture does not restore the transport of arginine. It is apparently the recognition protein for the specific arginine-transporting system of Saccharomyces cerevisiae but it occurs in almost identical amounts in the MG 168 mutant with impaired arginine transport.