Other ways to skin a cat: activating SREBP without Scap

The sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) pathway plays a central role in the global regulation of lipid homeostasis. SREBPs are membrane-bound transcription factors whose proteolytic activation is regulated by cellular lipid levels; when demand for lipid rises, SREBP travels from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus where it is cleaved by two distinct proteases. Cleavage releases the transcription factor domain of SREBP from the membrane-bound precursor and transcription of its target genes consequently rises. Previously, we isolated Drosophila mutants null for dsrebp and others lacking site-2 protease (ds2p), the second of two Golgi-resident proteases that cleave dSREBP. dScap is a protein needed to escort dSREBP from the ER to the Golgi apparatus. We recently characterized the phenotypes of dscap mutants as well. Here, we describe additional details of phenotypes arising from the inability to activate SREBP appropriately.