Characterizing interactions of endoplasmic reticulum resident proteins in situ through the YST-PPI method

The mutual interactions of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident proteins in the ER maintain its functions, prompting the protein folding, modification, and transportation. Here, a new method, named YST-PPI (YESS-based Split fast TEV protease system for Protein-Protein Interaction) was developed, targeting the characterization of protein interactions in ER. YST-PPI method integrated the YESS system, split-TEV technology, and endoplasmic reticulum retention signal peptide (ERS) to provide an effective strategy for studying ER in situ PPIs in a fast and quantitative manner. The interactions among 15 ER-resident proteins, most being identified molecular chaperones, of S. cerevisiae were explored using the YST-PPI system, and their interaction network map was constructed, in which more than 74 interacting resident protein pairs were identified. Our studies also showed that Lhs1p plays a critical role in regulating the interactions of most of the ER-resident proteins, except the Sil1p, indicating its potential role in controlling the ER molecular chaperones. Moreover, the mutual interaction revealed by our studies further confirmed that the ER-resident proteins perform their functions in a cooperative way and a multimer complex might be formed during the process.