Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2026
10:57
Growth-based Determination and Biochemical Confirmation of Genetic Requirements for Protein Degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: February 16, 2015
BTS1 encodes a geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Y Jiang1, P Proteau, D Poulter
1Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536, USA.
The Journal of Biological Chemistry
|September 15, 1995
Summary
Researchers identified BTS1 as a suppressor of a protein geranylgeranylation defect in yeast. Overexpressing BTS1, which encodes geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase, rescues the mutation by increasing essential lipid donor levels.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Protein prenylation, specifically geranylgeranylation, is crucial for membrane association of proteins involved in cellular processes.
- Geranylgeranylation is catalyzed by type I and type II geranylgeranyl transferases using geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP).
- The BET2 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a subunit of type II geranylgeranyl transferase, and its mutations impair protein geranylgeranylation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify genes that interact with BET2 and suppress mutations affecting protein geranylgeranylation.
- To investigate the function of the identified suppressor gene, BTS1, in the context of protein prenylation.
Main Methods:
- Genetic screening for suppressors of the bet2-1 mutant in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- Gene cloning and sequencing to identify the suppressor gene.
- Analysis of protein geranylgeranylation and cell growth phenotypes in wild-type and mutant strains.
Main Results:
- A suppressor gene, BTS1, was isolated and identified as encoding yeast geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase.
- Disruption of BTS1 leads to impaired geranylgeranylation of numerous cellular proteins and causes cold-sensitive growth.
- Overexpression of BTS1 suppresses the bet2-1 mutant phenotype.
Conclusions:
- BTS1 plays a significant role in cellular geranylgeranylation, even though it is not essential for vegetative growth.
- The suppressor effect of BTS1 on the bet2-1 mutant is likely due to an increased intracellular pool of geranylgeranyl diphosphate.
- This study highlights the importance of maintaining adequate levels of lipid donors for proper protein prenylation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:28Yeast Signaling
Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...
01:57Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts
Groups of proteins may form a complex where each protein in this complex has a different role in the overall execution of the complex’s function. Often some of the proteins in the complex can be replaced by a closely related variant to give a complex that contains many of the same components yet is functionally distinct.
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order to...
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order to...
01:33Overview of Secretory Vesicles
Secretory vesicles, also known as dense core vesicles (DCVs), are membrane-bound vesicles that transport secretory proteins, such as hormones or neurotransmitters. Regulated secretory vesicles transport proteins from the trans-Golgi network to the exterior of the cell. Proteins present in regulated secretory vesicles are required to be rapidly exocytosed in large amounts upon a specific stimulus.
Various proteins regulate the aggregation of molecules inside the secretory vesicles. Chromogranins...
Various proteins regulate the aggregation of molecules inside the secretory vesicles. Chromogranins...
01:45Tail-anchoring of Proteins in the ER Membrane
Tail-anchored, or TA, proteins are estimated to make up to 3-5% of membrane proteins found in the eukaryotic cell. Such proteins have a single transmembrane domain located approximately 30 amino acid residues upstream from the C-terminal end. As a result, the signal recognition particle (SRP) cannot guide a TA protein to the ER membrane for cotranslational insertion. Hence, they are integrated into the ER membrane post-translationally using their C-terminal end as the anchor. TA proteins...
01:02Role of Microtubules in Cell Wall Deposition
Microtubules are small hollow tubes in eukaryotic cells. The cell wall microtubules are polymerized dimers of two globular proteins, α-tubulin and β-tubulin, two globular proteins. With a diameter of about 25 nm, microtubules are the widest components of the cytoskeleton. They help the cell resist compression and provide a track along which vesicles move through the cell or pull replicated chromosomes to opposite ends of a dividing cell. Microtubules go through quick cycles of disassembly and...
01:17Gene Regulation During Sporulation
Sporulation is a complex developmental process that allows certain Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium species, to survive extreme environmental conditions. This process is tightly regulated by a series of signaling cascades and transcriptional controls, ensuring the formation of a highly resistant endospore.Sporulation is triggered by unfavorable conditions, such as nutrient depletion, and is governed by a phosphorelay system. One of the sensor kinases, such as...