Identification of MYO4, a second class V myosin gene in yeast

We have isolated a fourth myosin gene (MYO4) in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). MYO4 encodes a approximately 170 kDa (1471 amino acid) class V myosin, using the classification devised by Cheney et al. (1993a; Cell Motil. Cytoskel. 24, 215-223); the motor domain is followed by a neck region containing six putative calmodulin-binding sites and a tail with a short potential 'coiled-coil' domain. A comparison with other myosins in GenBank reveals that Myo4 protein is most closely related to the yeast Myo2 protein, another class V myosin. Deletion of MYO4 produces no detectable phenotype, either alone or in conjunction with mutations in myo2 or other myosin genes, the actin gene, or secretory genes. However, overexpression of MYO4 or MYO2 results in several morphological abnormalities, including the formation of short strings of unseparated cells in diploid strains, or clusters of cells in haploid strains. Alterations of MYO4 or MYO2 indicate that neither the motor domains nor tails of these myosins are required to confer the overexpression phenotype, whereas the neck region may be required. Although this phenotype is similar to that seen upon MYO1 deletion, we provide evidence that the overexpression of Myo4p or Myo2p is not simply interfering with Myo1p function.