Saccharomyces cerevisiae VIG9 encodes GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase, which is essential for protein glycosylation

A genomic DNA fragment that complements a newly identified protein glycosylation-defective mutation, vig9, of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cloned. Chromosomal integration of this fragment by homologous recombination indicated that it contains the wild type VIG9 gene. The nucleotide sequence was determined. A predicted gene product showed significant amino acid sequence homology with several bacterial enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of (deoxy)ribonucleotide diphosphate sugars from sugar phosphates and (deoxy)ribonucleotide triphosphate. We examined the enzyme activity to synthesize GDP-mannose in the cell extracts of the wild type, vig9-1 mutant, and VIG9 transformant yeasts. Reduction of the activity in the mutant cell and its restoration by VIG9 suggested that the VIG9 gene is the structural gene for GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase of S. cerevisiae which catalyzes the production of GDP-mannose. We demonstrated the enzyme activity of Vig9 protein using a recombinant fusion protein produced in Escherichia coli.