Characterization of a novel yeast SNARE protein implicated in Golgi retrograde traffic

The protein trafficking machinery of eukaryotic cells is employed for protein secretion and for the localization of resident proteins of the exocytic and endocytic pathways. Protein transit between organelles is mediated by transport vesicles that bear integral membrane proteins (v-SNAREs) which selectively interact with similar proteins on the target membrane (t-SNAREs), resulting in a docked vesicle. A novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae SNARE protein, which has been termed Vti1p, was identified by its sequence similarity to known SNAREs. Vti1p is a predominantly Golgi-localized 25-kDa type II integral membrane protein that is essential for yeast viability. Vti1p can bind Sec17p (yeast SNAP) and enter into a Sec18p (NSF)-sensitive complex with the cis-Golgi t-SNARE Sed5p. This Sed5p/Vti1p complex is distinct from the previously described Sed5p/Sec22p anterograde vesicle docking complex. Depletion of Vti1p in vivo causes a defect in the transport of the vacuolar protein carboxypeptidase Y through the Golgi. Temperature-sensitive mutants of Vti1p show a similar carboxypeptidase Y trafficking defect, but the secretion of invertase and gp400/hsp150 is not significantly affected. The temperature-sensitive vti1 growth defect can be rescued by the overexpression of the v-SNARE, Ykt6p, which physically interacts with Vti1p. We propose that Vti1p, along with Ykt6p and perhaps Sft1p, acts as a retrograde v-SNARE capable of interacting with the cis-Golgi t-SNARE Sed5p.