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Role for the molecular chaperones Zuo1 and Ssz1 in quorum sensing via activation of the transcription factor Pdr1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012 Jan 10;109(2):472-7

Date

12/29/2011

Pubmed ID

22203981

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3258599

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1119184109

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84856000153 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   34 Citations

Abstract

Zuo1 functions as a J-protein cochaperone of its partner Hsp70. In addition, the C terminus of Zuo1 and the N terminus of Ssz1, with which Zuo1 forms a heterodimer, can independently activate the Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcription factor pleiotropic drug resistance 1 (Pdr1). Here we report that activation of Pdr1 by Zuo1 or Ssz1 causes premature growth arrest of cells during the diauxic shift, as they adapt to the changing environmental conditions. Conversely, cells lacking Zuo1 or Ssz1 overgrow, arresting at a higher cell density, an effect overcome by activation of Pdr1. Cells lacking the genes encoding plasma membrane transporters Pdr5 and Snq2, two targets of Pdr1, also overgrow at the diauxic shift. Adding conditioned medium harvested from cultures of wild-type cells attenuated the overgrowth of both zuo1Δssz1Δ and pdr5Δsnq2Δ cells, suggesting the extracellular presence of molecules that signal growth arrest. In addition, our yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed an interaction between Pdr1 and both Zuo1 and Ssz1. Together, our results support a model in which (i) membrane transporters, encoded by Pdr1 target genes act to promote cell-cell communication by exporting quorum sensing molecules, in addition to playing a role in pleiotropic drug resistance; and (ii) molecular chaperones function at promoters to regulate this intercellular communication through their activation of the transcription factor Pdr1.

Author List

Prunuske AJ, Waltner JK, Kuhn P, Gu B, Craig EA

Author

Amy Jeanette Prunuske PhD Professor in the Medical School Regional Campuses department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
Cycloheximide
DNA-Binding Proteins
Drug Resistance, Fungal
Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
Microarray Analysis
Molecular Chaperones
Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
Quorum Sensing
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
Transcription Factors
Two-Hybrid System Techniques