SEM1, a homologue of the split hand/split foot malformation candidate gene Dss1, regulates exocytosis and pseudohyphal differentiation in yeast

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1999-02, Vol.96 (3), p.909-914
• Main Authors: Jantti, J, Lahdenranta, J, Olkkonen, V.M, Soderlund, H, Keranen, S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Animals; beta-Fructofuranosidase; Biological Sciences; Budding; Cell Cycle Proteins; Cell Differentiation; Cell growth; Cell membranes; Cellular biology; cytochemistry; cytosol; Databases as Topic; deletions; Diploidy; Evolution, Molecular; Exocytosis; fungal anatomy; Fungal Proteins - chemistry; Fungal Proteins - genetics; Fungal Proteins - metabolism; genbank/af059310; Gene Deletion; Gene expression regulation; gene transfer; Genes; Genes, Fungal; genetic transformation; Genotype; Glycoside Hydrolases - biosynthesis; Haploidy; Humans; Mice; microsomes; Molecular Sequence Data; Mother cells; mutants; Mutation; nucleotide sequences; phenotype; Phenotypes; Phylogeny; Plasmids; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; proteins; Proteins - chemistry; Proteins - genetics; Rats; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - cytology; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - physiology; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; structural genes; Yeast; Yeasts
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.96.3.909

The exocyst is an essential multiprotein complex mediating polarized secretion in yeast. Here we describe a gene, SEM1, that can multicopy-suppress exocyst mutants sec3-2, sec8-9, sec10-2, and sec15-1. SEM1 is highly conserved among eukaryotic species. Its human homologue, DSS1, has been suggested as a candidate gene for the split hand/split foot malformation disorder. SEM1 is not an essential gene. However, its deletion rescued growth of the temperature-sensitive exocyst mutants sec3-2, sec8-9, sec10-1, and sec15-1 at the restrictive temperature. Cell fractionation showed that Sem1p is mainly cytosolic but also associates with the microsomal fraction. In linear sucrose gradients, Sem1p cosedimented with the exocyst component Sec8p. In diploid cells that normally do not form pseudohyphae (S288C background), deletion of SEM1 triggered pseudohyphal growth. This phenotype was abolished after reintroduction of either SEM1 or the mouse homologue Dss1 into the cells. In diploids that have normal capacity for pseudohyphal growth (sigma 1278b background), deletion of SEM1 enhanced filamentous growth. The functionality of both SEM1 and Dss1 in a differentiation process in yeast suggests that Dss1 indeed could be the gene affected in the split hand/split foot malformation disorder. These results characterize SEM1 as a regulator of both exocyst function and pseudohyphal differentiation and suggest a unique link between these two cellular functions in yeast.