The Yeast Prion [SWI(+)] Abolishes Multicellular Growth by Triggering Conformational Changes of Multiple Regulators Required for Flocculin Gene Expression.

ABSTRACT: Although transcription factors are prevalent among yeast prion proteins, the role of prion-mediated transcriptional regulation remains elusive. Here, we show that the yeast prion [SWI(+)] abolishes flocculin (FLO) gene expression and results in a complete loss of multicellularity. Further investigation demonstrates that besides Swi1, multiple other proteins essential for FLO expression, including Mss11, Sap30, and Msn1 also undergo conformational changes and become inactivated in [SWI(+)] cells. Moreover, the asparagine-rich region of Mss11 can exist as prion-like aggregates specifically in [SWI(+)] cells, which are SDS resistant, heritable, and curable, but become metastable after separation from [SWI(+)]. Our findings thus reveal a prion-mediated mechanism through which multiple regulato

SUBMITTER: Du Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4704862 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature