title: Yeast has homologs (CNA1 and CNA2 gene products) of mammalian calcineurin, a calmodulin-regulated phosphoprotein phosphatase.
abstract: Calcineurin, or phosphoprotein phosphatase type 2B (PP2B), is a calmodulin-regulated phosphoprotein phosphatase. We isolated a gene encoding a yeast PP2B homolog (CNA1) by screening a yeast genomic DNA library in the expression vector lambda gt11, first with 125I-labeled yeast calmodulin and then with a human cDNA encoding the catalytic (or A) subunit of calcineurin. The predicted CNA1 gene product is 54% identical to its mammalian counterpart. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with oligonucleotide primers based on sequences conserved between CNA1 and mammalian PP2B genes, we isolated a second gene, CNA2. CNA2 is identical to PP2Bw, a partial cDNA clone previously described by others as originating from rabbit brain tissue. Our findings demonstrate that a unicellular eukaryote contains phosphoprotein phosphatases of the 2B class. Haploid cells containing a single cna1 or cna2 null mutation, or both mutations, were viable. MATa cna1 cna2 double mutants were more sensitive than wild-type cells or either single mutant to growth arrest induced by the mating pheromone alpha factor and failed to resume growth during continuous exposure to alpha factor. Thus, calcineurin action antagonizes the mating-pheromone response pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Cyert
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kunisawa
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaim
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thorner
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019703:Calcineurin; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011817:Rabbits; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C070394:CMP2 protein, S cerevisiae; C070393:CNA1 protein, S cerevisiae; D019703:Calcineurin; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases