title: Oligopeptide-repeat expansions modulate 'protein-only' inheritance in yeast.
abstract: The yeast [PSI+] element represents a new type of genetic inheritance, in which changes in phenotype are transmitted by a 'protein only' mechanism reminiscent of the 'protein-only' transmission of mammalian prion diseases. The underlying molecular mechanisms for both are poorly understood and it is not clear how similar they might be. Sup35, the [PSI+] protein determinant, and PrP, the mammalian prion determinant, have different functions, different cellular locations and no sequence similarity; however, each contains five imperfect oligopeptide repeats-PQGGYQQYN in Sup35 and PHGGGWGQ in PrP. Repeat expansions in PrP produce spontaneous prion diseases. Here we show that replacing the wild-type SUP35 gene with a repeat-expansion mutation induces new [PSI+] elements, the first mutation of its type among these newly described elements of inheritance. In vitro, fully denatured repeat-expansion peptides can adopt conformations rich in beta-sheets and form higher-order structures much more rapidly than wild-type peptides. Our results provide insight into the nature of the conformational changes underlying protein-based mechanisms of inheritance and suggest a link between this process and those producing neurodegenerative prion diseases in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lindquist
mesh_terms: D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D010957:Plasmids; D011328:Prions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011487:Protein Conformation; D020449:Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D011328:Prions; C068068:SUP35 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins