Expression of yeast lipid phosphatase Sac1p is regulated by phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate.

BACKGROUND: Phosphoinositides play a central role in regulating processes at intracellular membranes. In yeast, a large number of phospholipid biosynthetic enzymes use a common mechanism for transcriptional regulation. Yet, how the expression of genes encoding lipid kinases and phosphatases is regulated remains unknown. RESULTS: Here we show that the expression of lipid phosphatase Sac1p in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated in response to changes in phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI(4)P) concentrations. Unlike genes encoding enzymes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis, expression of the SAC1 gene is independent of inositol levels. We identified a novel 9-bp motif within the 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR) of SAC1 that is responsible for PI(4)P-mediated regulation. Upregulation of SAC1 promoter activity correlates with elevated levels of Sac1 protein levels. CONCLUSION: Regulation of Sac1p expression via the concentration of its major substrate PI(4)P ensures proper maintenance of compartment-specific pools of PI(4)P.

Growth control of Golgi phosphoinositides by reciprocal localization of sac1 lipid phosphatase and pik1 4-kinase.

Compartment-specific control of phosphoinositide lipids is essential for cell function. The Sac1 lipid phosphatase regulates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate [PI(4)P] in response to nutrient levels and cell growth stages. During exponential growth, Sac1p interacts with Dpm1p at the ER but shuttles to the Golgi during starvation. Here, we report that a C-terminal region in Sac1p is required for retention in the perinuclear ER, whereas the N-terminal domain is responsible for Golgi localization. We also show that starvation-induced shuttling of Sac1p to the Golgi depends on the coat protein complex II and the Rer1 adaptor protein. Starvation-induced shuttling of Sac1p to the Golgi specifically eliminates a pool of PI(4)P generated by the lipid kinase Pik1p. In addition, absence of nutrients leads to a rapid dissociation of Pik1p, together with its non-catalytical subunit Frq1p, from Golgi membranes. Reciprocal rounds of association/dissociation of the Sac1p lipid phosphatase and the Pik1p/Frq1p lipid kinase complex are responsible for growth-dependent control of Golgi phosphoinositides. Sac1p and Pik1p/Frq1p are therefore elements of a unique machinery that synchronizes ER and Golgi function in response to different growth conditions.

Cell growth-dependent coordination of lipid signaling and glycosylation is mediated by interactions between Sac1p and Dpm1p.

The integral membrane lipid phosphatase Sac1p regulates local pools of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) at endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi membranes. PtdIns(4)P is important for Golgi trafficking, yet the significance of PtdIns(4)P for ER function is unknown. It also remains unknown how localization of Sac1p to distinct organellar membranes is mediated. Here, we show that a COOH-terminal region in yeast Sac1p is crucial for ER targeting by directly interacting with dolicholphosphate mannose synthase Dpm1p. The interaction with Dpm1p persists during exponential cell division but is rapidly abolished when cell growth slows because of nutrient limitation, causing translocation of Sac1p to Golgi membranes. Cell growth-dependent shuttling of Sac1p between the ER and the Golgi is important for reciprocal control of PtdIns(4)P levels at these organelles. The fraction of Sac1p resident at the ER is also required for efficient dolichol oligosaccharide biosynthesis. Thus, the lipid phosphatase Sac1p may be a key regulator, coordinating the secretory capacity of ER and Golgi membranes in response to growth conditions.

The human phosphatidylinositol phosphatase SAC1 interacts with the coatomer I complex.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SAC1 gene encodes an integral membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus. Yeast SAC1 mutants display a wide array of phenotypes including inositol auxotrophy, cold sensitivity, secretory defects, disturbed ATP transport into the ER, or suppression of actin gene mutations. At present, it is not clear how these phenotypes relate to the finding that SAC1 displays polyphosphoinositide phosphatase activity. Moreover, it is still an open question whether SAC1 functions similarly in mammalian cells, since some phenotypes are yeast-specific. Potential protein interaction partners and, connected to that, possible regulatory circuits have not been described. Therefore, we have cloned human SAC1 (hSAC1), show that it behaves similar to ySac1p in terms of substrate specificity, demonstrate that the endogenous protein localizes to the ER and Golgi, and identify for the first time members of the coatomer I (COPI) complex as interaction partners of hSAC1. Mutation of a putative COPI interaction motif (KXKXX) at its C terminus abolishes interaction with COPI and causes accumulation of hSAC1 in the Golgi. In addition, we generated a catalytically inactive mutant, demonstrate that its lipid binding capacity is unaltered, and show that it accumulates in the Golgi, incapable of interacting with the COPI complex despite the presence of the KXKXX motif. These results open the possibility that the enzymatic function of hSAC1 provides a switch for accessibility of the COPI interaction motif.

Retention of the yeast Sac1p phosphatase in the endoplasmic reticulum causes distinct changes in cellular phosphoinositide levels and stimulates microsomal ATP transport.

The yeast phosphoinositide phosphatase Sac1p localizes to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi membranes and has compartment-specific functions in these organelles. In this study we analyzed in detail the topology of Sac1p. Our data show that Sac1p is a type II transmembrane protein with a large N-terminal cytosolic domain, which is anchored in the membrane by the two potential transmembrane helices near the C terminus. Based on this topology, we created a mutation that caused retention of Sac1p in the ER and as a consequence showed specific alterations in cellular phosphoinositide levels. Our results suggest that Sac1p controls a pool of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate in the ER. Retention of Sac1p in the ER also stimulates ATP transport into the ER lumen but causes the same Golgi-specific defects that are seen in a sac1 null mutant. Taken together this study provides evidence that Sac1p is an important 4-phosphatase in the ER controlling different aspects of ER-based protein processing and secretion.