Yeast Svf1 binds ceramides and contributes to sphingolipid metabolism at the ER cis-Golgi interface.

Ceramides are essential precursors of complex sphingolipids and act as potent signaling molecules. Ceramides are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and receive their head-groups in the Golgi apparatus, yielding complex sphingolipids (SPs). Transport of ceramides between the ER and the Golgi is executed by the essential ceramide transport protein (CERT) in mammalian cells. However, yeast cells lack a CERT homolog, and the mechanism of ER to Golgi ceramide transport remains largely elusive. Here, we identified a role for yeast Svf1 in ceramide transport between the ER and the Golgi. Svf1 is dynamically targeted to membranes via an N-terminal amphipathic helix (AH). Svf1 binds ceramide via a hydrophobic binding pocket that is located in between two lipocalin domains. We showed that Svf1 membrane-targeting is important to maintain flux of ceramides into complex SPs. Together, our results show that Svf1 is a ceramide binding protein that contributes to sphingolipid metabolism at Golgi compartments.

Computed structures of core eukaryotic protein complexes.

Protein-protein interactions play critical roles in biology, but the structures of many eukaryotic protein complexes are unknown, and there are likely many interactions not yet identified. We take advantage of advances in proteome-wide amino acid coevolution analysis and deep-learning­based structure modeling to systematically identify and build accurate models of core eukaryotic protein complexes within the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome. We use a combination of RoseTTAFold and AlphaFold to screen through paired multiple sequence alignments for 8.3 million pairs of yeast proteins, identify 1505 likely to interact, and build structure models for 106 previously unidentified assemblies and 806 that have not been structurally characterized. These complexes, which have as many as five subunits, play roles in almost all key processes in eukaryotic cells and provide broad insights into biological function.

Structure of the complete, membrane-assembled COPII coat reveals a complex interaction network.

COPII mediates Endoplasmic Reticulum to Golgi trafficking of thousands of cargoes. Five essential proteins assemble into a two-layer architecture, with the inner layer thought to regulate coat assembly and cargo recruitment, and the outer coat forming cages assumed to scaffold membrane curvature. Here we visualise the complete, membrane-assembled COPII coat by cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging, revealing the full network of interactions within and between coat layers. We demonstrate the physiological importance of these interactions using genetic and biochemical approaches. Mutagenesis reveals that the inner coat alone can provide membrane remodelling function, with organisational input from the outer coat. These functional roles for the inner and outer coats significantly move away from the current paradigm, which posits membrane curvature derives primarily from the outer coat. We suggest these interactions collectively contribute to coat organisation and membrane curvature, providing a structural framework to understand regulatory mechanisms of COPII trafficking and secretion.

Combinatorial multivalent interactions drive cooperative assembly of the COPII coat.

Protein secretion is initiated at the endoplasmic reticulum by the COPII coat, which self-assembles to form vesicles. Here, we examine the mechanisms by which a cargo-bound inner coat layer recruits and is organized by an outer scaffolding layer to drive local assembly of a stable structure rigid enough to enforce membrane curvature. An intrinsically disordered region in the outer coat protein, Sec31, drives binding with an inner coat layer via multiple distinct interfaces, including a newly defined charge-based interaction. These interfaces combinatorially reinforce each other, suggesting coat oligomerization is driven by the cumulative effects of multivalent interactions. The Sec31 disordered region could be replaced by evolutionarily distant sequences, suggesting plasticity in the binding interfaces. Such a multimodal assembly platform provides an explanation for how cells build a powerful yet transient scaffold to direct vesicle traffic.