Fundamental and Applicative Aspects of the Unfolded Protein Response in Yeasts.

Upon the dysfunction or functional shortage of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), namely, ER stress, eukaryotic cells commonly provoke a protective gene expression program called the unfolded protein response (UPR). The molecular mechanism of UPR has been uncovered through frontier genetic studies using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. Ire1 is an ER-located transmembrane protein that directly senses ER stress and is activated as an RNase. During ER stress, Ire1 promotes the splicing of HAC1 mRNA, which is then translated into a transcription factor that induces the expression of various genes, including those encoding ER-located molecular chaperones and protein modification enzymes. While this mainstream intracellular UPR signaling pathway was elucidated in the 1990s, new intriguing insights have been gained up to now. For instance, various additional factors allow UPR evocation strictly in response to ER stress. The UPR machineries in other yeasts and fungi, including pathogenic species, are another important research topic. Moreover, industrially beneficial yeast strains carrying an enforced and enlarged ER have been produced through the artificial and constitutive induction of the UPR. In this article, we review canonical and up-to-date insights concerning the yeast UPR, mainly from the viewpoint of the functions and regulation of Ire1 and HAC1.

An ER-accumulated mutant of yeast Pma1 causes membrane-related stress to induce the unfolded protein response.

Upon dysfunction of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), namely ER stress, eukaryotic cells provoke the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is triggered by ER stress sensors including Ire1. While the ER luminal domain of Ire1 is known to directly recognize misfolded soluble proteins accumulated in the ER, the transmembrane domain of Ire1 is involved in its self-association and activation upon membrane lipid-related abnormalities, which are so-called lipid bilayer stress (LBS). Here we inquired how the ER accumulation of misfolded transmembrane proteins induces the UPR. In yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, a multi-transmembrane protein, Pma1, is not transported to the cell surface but aggregates on the ER membrane when carrying a point mutation (Pma1-2308). Here, we show that GFP-tagged Ire1 co-localized with the Pma1-2308-mCherry puncta. This co-localization and the UPR induced by Pma1-2308-mCherry were compromised by a point mutation in Ire1 that specifically impairs its activation upon LBS. We presume that Pma1-2308-mCherry locally affects the properties (probably the thickness) of the ER membrane at its aggregation sites, where Ire1 is then recruited, self-associated, and then activated.

Fast-Growing Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells with a Constitutive Unfolded Protein Response and Their Potential for Lipidic Molecule Production.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, dysfunction of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), so-called ER stress, leads to conversion of HAC1 mRNA to the spliced form (HAC1i), which is translated into a transcription factor that drastically changes the gene expression profile. This cellular response ultimately enhances ER functions and is named the unfolded protein response (UPR). Artificial evocation of the UPR is therefore anticipated to increase productivity of beneficial materials on and in the ER. However, as demonstrated here, cells constitutively expressing HAC1i mRNA (HAC1i cells), which exhibited a strong UPR even under nonstress conditions, grew considerably slowly and frequently yielded fast-growing and low-UPR progeny. Intriguingly, growth of HAC1i cells was faster in the presence of weak ER stress that was induced by low concentrations of the ER stressor tunicamycin or by cellular expression of the ER-located version of green fluorescent protein (GFP). HAC1i cells producing ER-localized GFP stably exhibited a strong UPR activity, carried a highly expanded ER, and abundantly produced triglycerides and heterogenous carotenoids. We therefore propose that our findings provide a basis for metabolic engineering to generate cells producing valuable lipidic molecules. IMPORTANCE The UPR is thought to be a cellular response to cope with the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. In S. cerevisiae cells, the UPR is severely repressed under nonstress conditions. The findings of this study shed light on the physiological significance of the tight regulation of the UPR. Constitutive UPR induction caused considerable growth retardation, which was partly rescued by the induction of weak ER stress. Therefore, we speculate that when the UPR is inappropriately induced in unstressed cells lacking aberrant ER client proteins, the UPR improperly impairs normal cellular functions. Another important point of this study was the generation of S. cerevisiae strains stably exhibiting a strong UPR activity and abundantly producing triglycerides and heterogenous carotenoids. We anticipate that our findings may be applied to produce valuable lipidic molecules using yeast cells as a potential next-generation technique.

Self-association status-dependent inactivation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor Ire1 by C-terminal tagging with artificial peptides.

Upon endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, eukaryotic cells commonly induce unfolded protein response (UPR), which is triggered, at least partly, by the ER stress sensor Ire1. Upon ER stress, Ire1 is dimerized or forms oligomeric clusters, resulting in the activation of Ire1 as an endoribonuclease. In ER-stressed Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, HAC1 mRNA is spliced by Ire1 and then translated into a transcription factor that promotes the UPR. Herein, we report that Ire1 tagged artificially with irrelevant peptides at the C terminus is almost completely inactive when only dimerized, while it induced the UPR as well as untagged Ire1 when clustered. This finding suggests a fundamental difference between the dimeric and clustered forms of Ire1. By comparing UPR levels in S. cerevisiae cells carrying artificially peptide-tagged Ire1 to that in cells carrying untagged Ire1, we estimated the self-association status of Ire1 under various ER stress conditions.

Induction of the Unfolded Protein Response at High Temperature in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Ire1 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-located endoribonuclease that is activated in response to ER stress. In yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, Ire1 promotes HAC1-mRNA splicing to remove the intron sequence from the HAC1u mRNA ("u" stands for "uninduced"). The resulting mRNA, which is named HAC1i mRNA ("i" stands for "induced"), is then translated into a transcription factor that is involved in the unfolded protein response (UPR). In this study, we designed an oligonucleotide primer that specifically hybridizes to the exon-joint site of the HAC1i cDNA. This primer allowed us to perform real-time reverse transcription-PCR to quantify HAC1i mRNA abundance with high sensitivity. Using this method, we detected a minor induction of HAC1-mRNA splicing in yeast cells cultured at their maximum growth temperature of 39 °C. Based on our analyses of IRE1-gene mutant strains, we propose that when yeast cells are cultured at or near their maximum growth temperature, protein folding in the ER is disturbed, leading to a minor UPR induction that supports cellular growth.

Aeration mitigates endoplasmic reticulum stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae even without mitochondrial respiration.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a facultative anaerobic organism that grows well under both aerobic and hypoxic conditions in media containing abundant fermentable nutrients such as glucose. In order to deeply understand the physiological dependence of S. cerevisiae on aeration, we checked endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress status by monitoring the splicing of HAC1 mRNA, which is promoted by the ER stress-sensor protein, Ire1. HAC1-mRNA splicing that was caused by conventional ER-stressing agents, including low concentrations of dithiothreitol (DTT), was more potent in hypoxic cultures than in aerated cultures. Moreover, growth retardation was observed by adding low-dose DTT into hypoxic cultures of ire1Δ cells. Unexpectedly, aeration mitigated ER stress and DTT-induced impairment of ER oxidative protein folding even when mitochondrial respiration was halted by the ρo mutation. An ER-located protein Ero1 is known to directly consume molecular oxygen to initiate the ER protein oxidation cascade, which promotes oxidative protein folding of ER client proteins. Our further study using ero1-mutant strains suggested that, in addition to mitochondrial respiration, this Ero1-medaited reaction contributes to mitigation of ER stress by molecular oxygen. Taken together, here we demonstrate a scenario in which aeration acts beneficially on S. cerevisiae cells even under fermentative conditions.

The ADP-binding kinase region of Ire1 directly contributes to its responsiveness to endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Upon endoplasmic-reticulum (ER) stress, the ER-located transmembrane protein, Ire1, is autophosphorylated and acts as an endoribonuclease to trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR). Previous biochemical studies have shown that Ire1 exhibits strong endoribonuclease activity when its cytosolic kinase region captures ADP. Here, we asked how this event contributes to the regulation of Ire1 activity. At the beginning of this study, we obtained a luminal-domain mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ire1, deltaIdeltaIIIdeltaV/Y225H Ire1, which is deduced to be controlled by none of the luminal-side regulatory events. ER-stress responsiveness of deltaIdeltaIIIdeltaV/Y225H Ire1 was largely compromised by a further mutation on the kinase region, D797N/K799N, which allows Ire1 to be activated without capturing ADP. Therefore, in addition to the ER-luminal domain of Ire1, which monitors ER conditions, the kinase region is directly involved in the ER-stress responsiveness of Ire1. We propose that potent ER stress harms cells' "vividness", increasing the cytosolic ADP/ATP ratio, and eventually strongly activates Ire1. This mechanism seems to contribute to the suppression of inappropriately potent UPR under weak ER-stress conditions.

Induction and Aggravation of the Endoplasmic-Reticulum Stress by Membrane-Lipid Metabolic Intermediate Phosphatidyl-N-Monomethylethanolamine.

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is produced via two distinct pathways in both hepatocytes and yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One of these pathways involves the sequential methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). In yeast cells, the methyltransferase, Cho2, converts PE to phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine (PMME), which is further modified to PC by another methyltransferase, Opi3. On the other hand, free choline is utilized for PC production via the Kennedy pathway. The blockage of PC production is well known to cause endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activate the ER-stress sensor, Ire1, to induce unfolded protein response (UPR). Here, we demonstrate that even when free choline is sufficiently supplied, the opi3Δ mutation, but not the cho2 Δ mutation, induces the UPR. The UPR was also found to be induced by CHO2 overexpression. Further, monomethylethanolamine, which is converted to PMME probably through the Kennedy pathway, caused or potentiated ER stress in both mammalian and yeast cells. We thus deduce that PMME per se is an ER-stressing molecule. Interestingly, spontaneously accumulated PMME seemed to aggravate ER stress in yeast cells. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the multiple detrimental effects of the low-abundance phospholipid species, PMME.

The unfolded protein response in Pichia pastoris without external stressing stimuli.

Dysfunction or capacity shortage of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is cumulatively called ER stress and provokes the unfolded protein response (UPR). In various yeast species, the ER-located transmembrane protein Ire1 is activated upon ER stress and performs the splicing reaction of HAC1 mRNA, the mature form of which is translated into a transcription factor protein that is responsible for the transcriptome change on the UPR. Here we carefully assessed the splicing of HAC1 mRNA in Pichia pastoris (Komagataella phaffii) cells. We found that, inconsistent with previous reports by others, the HAC1 mRNA was substantially, but partially, spliced even without ER-stressing stimuli. Unlike Saccharomyces cerevisiae, growth of P. pastoris was significantly retarded by the IRE1-gene knockout mutation. Moreover, P. pastoris cells seemed to push more abundant proteins into the secretory pathway than S. cerevisiae cells. We also suggest that P. pastoris Ire1 has the ability to control its activity stringently in an ER stress-dependent manner. We thus propose that P. pastoris cells are highly ER-stressed possibly because of the high load of endogenous proteins into the ER.

Dispersion of Endoplasmic Reticulum-associated Compartments by 4-phenyl Butyric Acid in Yeast Cells.

In yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, some aberrant multimembrane-spanning proteins are not transported to the cell surface but form and are accumulated in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived subcompartments, known as the ER-associated compartments (ERACs), which are observed as puncta under fluorescence microscopy. Here we show that a mutant of the cell surface protein Pma1, Pma1-2308, was accumulated in the ERACs, as well as the heterologously expressed mammalian cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), in yeast cells. Pma1-2308 and CFTR were located on the same ERACs. We also note that treatment of cells with 4-phenyl butyric acid (4-PBA) compromised the ERAC formation by Pma1-2308 and CFTR, suggesting that 4-PBA exerts a chaperone-like function in yeast cells. Intriguingly, unlike ER stress induced by the canonical ER stressor tunicamycin, ER stress that was induced by Pma1-2308 was aggravated by 4-PBA. We assume that this observation demonstrates a beneficial aspect of ERACs, and thus propose that the ERACs are formed through aggregation of aberrant transmembrane proteins and work as the accumulation sites of multiple ERAC-forming proteins for their sequestration.Key words: protein aggregation, organelle, unfolded protein response, ER stress, 4-PBA.

The unfolded protein response alongside the diauxic shift of yeast cells and its involvement in mitochondria enlargement.

Upon dysfunction of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), eukaryotic cells evoke the unfolded protein response (UPR), which, in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisaie cells, is promoted by the ER-located transmembrane endoribonuclease Ire1. When activated, Ire1 splices and matures the HAC1 mRNA which encodes a transcription-factor protein that is responsible for the gene induction of the UPR. Here we propose that this signaling pathway is also used in cellular adaptation upon diauxic shift, in which cells shift from fermentative phase (fast growth) to mitochondrial respiration phase (slower growth). Splicing of the HAC1 mRNA was induced upon diauxic shift of cells cultured in glucose-based media or in cells transferred from glucose-based medium to non-fermentable glycerol-based medium. Activation of Ire1 in this situation was not due to ER accumulation of unfolded proteins, and was mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are byproducts of aerobic respiration. Here we also show that the UPR induced by diauxic shift causes enlargement of the mitochondria, and thus contributes to cellular growth under non-fermentative conditions, in addition to transcriptional induction of the canonical UPR target genes, which includes those encoding ER-located molecular chaperones and protein-folding enzymes.

Monitoring ADP/ATP ratio in yeast cells using the fluorescent-protein reporter PercevalHR.

PercevalHR (Perceval High Resolution) is an artificially designed fluorescent protein, which changes its excitation spectrum based on the ADP/ATP ratio of the environment. Here we demonstrated that PercevalHR can be used for monitoring energy status of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, which are affected by diauxic shift and mitochondria inhibition, in a non-invasive and non-destructive manner.

4-Phenylbutyrate suppresses the unfolded protein response without restoring protein folding in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Accumulation of unfolded secretory proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), namely ER stress, is hazardous to eukaryotic cells and promotes the unfolded protein response (UPR). Ire1 is an ER-located transmembrane protein that senses ER stress and triggers the UPR. According to previous in vitro experiments, 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) works as a chemical molecular chaperone. Since 4-PBA attenuates the UPR in mammalian tissue cultures, this chemical may have clinical potential for restoring ER-stressing conditions. In this study, we investigated 4-PBA's mode of action using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. Although 4-PBA blocked a dithiothreitol (DTT)-induced UPR, it did not appear to restore impairment of ER protein folding that was caused by DTT. Moreover, even under non-stress conditions, 4-PBA attenuated UPR that was induced by an Ire1 mutant that exhibits a substantial activity without sensing ER accumulation of unfolded proteins. We also found that 4-PBA drastically promotes the degradation of Ire1. These observations indicate that at least in the case of yeast cells, 4-PBA suppresses the UPR not through restoration of the ER function to correctly fold proteins. Instead, the accelerated degradation of Ire1 possibly explains the reason why the UPR is attenuated by 4-PBA.

Cadmium impairs protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum and induces the unfolded protein response.

Cellular exposure to cadmium is known to strongly induce the unfolded protein response (UPR), which suggests that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is preferentially damaged by cadmium. According to recent reports, the UPR is induced both dependent on and independently of accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. In order to understand the toxic mechanism of cadmium, here we investigated how cadmium exposure leads to Ire1 activation, which triggers the UPR, using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. Cadmium poorly induced the UPR when Ire1 carried a mutation that impairs its ability to recognize unfolded proteins. Ire1 activation by cadmium was also attenuated by the chemical chaperone 4-phenylbutyrate. Cadmium caused sedimentation of BiP, the molecular chaperone in the ER, which suggests the ER accumulation of unfolded proteins. A green fluorescent protein-based reporter assay also indicated that cadmium damages the oxidative protein folding in the ER. We also found that an excess concentration of extracellular calcium attenuates the Ire1 activation by cadmium. Taken together, we propose that cadmium exposure leads to the UPR induction through impairment of protein folding in the ER.

Tight regulation of the unfolded protein sensor Ire1 by its intramolecularly antagonizing subdomain.

Accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) accompanies ER stress and causes the type-I transmembrane protein Ire1 (also known as ERN1) to trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR). When dimerized, the core stress-sensing region (CSSR) of Ire1 directly captures unfolded proteins and forms a high-order oligomer, leading to clustering and activation of Ire1. The CSSR is N-terminally flanked by an intrinsically disordered subdomain, which we previously named Subregion I, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ire1. In this study, we describe tight repression of Ire1 activity by Subregion I under conditions of no or weak stress. Weak hyperactivation of an Ire1 mutant lacking Subregion I slightly retarded growth of yeast cells cultured under unstressed conditions. Fungal Ire1 orthologs and the animal Ire1 family protein PERK (also known as EIF2AK3) carry N-terminal intrinsically disordered subdomains with a similar structure and function to that of Subregion I. Our observations presented here cumulatively indicate that Subregion I is captured by the CSSR as an unfolded protein substrate. This intramolecular subdomain interaction is likely to compromise self-association of the CSSR, explaining why Subregion I can suppress Ire1 activity when ER-accumulated unfolded proteins are not abundant.

Ethanol stress impairs protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum and activates Ire1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Impaired protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) evokes the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is triggered in budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, by the ER-located transmembrane protein Ire1. Here, we report that ethanol stress damages protein folding in the ER, causing activation of Ire1 in yeast cells. The UPR likely contributes to the ethanol tolerance of yeast cells.

F-actin and a type-II myosin are required for efficient clustering of the ER stress sensor Ire1.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress causes the ER-resident transmembrane protein Ire1 to self-associate, leading to the formation of large oligomeric clusters. In yeast cells, this induces strong unfolded protein response (UPR) through splicing of HAC1 mRNA. Here, we demonstrate that highly ER-stressed yeast cells exhibited poor Ire1 clustering in the presence of the actin-disrupting agent latrunculin-A. Under these conditions, Ire1 may form smaller oligomers because latrunculin-A only partially diminished the Ire1-mediated splicing of HAC1 mRNA. Ire1 cluster formation was also impaired by deletion of the type-II myosin gene MYO1 or SAC6, which encodes the actin-bundling protein fimbrin. Finally, we demonstrated that Ire1 clusters are predominantly located on or near actin filaments. Therefore, we propose that actin filaments play an important role in ER stress-induced clustering of Ire1.

BiP-bound and nonclustered mode of Ire1 evokes a weak but sustained unfolded protein response.

In eukaryotic cells under nonstressed conditions, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-located molecular chaperone BiP is associated with an ER-membrane protein Ire1 to inhibit its self-association. While ER stress leads Ire1 to form transiently BiP-unbound clusters, which strongly evoke the unfolded protein response (UPR), here we propose an alternative activation status of Ire1. When yeast cells are physiologically ER-stressed by inositol depletion for a prolonged time, the UPR is weakly activated in a sustained manner after a transient peak of activation. During persistent stress, Ire1 foci disappear, while Ire1 continues to be self-associated. Under these conditions, Ire1 may be activated as a homo-dimer, as it shows considerable activity even when carrying the W426A mutation, which allows Ire1 to form homo-dimers but not clusters. Unlike the Ire1 clusters, the nonclustered active form seems to be associated with BiP. An Ire1 mutant not carrying the BiP-association site continued to form clusters and to be activated strongly even after long-term stress. Similar observations were obtained when cells were ER-stressed by dithiothreitol. We thus propose that upon persistent ER stress, Ire1 is weakly and continuously activated in a nonclustered form through its (re)association with BiP, which disperses the Ire1 clusters.

Membrane aberrancy and unfolded proteins activate the endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor Ire1 in different ways.

Eukaryotic cells activate the unfolded-protein response (UPR) upon endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, where the stress is assumed to be the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. Consistent with previous in vitro studies of the ER-luminal domain of the mutant UPR initiator Ire1, our study show its association with a model unfolded protein in yeast cells. An Ire1 luminal domain mutation that compromises Ire1's unfolded-protein-associating ability weakens its ability to respond to stress stimuli, likely resulting in the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. In contrast, this mutant was activated like wild-type Ire1 by depletion of the membrane lipid component inositol or by deletion of genes involved in lipid homeostasis. Another Ire1 mutant lacking the authentic luminal domain was up-regulated by inositol depletion as strongly as wild-type Ire1. We therefore conclude that the cytosolic (or transmembrane) domain of Ire1 senses membrane aberrancy, while, as proposed previously, unfolded proteins accumulating in the ER interact with and activate Ire1.

Two regulatory steps of ER-stress sensor Ire1 involving its cluster formation and interaction with unfolded proteins.

Chaperone protein BiP binds to Ire1 and dissociates in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, it remains unclear how the signal transducer Ire1 senses ER stress and is subsequently activated. The crystal structure of the core stress-sensing region (CSSR) of yeast Ire1 luminal domain led to the controversial suggestion that the molecule can bind to unfolded proteins. We demonstrate that, upon ER stress, Ire1 clusters and actually interacts with unfolded proteins. Ire1 mutations that affect these phenomena reveal that Ire1 is activated via two steps, both of which are ER stress regulated, albeit in different ways. In the first step, BiP dissociation from Ire1 leads to its cluster formation. In the second step, direct interaction of unfolded proteins with the CSSR orients the cytosolic effector domains of clustered Ire1 molecules.