A comparative study of peroxisomal structures in Hansenula polymorpha pex mutants.

In a recent study, we performed a systematic genome analysis for the conservation of genes involved in peroxisome biogenesis (PEX genes) in various fungi. We have now performed a systematic study of the morphology of peroxisome remnants ('ghosts') in Hansenula polymorpha pex mutants (pex1-pex20) and the level of peroxins and matrix proteins in these strains. To this end, all available H. polymorpha pex strains were grown under identical cultivation conditions in glucose-limited chemostat cultures and analyzed in detail. The H. polymorpha pex mutants could be categorized into four distinct groups, namely pex mutants containing: (1) virtually normal peroxisomal structures (pex7, pex17, pex20); (2) small peroxisomal membrane structures with a distinct lumen (pex2, pex4, pex5, pex10, pex12, pex14); (3) multilayered membrane structures lacking apparent matrix protein content (pex1, pex6, pex8, pex13); and (4) no peroxisomal structures (pex3, pex19).

A peroxisomal lon protease and peroxisome degradation by autophagy play key roles in vitality of Hansenula polymorpha cells.

In eukaryote cells various mechanisms exist that are responsible for the removal of non-functional proteins. Here we show that in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha (H. polymorpha) a peroxisomal Lon protease, Pln, plays a role in degradation of unfolded and non-assembled peroxisomal matrix proteins. In addition, we demonstrate that whole peroxisomes are constitutively degraded by autophagy during normal vegetative growth of WT cells. Deletion of both H. polymorpha PLN and ATG1, required for autophagy, resulted in a significant increase in peroxisome numbers, paralleled by a decrease in cell viability relative to WT cells. Also, in these cells and in cells of PLN and ATG1 single deletion strains, the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species had increased relative to WT controls. The enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species may be related to an uneven distribution of peroxisomal catalase activities in the mutant cells, as demonstrated by cytochemistry. We speculate that in the absence of HpPln or autophagy unfolded and non-assembled peroxisomal matrix proteins accumulate, which can form aggregates and lead to an imbalance in hydrogen peroxide production and degradation in some of the organelles.

Fluorescence analysis of the Hansenula polymorpha peroxisomal targeting signal-1 receptor, Pex5p.

Correct sorting of newly synthesized peroxisomal matrix proteins is dependent on a peroxisomal targeting signal (PTS). So far two PTSs are known. PTS1 consists of a tripeptide that is located at the extreme C terminus of matrix proteins and is specifically recognized by the PTS1-receptor Pex5p. We studied Hansenula polymorpha Pex5p (HpPex5p) using fluorescence spectroscopy. The intensity of Trp fluorescence of purified HpPex5p increased by 25% upon shifting the pH from pH 6.0 to pH 7.2. Together with the results of fluorescence quenching by acrylamide, these data suggest that the conformation of HpPex5p differs at these two pH values. Fluorescence anisotropy decay measurements revealed that the pH affected the oligomeric state of HpPex5p, possibly from monomers/dimers at pH 6.0 to larger oligomeric forms at pH 7.2. Addition of dansylated peptides containing a PTS1, caused some shortening of the average fluorescence lifetime of the Trp residues, which was most pronounced at pH 7.2. Our data are discussed in relation to a molecular model of HpPex5p based on the three-dimensional structure of human Pex5p.

Import of assembled PTS1 proteins into peroxisomes of the yeast Hansenula polymorpha: yes and no!

Previously, Waterham et al. [EMBO J. 12 (1993) 4785] reported that cytosolic oligomeric alcohol oxidase (AO) is not incorporated into peroxisomes after reassembly of the organelles in the temperature-sensitive peroxisome-deficient mutant pex1-6(ts) of Hansenula polymorpha shifted to permissive growth conditions. Here, we show that the failure to import assembled AO protein is not exemplary for other folded proteins because both an artificial peroxisomal matrix protein, PTS1-tagged GFP (GFP.SKL), and the endogenous dimeric PTS1 protein dihydroxyacetone synthase (DHAS) were imported under identical conditions. In vitro receptor-ligand binding studies using immobilised H. polymorpha Pex5p and crude extracts of methanol-induced pex1-6(ts) cells, showed that AO octamers did not interact with the recombinant PTS1 receptor, at conditions that allowed binding of folded GFP.SKL and dimeric DHAS. This shows that import of oligomeric proteins is not a universal pathway for peroxisomal matrix proteins.

Hansenula polymorpha Pex3p is a peripheral component of the peroxisomal membrane.

Hansenula polymorpha Pex3p plays an essential role in the biogenesis and maintenance of the peroxisomal membrane. In the initial report, bakers' yeast Pex3p was suggested to represent an integral component of the peroxisomal membrane, containing one membrane-spanning region that exposes the N terminus of the protein into the organellar matrix. Biochemically, HpPex3p behaved like an integral membrane protein as it was resistant toward high salt and carbonate treatment. However, urea fully removed Pex3p from the membrane under conditions in which the integral membrane protein Pex10p was resistant to this treatment. Additional experiments, including protease protection assays and pre-embedding labeling experiments on purified organellar fractions from cells that produced Pex3ps carrying Myc epitopes at various selected locations in the protein, revealed that invariably all Myc tags were accessible for externally added proteases and antibodies, independent of the presence of detergents. Also, overproduction of Pex3p failed to demonstrate the typical integral membrane protein structures in fracture faces of freeze-fractured peroxisomes. Taken together, our data suggest that HpPex3p does not span the peroxisomal membrane but instead is tightly associated to the cytosolic face of the organelle where it may be present in focal protein clusters.