Sequestration of Sup35 by aggregates of huntingtin fragments causes toxicity of [PSI+] yeast

J Biol Chem. 2012 Jul 6;287(28):23346-55. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.287748. Epub 2012 May 9.

Abstract

Expression of huntingtin fragments with 103 glutamines (HttQ103) is toxic in yeast containing either the [PIN(+)] prion, which is the amyloid form of Rnq1, or [PSI(+)] prion, which is the amyloid form of Sup35. We find that HttQP103, which has a polyproline region at the C-terminal end of the polyQ repeat region, is significantly more toxic in [PSI(+)] yeast than in [PIN(+)], even though HttQP103 formed multiple aggregates in both [PSI(+)] and [PIN(+)] yeast. This toxicity was only observed in the strong [PSI(+)] variant, not the weak [PSI(+)] variant, which has more soluble Sup35 present than the strong variant. Furthermore, expression of the MC domains of Sup35, which retains the C-terminal domain of Sup35, but lacks the N-terminal prion domain, almost completely rescued HttQP103 toxicity, but was less effective in rescuing HttQ103 toxicity. Therefore, the toxicity of HttQP103 in yeast containing the [PSI(+)] prion is primarily due to sequestration of the essential protein, Sup35.

MeSH terms

  • Blotting, Western
  • Glutamine / genetics
  • Humans
  • Huntingtin Protein
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Mutation
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism*
  • Peptide Fragments / genetics
  • Peptide Fragments / metabolism*
  • Peptide Termination Factors / genetics
  • Peptide Termination Factors / metabolism*
  • Plasmids / genetics
  • Prions / genetics
  • Prions / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / growth & development
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*
  • Transformation, Genetic
  • Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion / genetics

Substances

  • HTT protein, human
  • Huntingtin Protein
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Peptide Termination Factors
  • Prions
  • RNQ1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • SUP35 protein, S cerevisiae
  • SUP45 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Glutamine