cThe glucose analog 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) inhibits the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human tumor cells, but its modes of action have not been fully elucidated. Yeast cells lacking Snf1 (AMP-activated protein kinase) are hypersensitive to 2DG. Overexpression of either of two low-affinity, high-capacity glucose transporters, Hxt1 and Hxt3, suppresses the 2DG hypersensitivity of snf1⌬ cells. The addition of 2DG or the loss of Snf1 reduces HXT1 and HXT3 expression levels and stimulates transporter endocytosis and degradation in the vacuole. 2DG-stimulated trafficking of Hxt1 and Hxt3 requires Rod1/Art4 and Rog3/ Art7, two members of the ␣-arrestin trafficking adaptor family. Mutations in ROD1 and ROG3 that block binding to the ubiquitin ligase Rsp5 eliminate Rod1-and Rog3-mediated trafficking of Hxt1 and Hxt3. Genetic analysis suggests that Snf1 negatively regulates both Rod1 and Rog3, but via different mechanisms. Snf1 activated by 2DG phosphorylates Rod1 but fails to phosphorylate other known targets, such as the transcriptional repressor Mig1. We propose a novel mechanism for 2DG-induced toxicity whereby 2DG stimulates the modification of ␣-arrestins, which promote glucose transporter internalization and degradation, causing glucose starvation even when cells are in a glucose-rich environment.C ells sense and respond to changes in the nutrient supply to ensure optimal cell growth and survival. To achieve this adaptation, cell-signaling cues dictate compensatory alterations in the transcriptome and proteome (1-5). The addition of the glucose analog 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) to cells causes a glucose starvation-like response, inhibiting growth and reducing viability even in the presence of abundant glucose (6, 7). 2DG is taken up and converted to 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate (2DG-6P) (8, 9); however, the absence of a hydroxyl group on C-2 prevents the further catabolism of 2DG-6P by phosphoglucose isomerase. Accumulation of 2DG-6P may result in product inhibition of hexokinase, thereby inhibiting glycolysis (10). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 2DG reportedly inhibits the biosynthesis of both cell wall polysaccharide and glycoprotein, causing cells to become osmotically fragile (11,12). Whether these are the only means by which 2DG short-circuits normal glucose utilization remains unclear.Addressing this question is of significant clinical importance, because 2DG is a potent inhibitor of cancer cell proliferation. 2DG impedes cancer progression in animal models and continues to be assessed as an anticancer therapeutic (13-16). 2DG selectively inhibits cancerous cells as a result of a key metabolic shift that distinguishes many malignant cells from the surrounding normal tissues. Many tumor cells shunt glucose through the glycolytic pathway and use lactic acid fermentation to generate ATP, a phenomenon first recognized by Otto Warburg (17,18). In spite of the widespread use of 2DG, the mechanism by which it inhibits cell growth remains controversial; it has been reported to generate a dead-end metabolite in 2DG-6P tha...

e G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are integral membrane proteins that initiate responses to extracellular stimuli by mediating ligand-dependent activation of cognate heterotrimeric G proteins. In yeast, occupancy of GPCR Ste2 by peptide pheromone ␣-factor initiates signaling by releasing a stimulatory G␤␥ complex (Ste4-Ste18) from its inhibitory G␣ subunit (Gpa1). Prolonged pathway stimulation is detrimental, and feedback mechanisms have evolved that act at the receptor level to limit the duration of signaling and stimulate recovery from pheromone-induced G 1 arrest, including upregulation of the expression of an ␣-factor-degrading protease (Bar1), a regulator of G-protein signaling protein (Sst2) that stimulates Gpa1-GTP hydrolysis, and Gpa1 itself. Ste2 is also downregulated by endocytosis, both constitutive and ligand induced. Ste2 internalization requires its phosphorylation and subsequent ubiquitinylation by membrane-localized protein kinases (Yck1 and Yck2) and a ubiquitin ligase (Rsp5). Here, we demonstrate that three different members of the ␣-arrestin family (Ldb19/Art1, Rod1/Art4, and Rog3/ Art7) contribute to Ste2 desensitization and internalization, and they do so by discrete mechanisms. We provide genetic and biochemical evidence that Ldb19 and Rod1 recruit Rsp5 to Ste2 via PPXY motifs in their C-terminal regions; in contrast, the arrestin fold domain at the N terminus of Rog3 is sufficient to promote adaptation. Finally, we show that Rod1 function requires calcineurin-dependent dephosphorylation.

Recent evidence demonstrates that novel protein-coding genes can arise de novo from nongenic loci. This evolutionary innovation is thought to be facilitated by the pervasive translation of non-genic transcripts, which exposes a reservoir of variable polypeptides to natural selection. Here, we systematically characterize how these de novo emerging coding sequences impact fitness in budding yeast. Disruption of emerging sequences is generally inconsequential for fitness in the laboratory and in natural populations. Overexpression of emerging sequences, however, is enriched in adaptive fitness effects compared to overexpression of established genes. We find that adaptive emerging sequences tend to encode putative transmembrane domains, and that thymine-rich intergenic regions harbor a widespread potential to produce transmembrane domains. These findings, together with in-depth examination of the de novo emerging YBR196C-A locus, suggest a novel evolutionary model whereby adaptive transmembrane polypeptides emerge de novo from thymine-rich nongenic regions and subsequently accumulate changes molded by natural selection.