The eukaryotic phylum Apicomplexa encompasses thousands of obligate intracellular parasites of humans and animals with immense socio-economic and health impacts. We sequenced nuclear genomes of Chromera velia and Vitrella brassicaformis, free-living non-parasitic photosynthetic algae closely related to apicomplexans. Proteins from key metabolic pathways and from the endomembrane trafficking systems associated with a free-living lifestyle have been progressively and non-randomly lost during adaptation to parasitism. The free-living ancestor contained a broad repertoire of genes many of which were repurposed for parasitic processes, such as extracellular proteins, components of a motility apparatus, and DNA- and RNA-binding protein families. Based on transcriptome analyses across 36 environmental conditions, Chromera orthologs of apicomplexan invasion-related motility genes were co-regulated with genes encoding the flagellar apparatus, supporting the functional contribution of flagella to the evolution of invasion machinery. This study provides insights into how obligate parasites with diverse life strategies arose from a once free-living phototrophic marine alga.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06974.001

Peroxisome proliferation occurs by at least two routes, division of existing peroxisomes and de novo biogenesis from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The proteins and molecular mechanisms governing peroxisome emergence from the ER are poorly characterized. In this study, we report that two integral membrane peroxins (proteins required for peroxisome biogenesis) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pex29 and Pex30, reside in distinct regions of the ER and associate with Rtn1 and Yop1, reticulon family members that contribute to ER morphology, to govern peroxisome emergence from the ER. In vivo and in vitro analyses reveal that peroxisome proliferation is therefore not restricted to the peroxisome but begins at the level of the ER.Peroxisomes are organelles found across the diversity of eukaryotes. Bound by a single lipid bilayer, peroxisomes contain enzymes involved in lipid metabolism that are coupled to the production of hydrogen peroxide and the scavenging of reactive oxygen species. Peroxisome number, size, and volume are dynamically linked to cell type, its developmental state, and environmental stimuli. Control of these processes is critical to human health. Defects in peroxisome membrane formation, protein import, and organelle proliferation cause severe pathologies in humans, and peroxisome function is linked to numerous human health issues (1-4). Studies in many different model systems, including notably different species of yeast, have led to the identification of peroxins, which are defined as proteins involved in peroxisome biogenesis (5). The mechanisms of action of the more than 30 peroxins in peroxisomal biogenesis and proliferation are the subject of intense investigation.There has been much debate as to whether peroxisomes are semi-autonomous organelles like mitochondria or are derived from internal membrane systems such as the secretory pathway. Evidence supports that peroxisome biogenesis occurs through two separate pathways, de novo biogenesis in which new peroxisomes bud from the ER 3 and the division of existing peroxisomes (6 -12). These biogenesis pathways are tightly regulated spatially and temporally and involve a host of molecular interactions that mediate the assembly of proteins and lipids at the peroxisome membrane and the ER (13-16). In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, growth and division of peroxisomes are the dominant forms of peroxisome proliferation. However, contribution from the ER is an essential albeit poorly understood process. When peroxisomes are absent, cells form peroxisomes de novo from the ER. Presumably, interactions between proteins and lipids at the ER result in de novo biogenesis of nascent preperoxisomes that undergo a series of steps to ultimately form mature peroxisomes. Several peroxisomal membrane proteins (PMPs) insert into the ER dependent on components of the Sec61 complex, and the subsequent formation of preperoxisomes is dependent on the peroxins Pex3 and Pex19. Pex3 is an integral membrane protein that accumulates initially at an ER subdomain and is t...

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants threatens current vaccines and therapeutic antibodies and urgently demands powerful new therapeutics that can resist viral escape. We therefore generated a large nanobody repertoire to saturate the distinct and highly conserved available epitope space of SARS-CoV-2 spike, including the S1 receptor binding domain, N-terminal domain, and the S2 subunit, to identify new nanobody binding sites that may reflect novel mechanisms of viral neutralization. Structural mapping and functional assays show that indeed these highly stable monovalent nanobodies potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, display numerous neutralization mechanisms, are effective against emerging variants of concern, and are resistant to mutational escape. Rational combinations of these nanobodies that bind to distinct sites within and between spike subunits exhibit extraordinary synergy and suggest multiple tailored therapeutic and prophylactic strategies.

Reversible phosphorylation is the most common posttranslational modification used in the regulation of cellular processes. This study of phosphatases and kinases required for peroxisome biogenesis is the first genome-wide analysis of phosphorylation events controlling organelle biogenesis. We evaluate signaling molecule deletion strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for presence of a green fluorescent protein chimera of peroxisomal thiolase, formation of peroxisomes, and peroxisome functionality. We find that distinct signaling networks involving glucose-mediated gene repression, derepression, oleate-mediated induction, and peroxisome formation promote stages of the biogenesis pathway. Additionally, separate classes of signaling proteins are responsible for the regulation of peroxisome number and size. These signaling networks specify the requirements of early and late events of peroxisome biogenesis. Among the numerous signaling proteins involved, Pho85p is exceptional, with functional involvements in both gene expression and peroxisome formation. Our study represents the first global study of signaling networks regulating the biogenesis of an organelle.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the class V myosin motor Myo2p propels the movement of most organelles. We recently identified Inp2p as the peroxisome-specific receptor for Myo2p. In this study, we delineate the region of Myo2p devoted to binding peroxisomes. Using mutants of Myo2p specifically impaired in peroxisome binding, we dissect cell cycle–dependent and peroxisome partitioning–dependent mechanisms of Inp2p regulation. We find that although total Inp2p levels oscillate with the cell cycle, Inp2p levels on individual peroxisomes are controlled by peroxisome inheritance, as Inp2p aberrantly accumulates and decorates all peroxisomes in mother cells when peroxisome partitioning is abolished. We also find that Inp2p is a phosphoprotein whose level of phosphorylation is coupled to the cell cycle irrespective of peroxisome positioning in the cell. Our findings demonstrate that both organelle positioning and cell cycle progression control the levels of organelle-specific receptors for molecular motors to ultimately achieve an equidistribution of compartments between mother and daughter cells.

Two pathways have been identified for peroxisome formation: (i) growth and division and (ii) de novo synthesis. Recent experiments determined that peroxisomes originate at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Although many proteins have been implicated in the peroxisome biogenic program, no proteins in the eukaryotic secretory pathway have been identified as having roles in peroxisome formation. Using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae regulatable Tet promoter Hughes clone collection, we found that repression of the ER-associated secretory proteins Sec20p and Sec39p resulted in mislocalization of the peroxisomal matrix protein chimera Pot1p-green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the cytosol. Likewise, the peroxisomal membrane protein chimera Pex3p-GFP localized to tubular-vesicular structures in cells suppressed for Sec20p, Sec39p, and Dsl1p, which form a complex at the ER. Loss of Sec39p attenuated formation of Pex3p-derived peroxisomal structures following galactose induction of Pex3p-GFP expression from the GAL1 promoter. Expression of Sec20p, Sec39p, and Dsl1p was moderately increased in yeast grown under conditions that proliferate peroxisomes, and Sec20p, Sec39p, and Dsl1p were found to cofractionate with peroxisomes and colocalize with Pex3p-monomeric red fluorescent protein under these conditions. Our results show that SEC20, SEC39, and DSL1 are essential secretory genes involved in the early stages of peroxisome assembly, and this work is the first to identify and characterize an ER-associated secretory machinery involved in peroxisome biogenesis.

SUMMARYHuman peroxisome biogenesis disorders are lethal genetic diseases in which abnormal peroxisome assembly compromises overall peroxisome and cellular function. Peroxisomes are ubiquitous membrane-bound organelles involved in several important biochemical processes, notably lipid metabolism and the use of reactive oxygen species for detoxification. Using cultured cells, we systematically characterized the peroxisome assembly phenotypes associated with dsRNA-mediated knockdown of 14 predicted Drosophila homologs of PEX genes (encoding peroxins; required for peroxisome assembly and linked to peroxisome biogenesis disorders), and confirmed that at least 13 of them are required for normal peroxisome assembly. We also demonstrate the relevance of Drosophila as a genetic model for the early developmental defects associated with the human peroxisome biogenesis disorders. Mutation of the PEX1 gene is the most common cause of peroxisome biogenesis disorders and is one of the causes of the most severe form of the disease, Zellweger syndrome. Inherited mutations in Drosophila Pex1 correlate with reproducible defects during early development. Notably, Pex1 mutant larvae exhibit abnormalities that are analogous to those exhibited by Zellweger syndrome patients, including developmental delay, poor feeding, severe structural abnormalities in the peripheral and central nervous systems, and early death. Finally, microarray analysis defined several clusters of genes whose expression varied significantly between wild-type and mutant larvae, implicating peroxisomal function in neuronal development, innate immunity, lipid and protein metabolism, gamete formation, and meiosis.

Membranes and membrane proteins destined for peroxisomes are trafficked from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in preperoxisomal vesicles. Mast et al. define a role for ESCRT-III in releasing these vesicles from the ER.