Abstract. Mutations in the SAC1 gene exhibit allelespecific genetic interactions with yeast actin structural gene defects and effect a bypass of the cellular requirement for the yeast phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (SEC14p), a protein whose function is essential for sustained Golgi secretory function. We report that SAClp is an integral membrane protein that localizes to the yeast Golgi complex and to the yeast ER, but does not exhibit a detectable association with the bulk of the yeast F-actin cytoskeleton. The data also indicate that the profound in vivo effects on Golgi secretory function and the organization of the actin cytoskeleton observed in sad mutants result from loss of SAClp function. This cosuppression of actin and SEC14p defects is a unique feature of sad alleles as mutations in other SAC genes that result in a suppression of actin defects do not result in phenotypic suppression of SEC14p defects. Finally, we report that sac1 mutants also exhibit a specific inositol auxotrophy that is not exhibited by the other sac mutant strains. This sad-associated inositol auxotrophy is not manifested by measurable defects in de novo inositol biosynthesis, nor is it the result of some obvious defect in the ability of sad mutants to utilize inositol for phosphatidylinositol biosynthesis. Thus, sac1 mutants represent a novel class of inositol auxotroph in that these mutants appear to require elevated levels of inositol for growth. On the basis of the collective data, we suggest that SAClp dysfunction exerts its pleiotropic effects on yeast Golgi function, the organization of the actin cytoskeleton, and the cellular requirement for inositol, through altered metabolism of inositol glycerophospholipids.

Abstract. SEC14p is required for protein transport from the yeast Golgi complex. We describe a quantitative analysis of yeast bulk membrane and Golgi membrane phospholipid composition under conditions where Golgi secretory function has been uncoupled from its usual SEC14p requirement. The data demonstrate that SEC14p specifically functions to maintain a reduced phosphatidylcholine content in Golgi membranes and indicate that overproduction of SEC14p markedly reduces the apparent rate of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis via the CDP-choline pathway in vivo. We suggest that SEC14p serves as a sensor of Golgi membrane phospholipid composition through which the activity of the CDP-choline pathway in Golgi membranes is regulated such that a phosphatidylcholine content that is compatible with the essential secretory function of these membranes is maintained.T HE Saccharomyces cerevisiae SEC14 gene product (SEC14p) is a phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine transfer protein whose function is essential for both protein transport from a late yeast Golgi compartment and for yeast viability (Bankaitis et al., , 1990Franzusoff and Schekman, 1989;Aitken et al., 1990). As such, SEC14p has provided a system with which to study the in vivo function of a ubiquitous class of enigmatic proteins, the phospholipid transfer proteins, that are operationally defined by their ability to serve as diffusible carders of phospholipid monomers between membrane bilayers in vitro (reviewed by Rueckert and Schmidt, 1990;Wirtz, 1991; Cleves et ai., 1991a). We consider SEC14p to play a direct role in yeast Golgi secretory function as this protein is found in both a cytoplasmic pool and in a stable, and apparently specific, peripheral association with the yeast Golgi complex Cleves et al., 1991b).To date, the most instructive clues relating to SECI4p function in vivo have been obtained from analyzes of yeast mutants that no longer require SEC14p in order to survive and efficiently execute Golgi secretory function (Cleves et al., 1989(Cleves et al., , 1991b. These studies revealed that one unanticipated mechanism for bypass of SEC14p function involves inactivation of the cytosine-diphosphate (CDP)-choline pathway for phosphatidylcholine (PC) ~ biosynthesis, a pathway that consists of three reactions resulting in the incorporation of choline into PC (Kennedy and Weiss, 1956; see Fig. 1 A). The finding that the cellular requirement for SEC14p is obviated by inactivation of a specific avenue for PC biosynthesis demonstrated, for the first time, a direct physiological relationship between an in vitro ligand of a phospholipid transfer protein and the function of that phospholipid transfer protein in vivo. The collective SEC14p data, including the data indicating that SEC14p prefers phosphatidylinositol (PI) over PC as a substrate in the in vitro transfer reaction (Daurn and Paltauf, 1984), have been reconciled in the PI/ PC hypothesis for SEC14p function in vivo (Cleves et al., 1991a,b). The PI/PC hypothesis proposes that SEC14p functions to maintai...

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe spo20-KC104 mutation was originally isolated in a screen for sporulation-deficient mutants, and the spo20-KC104 mutant exhibits temperature-sensitive growth. Herein, we report that S. pombe, spo20(+) is essential for fission yeast cell viability and is constitutively expressed throughout the life cycle. We also demonstrate that the spo20(+) gene product is structurally homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sec14, the major phosphatidylinositol transfer protein of budding yeast. This structural homology translates to a significant degree of functional relatedness because reciprocal complementation experiments demonstrate that each protein is able to fulfill the essential function of the other. Moreover, biochemical experiments show that, like Sec14, Spo20 is a phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine-transfer protein. That Spo20 is required for Golgi secretory function in vegetative cells is indicated by our demonstration that the spo20-KC104 mutant accumulates aberrant Golgi cisternae at restrictive temperatures. However, a second phenotype observed in Spo20-deficient fission yeast is arrest of cell division before completion of cell separation. Consistent with a direct role for Spo20 in controlling cell septation in vegetatively growing cells, localization experiments reveal that Spo20 preferentially localizes to the cell poles and to sites of septation of fission yeast cells. We also report that, when fission yeasts are challenged with nitrogen starvation, Spo20 translocates to the nucleus. This nuclear localization persists during conjugation and meiosis. On completion of meiosis, Spo20 translocates to forespore membranes, and it is the assembly of forespore membranes that is abnormal in spo20-KC104 cells. In such mutants, a considerable fraction of forming prespores fail to encapsulate the haploid nucleus. Our results indicate that Spo20 regulates the formation of specialized membrane structures in addition to its recognized role in regulating Golgi secretory function.

LPS and selected cytokines upregulate xanthine dehydrogenase/xanthine oxidase (XDH/XO) in cellular systems. However, the effect of these factors on in vivo XDH/XO expression, and their contribution to lung injury, are poorly understood. Rats were exposed to normoxia or hypoxia for 24 h after treatment with LPS (1 mg/kg) and IL-1beta (100 microg/kg) or sterile saline. Lungs were then harvested for measurement of XDH/XO enzymatic activity and gene expression, and pulmonary edema was assessed by measurement of the wet/dry lung weight ratio (W/D). Although treatment with LPS + IL-1beta or hypoxia independently produced a 2-fold elevation (p < 0. 05 versus exposure to normoxia and treatment with saline) in lung XDH/XO activity and mRNA, the combination of LPS + IL-1beta and hypoxia caused a 4- and 3.5-fold increase in these values, respectively. XDH/XO protein expression was increased 2-fold by hypoxia alone and 1.3-fold by treatment with LPS + IL-1beta alone or combination treatment. Compared with normoxic lungs, W/D was significantly increased by exposure to hypoxia, LPS + IL-1beta, or combination treatment. This increase was prevented by treatment of the animals with tungsten, which abrogated lung XDH/XO activity. In conclusion, LPS, IL-1beta, and hypoxia significantly upregulate lung XDH/XO expression in vivo. The present data support a role for this enzyme in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury.