No abstract

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell envelope polyphosphatase was isolated in highly active and stable form by extraction from cells with zwittergent TM-314 followed by chromatography of the extract on phosphocellulose and QAE-Sephadex in the presence of 5 mM-MgCl2, 0.5 mM-EDTA and 0.1% Triton X-100. The enzyme possessed a specific activity of 220 U/mg and after 30 days retained 87% of its activity at -20 degrees C. Polyphosphatase molecular mass was determined to be about 40 kDa by gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme hydrolysed polyphosphates with various chain lengths (n = 3-208), had low activity for GTP and did not split pyrophosphate, ATP and p-nitrophenylphosphate. On polyphosphates with chain lengths n = 3, 9 and 208, Km values were 1.7 x 10(-4), 1.5 x 10(-5) and 8.8 x 10(-7) M respectively. Polyphosphatase was most active and stable at pH 6.0-8.0. The enzyme showed maximal activity at 50 degrees C. The time of half inactivation of polyphosphatase at 40, 45 and 50 degrees C was 45, 10 and 3 min, respectively. In the absence of divalent cations and also with Ca2+ or Cu2+, the enzyme showed practically no activity. The ability of divalent cations to activate polyphosphatase was reduced in the following order: Co2+> Mg2+ > Mn2+ > Fe2+ > Zn2+. Polyphosphatase was completely inhibited by 1 mM-ammonium molybdate and 50 microM-Zn2+ or Cu2+ (in the presence of Mg2+).

Separate compartments of the yeast cell possess their own exopolyphosphatases differing from each other in their properties and dependence on culture conditions. The low-molecular-mass exopolyphosphatases of the cytosol, cell envelope, and mitochondrial matrix are encoded by the PPX1 gene, while the high-molecular-mass exopolyphosphatase of the cytosol and those of the vacuoles, mitochondrial membranes, and nuclei are presumably encoded by their own genes. Based on recent works, a preliminary classification of the yeast exopolyphosphatases is proposed.

The ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to adapt to toxic Mn(2+) concentration (4 mM) after an unusually long lag phase has been demonstrated for the first time. The mutants lacking exopolyphosphatase PPX1 did not change the adaptation time, whereas the mutants lacking exopolyphosphatase PPN1 reduced the lag period compared with the wild-type strains. The cell populations of WT and ΔPPN1 in the stationary phase at cultivation with Mn(2+) contained a substantial number of enlarged cells with a giant vacuole. The adaptation correlated with the triggering of polyphosphate metabolism: the drastic increase in the rate and chain length of acid-soluble polyphosphate. The share of this fraction, which is believed to be localized in the cytoplasm, increased to 76%. Its average chain length increased to 200 phosphate residues compared with 15 at the cultivation in the absence of manganese. DAPI-stained inclusions in the cytoplasm were accumulated in the lag phase during the cultivation with Mn(2+).

The role of exopolyphosphatase PPN1 in polyphosphate metabolism in fungi has been studied in strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed by the yeast PPN1 gene and its ortholog of the fungus Acremonium chrysogenum producing cephalosporin C. The PPN1 genes were expressed under a strong constitutive promoter of the gene of glycerol aldehyde-triphosphate dehydrogenase of S. cerevisiae in the vector pMB1. The yeast strain with inactivated PPN1 gene was transformed by the above vectors containing the PPN1 genes of S. cerevisiae and A. chrysogenum. Exopolyphosphatase activity in the transformant with the yeast PPN1 increased 28- and 11-fold compared to the mutant and parent PPN1 strains. The amount of polyphosphate in this transformant decreased threefold. Neither the increase in exopolyphosphatase activity nor the decrease in polyphosphate content was observed in the transformant with the orthologous PPN1 gene of A. chrysogenum, suggesting the absence of the active form of PPN1 in this transformant.