SUMMARY Translation factor eIF5A, containing the unique amino acid hypusine, was originally shown to stimulate methionyl-puromycin synthesis, a model assay for peptide bond formation. More recently, eIF5A was shown to promote translation elongation; however, its precise requirement in protein synthesis has remained elusive. Here we use in vivo assays in yeast and in vitro reconstituted translation assays to reveal a specific requirement for eIF5A to promote peptide-bond formation between consecutive proline residues. Addition of eIF5A relieves ribosomal stalling during translation of three consecutive proline residues in vitro, and loss of eIF5A function impairs translation of polyproline-containing proteins in vivo. Hydroxyl radical probing experiments localized eIF5A near the E site of the ribosome with its hypusine residue adjacent to the acceptor stem of the P-site tRNA. Thus, eIF5A, like its bacterial ortholog EFP, is proposed to stimulate the peptidyl-transferase activity of the ribosome and facilitate the reactivity of poor substrates like proline.

Translation elongation factors facilitate protein synthesis by the ribosome. Previous studies identified two universally conserved translation elongation factors EF-Tu/eEF1A and EF-G/eEF2 that deliver aminoacyl-tRNAs to the ribosome and promote ribosomal translocation, respectively1. The factor eIF5A, the sole protein in eukaryotes and archaea containing the unusual amino acid hypusine [Nε-(4-amino-2-hydroxybutyl)lysine]2, was originally identified based on its ability to stimulate the yield (endpoint) of methionyl-puromycin synthesis, a model assay for first peptide bond synthesis thought to report on certain aspects of translation initiation3,4. Hypusine is required for eIF5A to associate with ribosomes5,6, and to stimulate methionyl-puromycin synthesis7. As eIF5A did not stimulate earlier steps of translation initiation8, and depletion of eIF5A in yeast only modestly impaired protein synthesis9, it was proposed that eIF5A function was limited to stimulating synthesis of the first peptide bond or that eIF5A functioned on only a subset of cellular mRNAs. However, the precise cellular role of eIF5A is unknown, and the protein has also been linked to mRNA decay, including the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway10,11, and to nucleocytoplasmic transport12,13. Here we show using molecular genetic and biochemical studies that eIF5A promotes translation elongation. Depletion or inactivation of eIF5A in yeast resulted in the accumulation of polysomes and an increase in ribosomal transit times. Addition of recombinant eIF5A from yeast, but not a derivative lacking hypusine, enhanced the rate of tripeptide synthesis in vitro. Moreover, inactivation of eIF5A mimicked the effects of the eEF2 inhibitor sordarin, indicating that eIF5A might function together with eEF2 to promote ribosomal translocation. As eIF5A is a structural homolog of the bacterial protein EF-P14,15, we propose that eIF5A/EF-P is a universally conserved translation elongation factor.

In view of the importance of Candida drug resistance protein (Cdr1p) in azole resistance, we have characterized it by overexpressing it as a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged fusion protein (Cdr1p-GFP). The overexpressed Cdr1p-GFP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is shown to be specifically labeled with the photoaffinity analogs iodoarylazidoprazosin (IAAP) and azidopine, which have been used to characterize the drug-binding sites on mammalian drug-transporting P-glycoproteins. While nystatin could compete for the binding of IAAP, miconazole specifically competed for azidopine binding, suggesting that IAAP and azidopine bind to separate sites on Cdr1p. Cdr1p was subjected to site-directed mutational analysis. Among many mutant variants of Cdr1p, the phenotypes of F774A and ⌬F774 were particularly interesting. The analysis of GFP-tagged mutant variants of Cdr1p revealed that a conserved F774, in predicted transmembrane segment 6, when changed to alanine showed increased binding of both photoaffinity analogues, while its deletion (⌬F774), as revealed by confocal microscopic analyses, led to mislocalization of the protein. The mislocalized ⌬F774 mutant Cdr1p could be rescued to the plasma membrane as a functional transporter by growth in the presence of a Cdr1p substrate, cycloheximide. Our data for the first time show that the drug substrate-binding sites of Cdr1p exhibit striking similarities with those of mammalian drug-transporting P-glycoproteins and despite differences in topological organization, the transmembrane segment 6 in Cdr1p is also a major contributor to drug substrate-binding site(s).Candida albicans is an opportunistic diploid fungus that causes infections in immunocompromised and debilitated patients (34). Widespread and prolonged usage of azoles in recent years has led to the rapid development of the phenomenon of multidrug resistance (MDR), which poses a major hurdle in antifungal therapy. Various mechanisms which contribute towards the development of MDR have been implicated in Candida, and some of these include overexpression of or mutations in the target enzyme of azoles, lanosterol 14␣-demethylase, and overexpression of drug efflux pumps (1, 33) belonging to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter channel superfamily (18) and to the major facilitator superfamily of transporters (MFS) (22, 35). Among ABC transporters, CDR1 has been shown to play a key role in azole resistance in C. albicans as deduced from its high level of expression found in several azole resistance clinical isolates recovered from patients receiving long-term antifungal therapy (41, 39). Additionally, high-level expression of CDR1 invariably contributes to an increased efflux of fluconazole, thus corroborating its direct involvement in drug efflux (24, 38). Cdr1p has not only acquired significant clinical importance but is considered an important player in any design of strategies to combat antifungal resistance.The CDR1 gene encodes an integral plasma membrane (PM) protein of 1,501 amino acids, with a predicted molecu...

In this study, we examined the importance of membrane ergosterol and sphingolipids in the drug susceptibilities of Candida albicans. We used three independent methods to test the drug susceptibilities of erg mutant cells, which were defective in ergosterol biosynthesis. While spot and filter disk assays revealed that erg2 and erg16 mutant cells of C. albicans became hypersensitive to almost all of the drugs tested (i.e., 4-nitroquinoline oxide, terbinafine, o-phenanthroline, itraconazole, and ketoconazole), determination of the MIC at which 80% of the cells were inhibited revealed more than fourfold increase in susceptibility to ketoconazole and terbinafine. Treatment of wild-type C. albicans cells with fumonisin B1 resulted in 45% inhibition of sphingolipid biosynthesis and caused cells to become hypersensitive to the above drugs. Although erg mutants displayed enhanced membrane fluidity and passive diffusion, these changes alone were not sufficient to elicit the observed hypersusceptibility phenotype of erg mutants. For example, the induction in vitro of a 12% change in the membrane fluidity of C. albicans cells by a membrane fluidizer, benzyl alcohol, did not affect the drug susceptibilities of Candida cells. Additionally, the surface localization of green fluorescent protein-tagged Cdr1p, a major drug efflux pump protein of C. albicans, revealed that any disruption in ergosterol and sphingolipid interactions also interfered with its proper surface localization and functioning. A 50% reduction in the efflux of the Cdr1p substrate, rhodamine 6G, in erg mutant cells or in cells with a reduced sphingolipid content suggested a strong correlation between these membrane lipid components and this major efflux pump protein. Taken together, the results of our study demonstrate for the first time that there is an interaction between membrane ergosterol and sphingolipids, that a reduction in the content of either of these two components results in a disruption of this interaction, and that this disruption has deleterious effects on the drug susceptibilities of C. albicans cells.

In the present study we describe the isolation and functional analysis of a sphingolipid biosynthetic gene, IPT1, of Candida albicans. The functional consequence of the disruption of both alleles of IPT1 was confirmed by mass analysis of its sphingolipid composition. The disruption of both alleles or a single allele of IPT1 did not lead to any change in growth phenotype or total sphingolipid, ergosterol, or phospholipid content of the mutant cells. The loss of mannosyl diinositol diphosphoceramide [M(IP) 2 C] in the ipt1 disruptant, however, resulted in increased sensitivity to drugs like 4-nitroquinoline oxide, terbinafine, o-phenanthroline, fluconazole, itraconazole, and ketoconazole. The increase in drug susceptibilities of ipt1 cells was linked to an altered sphingolipid composition, which appeared to be due to the impaired functionality of Cdr1p, a major drug efflux pump of C. albicans that belongs to the ATP binding cassette superfamily. Our confocal and Western blotting results demonstrated that surface localization of green fluorescent protein-tagged Cdr1p was affected in ipt1 disruptant cells. Poor surface localization of Cdr1p resulted in an impaired ability to efflux fluconazole and rhodamine 6G. The effect of mannosyl inositol phosphoceramide accumulation in the ipt1 mutant and the absence of M(IP) 2 C from the ipt1 mutant on the efflux of drug substrates was very selective. The efflux of methotrexate, a specific substrate of CaMdr1p, another major efflux pump of major facilitator superfamily, remained unaffected in ipt1 mutant cells. Interestingly, changes in sphingolipid composition affected the ability of mutant cells to form proper hyphae in various media. Taken together, our results demonstrate that an altered composition of sphingolipid, which is among the major constituents of membrane rafts, affects the drug susceptibilities and morphogenesis of C. albicans.

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Our study for the first time provides an insight into the possible role of TMS11 of Cdr1p in drug efflux.

The Candida drug resistance protein Cdr1p (approximately 170 kDa) is a member of ATP binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of drug transporters, characterized by the presence of 2 nucleotide binding domains (NBD) and 12 transmembrane segments (TMS). NBDs of these transporters are the hub of ATP hydrolysis activity, and their sequence contains a conserved Walker A motif (GxxGxGKS/T). Mutations of the lysine residue within this motif abrogate the ability of NBDs to hydrolyze ATP. Interestingly, the sequence alignments of Cdr1p NBDs with other bacterial and eukaryotic transporters reveal that its N-terminal NBD contains an unusual Walker A sequence (GRPGAGCST), as the invariant lysine is replaced by a cysteine. In an attempt to understand the significance of this uncommon positioning of cysteine within the Walker A motif, we for the first time have purified and characterized the N-terminal NBD (encompassing first N-terminal 512 amino acids) of Cdr1p as well as its C193A mutant protein. The purified NBD-512 protein could exist as an independent functional general ribonucleoside triphosphatase with strong divalent cation dependence. It exhibited ATPase activity with an apparent K(m) in the 0.8-1.0 mM range and V(max) in the range of 147-160 nmol min(-)(1) (mg of protein)(-)(1). NBD-512-associated ATPase activity was also sensitive to inhibitors such as vanadate, azide, and NEM. The Mut-NBD-512 protein (C193A) showed a severe impairment in its ability to hydrolyze ATP (95%); however, no significant effect on ATP (TNP-ATP) binding was observed. Our results show that C193 is critical for N-terminal NBD-mediated ATP hydrolysis and represents a unique feature distinguishing the ATP-dependent functionality of the ABC transporters of fungi from those found in bacteria and other eukaryotes.