The Saccharomyces cerevisiae UGA4 gene encodes a permease capable of importing ␥-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ␦-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) into the cell. GABA-dependent induction of this permease requires at least two positive-acting proteins, the specific factor Uga3 and the pleiotropic factor Uga35/Dal81. UGA4 is subjected to a very complex regulation, and its induction is affected by the presence of extracellular amino acids; this effect is mediated by the plasma membrane amino acid sensor SPS. Our results show that leucine affects UGA4 induction and that the SPS sensor and the downstream effectors Stp1 and Stp2 participate in this regulation. Moreover, we found that the Uga3 and Uga35/Dal81 transcription factors bind to the UGA4 promoter in a GABA-dependent manner and that this binding is impaired by the presence of leucine. We also found that the Leu3 transcription factor negatively regulates UGA4 transcription, although this seems to be through an indirect mechanism.

No abstract

c-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) transport and catabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are subject to a complex transcriptional control that depends on the nutritional status of the cells. The expression of the genes that form the UGA regulon is inducible by GABA and sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). GABA induction of these genes is mediated by Uga3 and Dal81 transcription factors, whereas GATA factors are responsible for NCR. Here, we show how members of the UGA regulon share the activation mechanism. Our results show that both Uga3 and Dal81 interact with UGA genes in a GABA-dependent manner, and that they depend on each other for the interaction with their target promoters and the transcriptional activation. The typical DNA-binding domain Zn(II) 2 -Cys 6 of Dal81 is unnecessary for its activity and Uga3 acts as a bridge between Dal81 and DNA. Both the trans-activation activity of the GATA factor Gln3 and the repressive activity of the GATA factor Dal80 are exerted by their interaction with UGA promoters in response to GABA, indicating that Uga3, Dal81, Gln3 and Dal80 all act in concert to induce the expression of UGA genes. So, an interplay between the factors responsible for GABA induction and those responsible for NCR in the regulation of the UGA genes is proposed here.