The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cdc42p GTPase is localized to the plasma membrane and involved in signal transduction mechanisms controlling cell polarity. The mechanisms of action of the dominant negative cdc42 D118A mutant and the lethal, gain of function cdc42 G12V mutant were examined. Cdc42 D118A,C188S p and its guanine-nucleotide exchange factor Cdc24p displayed a temperature-dependent interaction in the twohybrid system, which correlated with the temperature dependence of the cdc42 D118A phenotype and supported a Cdc24p sequestration model for the mechanism of cdc42 D118A action. Five cdc42 mutations were isolated that led to decreased interactions with Cdc24p. The isolation of one mutation (V44A) correlated with the observations that the T35A effector domain mutation could interfere with Cdc42 D118A,C188S p-Cdc24p interactions and could suppress the cdc42 D118A mutation, suggesting that Cdc24p may interact with Cdc42p through its effector domain. The cdc42 G12V mutant phenotypes were suppressed by the intragenic T35A and K183-187Q mutations and in skm1⌬ and cla4⌬ cells but not ste20⌬ cells, suggesting that the mechanism of cdc42 G12V action is through the Skm1p and Cla4p protein kinases at the plasma membrane. Two intragenic suppressors of cdc42 G12V were also identified that displayed a dominant negative phenotype at 16°C, which was not suppressed by overexpression of Cdc24p, suggesting an alternate mechanism of action for these dominant negative mutations.The establishment of cell polarity is crucial for the control of many cellular and developmental processes, such as the generation of cell shape, the intracellular movement of organelles, and the secretion and deposition of new cell surface constituents (1). Polarized growth in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae occurs in response to both internal and external signals, resulting in different morphological structures (2-5). The mechanics of cell polarity initiation during the mitotic cell cycle can be divided into three sequential phases: (i) nonrandom bud site selection; (ii) organization of proteins at the bud site; and (iii) bud emergence and polarized growth. Genetic and biochemical studies have identified over 25 proteins, including several GTPases and components of the actin cytoskeleton, that are involved in the regulation of the cell polarity pathway in S. cerevisiae (1, 6, 7).At least six members of the Ras superfamily of GTPases (Rsr1p/Bud1p, Cdc42p, Rho1p, Rho2p, Rho3p, and Rho4p) are involved in controlling cell polarity in S. cerevisiae. These proteins are active when in the GTP-bound state and inactive in the GDP-bound state (8, 9). The activity of these GTPases is controlled by regulatory proteins, such as guanine-nucleotide exchange factors, GTPase-activating proteins, and guanine-nucleotide dissociation inhibitors, as well as by the intracellular localization of the GTPase. Rsr1p/Bud1p is a member of the Ras subfamily and is responsible for bud site selection at one of the two cell poles, but it is not required for bud emergence or polari...
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