In eukaryotic cells, secretion is achieved by vesicular transport. Fusion of such vesicles with the correct target compartment relies on SNARE proteins on both vesicle (v-SNARE) and the target membranes (t-SNARE). At present it is not clear how v-SNAREs are incorporated into transport vesicles. Here, we show that binding of ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF)–GTPase-activating protein (GAP) to ER-Golgi v-SNAREs is an essential step for recruitment of Arf1p and coatomer, proteins that together form the COPI coat. ARF-GAP acts catalytically to recruit COPI components. Inclusion of v-SNAREs into COPI vesicles could be mediated by direct interaction with the coat. The mechanisms by which v-SNAREs interact with COPI and COPII coat proteins seem to be different and may play a key role in determining specificity in vesicle budding.

Paracoccus pantotrophus NKNCYSA utilizes (R)-cysteate (2-amino-3-sulfopropionate) as a sole source of carbon and energy for growth, with either nitrate or molecular oxygen as terminal electron acceptor, and the specific utilization rate of cysteate is about 2 mkat (kg protein) "1 .The initial degradative reaction is catalysed by an (R)-cysteate : 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, which yields 3-sulfopyruvate. The latter was reduced to 3-sulfolactate by an NAD-linked sulfolactate dehydrogenase [3?3 mkat (kg protein) "1 ]. The inducible desulfonation reaction was not detected initially in cell extracts. However, a strongly induced protein with subunits of 8 kDa (a) and 42 kDa (b) was found and purified. The corresponding genes had similarities to those encoding altronate dehydratases, which often require iron for activity. The purified enzyme could then be shown to convert 3-sulfolactate to sulfite and pyruvate and it was termed sulfolactate sulfo-lyase (Suy). A high level of sulfite dehydrogenase was also induced during growth with cysteate, and the organism excreted sulfate. A putative regulator, OrfR, was encoded upstream of suyAB on the reverse strand. Downstream of suyAB was suyZ, which was cotranscribed with suyB. The gene, an allele of tauZ, encoded a putative membrane protein with transmembrane helices (COG2855), and is a candidate to encode the sulfate exporter needed to maintain homeostasis during desulfonation. suyAB-like genes are widespread in sequenced genomes and environmental samples where, in contrast to the current annotation, several presumably encode the desulfonation of 3-sulfolactate, a component of bacterial spores.

The strictly anaerobic bacterium Desulfonispora thiosulfatigenes ferments taurine via sulphoacetaldehyde, which is hydrolysed to acetate and sulphite by sulphoacetaldehyde sulpho-lyase (EC 4.4.1.12). The lyase was expressed at high levels and a two-step, 4.5-fold purification yielded an apparently homogeneous soluble protein, which was presumably a homodimer in its native form; the molecular mass of the subunit was about 61kDa (by SDS/PAGE). The mass was determined to be 63.8kDa by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time-of-flight (MALDI–TOF) MS. The purified enzyme converted 1mol of sulphoacetaldehyde to 1mol each of sulphite and acetate, but no requirement for thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) was detected. The N-terminal and two internal amino acid sequences were determined, which allowed us to generate PCR primers. The gene was amplified and sequenced. The DNA sequence had no significant homologue in the databases searched, whereas the derived amino acid sequence indicated an oxo-acid lyase, revealed a TPP-binding site and gave a derived molecular mass of 63.8kDa.

The strictly anaerobic bacterium Desulfonispora thiosulfatigenes ferments taurine via sulphoacetaldehyde, which is hydrolysed to acetate and sulphite by sulphoacetaldehyde sulpho-lyase (EC 4.4.1.12). The lyase was expressed at high levels and a two-step, 4.5-fold purification yielded an apparently homogeneous soluble protein, which was presumably a homodimer in its native form; the molecular mass of the subunit was about 61 kDa (by SDS/PAGE). The mass was determined to be 63.8 kDa by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS. The purified enzyme converted 1 mol of sulphoacetaldehyde to 1 mol each of sulphite and acetate, but no requirement for thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) was detected. The N-terminal and two internal amino acid sequences were determined, which allowed us to generate PCR primers. The gene was amplified and sequenced. The DNA sequence had no significant homologue in the databases searched, whereas the derived amino acid sequence indicated an oxo-acid lyase, revealed a TPP-binding site and gave a derived molecular mass of 63.8 kDa.