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Molecular and Cellular Biology, June 1999, p. 4516-4524, Vol. 19, No. 6
0270-7306/99/$04.00+0

Two Prion-Inducing Regions of Ure2p Are Nonoverlapping

Marie-Lise Maddelein and Reed B. Wickner*

Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830

Received 13 January 1999/Returned for modification 2 March 1999/Accepted 9 March 1999

Ure2p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae normally functions in blocking utilization of a poor nitrogen source when a good nitrogen source is available. The non-Mendelian genetic element [URE3] is a prion (infectious protein) form of Ure2p, so that overexpression of Ure2p induces the de novo appearance of infectious [URE3]. Earlier studies defined a prion domain comprising Ure2p residues 1 to 64 and a nitrogen regulation domain included in residues 66 to 354. We find that deletion of individual runs of asparagine within the prion domain reduce prion-inducing activity. Although residues 1 to 64 are sufficient for prion induction, the fragment from residues 1 to 80 is a more efficient inducer of [URE3]. In-frame deletion of a region around residue 224 does not affect nitrogen regulation but does eliminate prion induction by the remainder of Ure2p. Larger deletions removing the region around residue 224 and more of the C-terminal part of Ure2p restore prion-inducing ability. A fragment of Ure2p lacking the original prion domain does not induce [URE3], but surprisingly, further deletion of residues 151 to 157 and 348 to 354 leaves a fragment that can do so. The region from 66 to 80 and the region around residue 224 are both necessary for this second prion-inducing activity. Thus, each of two nonoverlapping parts of Ure2p is sufficient to induce the appearance of the [URE3] prion.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Bldg. 8, Room 225, NIH, 8 Center Dr. MSC 0830, Bethesda, MD 20892-0830. Phone: (301) 496-3452. Fax: (301) 402-0240. E-mail: wickner{at}helix.nih.gov.

Molecular and Cellular Biology, June 1999, p. 4516-4524, Vol. 19, No. 6
0270-7306/99/$04.00+0


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