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Molecular and Cellular Biology, October 2001, p. 7035-7046, Vol. 21, No. 20
0270-7306/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/MCB.21.20.7035-7046.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Induction of Distinct [URE3] Yeast Prion Strains

Martin Schlumpberger,1,2 Stanley B. Prusiner,1,2,3,* and Ira Herskowitz3

Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases1 and Departments of Neurology2 and Biochemistry and Biophysics,3 University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0518

Received 7 May 2001/Returned for modification 4 June 2001/Accepted 18 July 2001

[URE3] is a non-Mendelian genetic element in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is caused by a prion-like, autocatalytic conversion of the Ure2 protein (Ure2p) into an inactive form. The presence of [URE3] allows yeast cells to take up ureidosuccinic acid in the presence of ammonia. This phenotype can be used to select for the prion state. We have developed a novel reporter, in which the ADE2 gene is controlled by the DAL5 regulatory region, which allows monitoring of Ure2p function by a colony color phenotype. Using this reporter, we observed induction of different [URE3] prion variants ("strains") following overexpression of the N-terminal Ure2p prion domain (UPD) or full-length Ure2p. Full-length Ure2p induced two types of [URE3]: type A corresponds to conventional [URE3], whereas the novel type B variant is characterized by relatively high residual Ure2p activity and efficient curing by coexpression of low amounts of a UPD-green fluorescent protein fusion protein. Overexpression of UPD induced type B [URE3] but not type A. Both type A and B [URE3] strains, as well as weak and strong isolates of type A, were shown to stably maintain different prion strain characteristics. We suggest that these strain variants result from different modes of aggregation of similar Ure2p monomers. We also demonstrate a procedure to counterselect against the [URE3] state.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Box 0518, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0518. Phone: (415) 476-4482. Fax: (415) 476-8386. E-mail: stanley{at}itsa.ucsf.edu.

Molecular and Cellular Biology, October 2001, p. 7035-7046, Vol. 21, No. 20
0270-7306/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/MCB.21.20.7035-7046.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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