Support for the Prion Hypothesis for Inheritance of a Phenotypic Trait in Yeast
Abstract
A cytoplasmically inherited genetic element in yeast, [PSI^+], was confirmed to be a prionlike aggregate of the cellular protein Sup35 by differential centrifugation analysis and microscopic localization of a Sup35-green fluorescent protein fusion. Aggregation depended on the intracellular concentration and functional state of the chaperone protein Hsp104 in the same manner as did [PSI^+] inheritance. The amino-terminal and carboxyterminal domains of Sup35 contributed to the unusual behavior of [PSI^+]. [PSI^+] altered the conformational state of newly synthesized prion proteins, inducing them to aggregate as well, thus fulfilling a major tenet of the prion hypothesis.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- August 1996
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.273.5275.622
- Bibcode:
- 1996Sci...273..622P