Monitoring protein-protein interactions between the mammalian integral membrane transporters and PDZ-interacting partners using a modified split-ubiquitin membrane yeast two-hybrid system

Mol Cell Proteomics. 2008 Jul;7(7):1362-77. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M800079-MCP200. Epub 2008 Apr 11.

Abstract

PDZ-binding motifs are found in the C-terminal tails of numerous integral membrane proteins where they mediate specific protein-protein interactions by binding to PDZ-containing proteins. Conventional yeast two-hybrid screens have been used to probe protein-protein interactions of these soluble C termini. However, to date no in vivo technology has been available to study interactions between the full-length integral membrane proteins and their cognate PDZ-interacting partners. We previously developed a split-ubiquitin membrane yeast two-hybrid (MYTH) system to test interactions between such integral membrane proteins by using a transcriptional output based on cleavage of a transcription factor from the C terminus of membrane-inserted baits. Here we modified MYTH to permit detection of C-terminal PDZ domain interactions by redirecting the transcription factor moiety from the C to the N terminus of a given integral membrane protein thus liberating their native C termini. We successfully applied this "MYTH 2.0" system to five different mammalian full-length renal transporters and identified novel PDZ domain-containing partners of the phosphate (NaPi-IIa) and sulfate (NaS1) transporters that would have otherwise not been detectable. Furthermore this assay was applied to locate the PDZ-binding domain on the NaS1 protein. We showed that the PDZ-binding domain for PDZK1 on NaS1 is upstream of its C terminus, whereas the two interacting proteins, NHERF-1 and NHERF-2, bind at a location closer to the N terminus of NaS1. Moreover NHERF-1 and NHERF-2 increased functional sulfate uptake in Xenopus oocytes when co-expressed with NaS1. Finally we used MYTH 2.0 to demonstrate that the NaPi-IIa transporter homodimerizes via protein-protein interactions within the lipid bilayer. In summary, our study establishes the MYTH 2.0 system as a novel tool for interactive proteomics studies of membrane protein complexes.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mammals / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Models, Biological
  • Oocytes / chemistry
  • PDZ Domains*
  • Plasmids / chemical synthesis
  • Protein Binding
  • Rats
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques*
  • Ubiquitin / metabolism*
  • Xenopus

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • Membrane Transport Proteins
  • Ubiquitin