Nuclear Ras2-GTP controls invasive growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PLoS One. 2013 Nov 14;8(11):e79274. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079274. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Using an eGFP-RBD3 probe, which specifically binds Ras-GTP, we recently showed that the fluorescent probe was localized to the plasma membrane and to the nucleus in wild type cells growing exponentially on glucose medium, indicating the presence of active Ras in these cellular compartments. To investigate the nuclear function of Ras-GTP, we generated a strain where Ras2 is fused to the nuclear export signal (NES) from the HIV virus, in order to exclude this protein from the nucleus. Our results show that nuclear active Ras2 is required for invasive growth development in haploid yeast, while the expression of the NES-Ras2 protein does not cause growth defects either on fermentable or non-fermentable carbon sources and does not influence protein kinase A (PKA) activity related phenotypes analysed. Moreover, we show that the cAMP/PKA pathway controls invasive growth influencing the localization of active Ras. In particular, we show that PKA activity plays a role in the localization of active Ras and influences the ability of the cells to invade the agar: high PKA activity leads to a predominant nuclear accumulation of active Ras and induces invasive growth, while low PKA activity leads to plasma membrane localization of active Ras and to a defective invasive growth phenotype.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism*
  • Cyclic AMP / metabolism
  • Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
  • Guanosine Triphosphate / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Transport
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / growth & development
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*
  • ras Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Guanosine Triphosphate
  • Cyclic AMP
  • Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases
  • RAS2 protein, S cerevisiae
  • ras Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by UniCellsys and by founding of Program SysBioNet, Italian Roadmap Research Infrastructure 2012. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.