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The fungal cell wall is the initial barrier for the fungi against diverse external stresses, such as osmolarity changes, harmful drugs, and mechanical injuries. This study explores the roles of osmoregulation and the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway in response to high hydrostatic pressure in the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. We demonstrate the roles of the transmembrane mechanosensor Wsc1 and aquaglyceroporin Fps1 in a general mechanism to maintain cell growth under high-pressure regimes. The promotion of water influx into cells at 25 MPa, as evident by an increase in cell volume and a loss of the plasma membrane eisosome structure, promotes the activation of Wsc1, an activator of the CWI pathway. The downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase Slt2 was hyperphosphorylated at 25 MPa. Glycerol efflux increases via Fps1 phosphorylation, which is initiated by downstream components of the CWI pathway and contributes to the reduction in intracellular osmolarity under high pressure. The elucidation of the mechanisms underlying adaption to high pressure through the well-established CWI pathway could potentially translate to mammalian cells and provide novel insights into cellular mechanosensation.

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that mediate the transport of intracellular molecules, including neurodegenerative agents. Exogenously administrated ceramides have been implicated in the acceleration of exosome production by neurons; however, the molecular machinery involved in this process is unknown. Here, we found that ceramides, especially those consisting of long fatty acids, were internalized into the endocytic pathway in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells to induce exosome secretion through lysosome-associated protein transmembrane 4B (LAPTM4B). Knockdown of LAPTM4B inhibited the ceramide-mediated increase in exosome release completely. Fluorescence microscopy observations indicated that exogenous ceramides promote the transport of multivesicular bodies to the plasma membranes in a LAPTM4B-dependent manner. Similarly, inhibition of acid ceramidase, which tends to induce intracellular ceramide accumulation, increased exosome production by SH-SY5Y cells in a LAPTM4B-dependent manner. Furthermore, the level of amyloid-ß protein (Aß) was decreased in neuronal cells following treatment with exogenous ceramide or inhibition of acid ceramidase, and this effect was attributed to the LAPTM4B-dependent efflux of Aß-containing exosomes. Overall, these findings reveal the novel machinery involved in exosome secretion regulated by ceramides and LAPTM4B, and may contribute to efforts to ameliorate the cellular accumulation of neurodegenerative agents such as Aß.

Sterols are important lipid components of the plasma membrane (PM) in eukaryotic cells, but it is unknown how the PM retains sterols at a high concentration. Phospholipids are asymmetrically distributed in the PM, and phospholipid flippases play an important role in generating this phospholipid asymmetry. Here, we provide evidence that phospholipid flippases are essential for retaining ergosterol in the PM of yeast. A mutant in three flippases, Dnf1-Lem3, Dnf2-Lem3, and Dnf3-Crf1, and a membrane protein, Sfk1, showed a severe growth defect. We recently identified Sfk1 as a PM protein involved in phospholipid asymmetry. The PM of this mutant showed high permeability and low density, and many nutrient transporters failed to localize to the PM. Staining with the sterol probe filipin and the expression of a sterol biosensor revealed that ergosterol was not retained in the PM. Instead, ergosterol accumulated in an esterified form in lipid droplets. We propose that ergosterol is retained in the PM by the asymmetrical distribution of phospholipids and the action of Sfk1. Once phospholipid asymmetry is severely disrupted, sterols might be exposed on the cytoplasmic leaflet of the PM and actively transported to the endoplasmic reticulum by sterol transfer proteins.

Membrane phase separation to form micron-scale domains of lipids and proteins occurs in artificial membranes; however, a similar large-scale phase separation has not been reported in the plasma membrane of the living cells. We show here that a stable micron-scale protein-depleted region is generated in the plasma membrane of yeast mutants lacking phosphatidylserine at high temperatures. We named this region the ‘void zone’. Transmembrane proteins and certain peripheral membrane proteins and phospholipids are excluded from the void zone. The void zone is rich in ergosterol, and requires ergosterol and sphingolipids for its formation. Such properties are also found in the cholesterol-enriched domains of phase-separated artificial membranes, but the void zone is a novel membrane domain that requires energy and various cellular functions for its formation. The formation of the void zone indicates that the plasma membrane in living cells has the potential to undergo phase separation with certain lipid compositions. We also found that void zones were frequently in contact with vacuoles, in which a membrane domain was also formed at the contact site. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Membrane phase separation accompanied with micron-scale domains of lipids and proteins occurs in artificial membranes; however, a similar large phase separation has not been reported in the plasma membrane of the living cells. We demonstrate here that a stable micron-scale protein-free region is generated in the plasma membrane of the yeast mutants lacking phosphatidylserine. We named this region the “void zone”. Transmembrane proteins, peripheral membrane proteins, and certain phospholipids are excluded from the void zone. The void zone is rich in ergosterol and requires ergosterol and sphingolipids for its formation. These characteristics of the void zone are similar to the properties of the cholesterol-enriched domain in phase-separated artificial membranes. We propose that phosphatidylserine prevents the formation of the void zone by preferentially interacting with ergosterol. We also found that void zones were frequently in contact with vacuoles, in which a membrane domain was also formed at the contact site.Summary statementYeast cells lacking phosphatidylserine generate protein-free plasma membrane domains, and vacuoles contact with this domain. This is the first report of micron-scale plasma membrane domains in living cells.

Phospholipid flippase (type 4 P-type ATPase) plays a major role in the generation of phospholipid asymmetry in eukaryotic cell membranes. Loss of Lem3p-Dnf1/2p flippases leads to the exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) on the cell surface in yeast, resulting in sensitivity to PS- or PE-binding peptides. We isolated Sfk1p, a conserved membrane protein in the TMEM150/FRAG1/DRAM family, as a multicopy suppressor of this sensitivity. Overexpression of SFK1 decreased PS/PE exposure in lem3Δ mutant cells. Consistent with this, lem3Δ sfk1Δ double mutant cells exposed more PS/PE than the lem3Δ mutant. Sfk1p was previously implicated in the regulation of the phosphatidylinositol-4 kinase Stt4p, but the effect of Sfk1p on PS/PE exposure in lem3Δ was independent of Stt4p. Surprisingly, Sfk1p did not facilitate phospholipid flipping but instead repressed it, even under ATP-depleted conditions. We propose that Sfk1p negatively regulates transbilayer movement of phospholipids irrespective of directions. In addition, we showed that the permeability of the plasma membrane was dramatically elevated in the lem3Δ sfk1Δ double mutant in comparison with the corresponding single mutants. Interestingly, total ergosterol was decreased in the lem3Δ sfk1Δ mutant. Our results suggest that phospholipid asymmetry is required for the maintenance of low plasma membrane permeability.

It is commonly observed that freshwater fish contain lower amounts of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3), than marine fish species. In this study, we performed a detailed comparative analysis of phospholipids (PLs) and triacylglycerols (TAGs) from Gymnogobius isaza, a freshwater goby endemic to Lake Biwa inhabiting the lake bottom, and Gymnogobius urotaenia, a related goby that inhabits the shore of Lake Biwa. We found that tissues from G. isaza contain remarkably high amounts of omega-3 LC-PUFAs in both PLs and TAGs. Mass spectrometry analysis of TAGs demonstrated that the most abundant TAG molecular species were TAG (16:0/18:1/20:5), followed by TAG (14:0/18:1/20:5), in which EPA is incorporated into TAG at either the sn-1 or sn-3 positions. We isolated cDNAs encoding acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase designated as GiDGAT1 and GiDGAT2, from G. isaza. Expression studies using a neutral lipid-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain demonstrated that both GiDGAT1 and GiDGAT2 possessed diacylglycerol acyltransferase activity, and preferential incorporation of LC-PUFA into TAG was observed in the presence of GiDGAT1. This study revealed the novel lipid profiles of G. isaza and identified the enzymes that were involved in the production of PUFA-containing TAGs.

Elevated amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in brain contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. We demonstrated the presence of exosome-associated Aβ in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of cynomolgus monkeys and APP transgenic mice. The levels of exosome-associated Aβ notably decreased in the CSF of aging animals. We also determined that neuronal exosomes, but not glial exosomes, had abundant glycosphingolipids and could capture Aβ. Infusion of neuronal exosomes into brains of APP transgenic mice decreased Aβ and amyloid depositions, similarly to what reported previously on neuroblastoma-derived exosomes. These findings highlight the role of neuronal exosomes in Aβ clearance, and suggest that their downregulation might relate to Aβ accumulation and, ultimately, the development of AD pathology.

In eukaryotic cells, phosphatidylserine (PS) is predominantly located in the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane; this asymmetry is generated by an unknown mechanism. In this study, we used the PS-specific probe mRFP-Lact-C2 to investigate the possible involvement of type 4 P-type ATPases, also called phospholipid flippases, in the generation of this asymmetry in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PS was not found in the trans-Golgi Network in wild-type cells, but it became exposed when vesicle formation was compromised in the sec7 mutant, and it was also exposed on secretory vesicles (SVs), as reported previously. However, flippase mutations did not reduce the exposure of PS in either case, even at low levels that would only be detectable by quantitative analysis of mRFP-Lact-C2 fluorescence in isolated SVs. Furthermore, no reduction in the PS level was observed in a mutant with multiple flippase mutations. Because PS was not exposed in a mutant that accumulates ER or cis/medial-Golgi membranes, Golgi maturation seems to be a prerequisite for PS translocation. Our results suggest that an unknown mechanism, possibly a protein with flippase-like activity, acts in conjunction with known flippases to regulate PS translocation.

In eukaryotic cells, type 4 P-type ATPases function as phospholipid flippases, which translocate phospholipids from the exoplasmic leaflet to the cytoplasmic leaflet of the lipid bilayer. Flippases function in the formation of transport vesicles, but the mechanism remains unknown. Here, we isolate an arrestin-related trafficking adaptor, ART5, as a multicopy suppressor of the growth and endocytic recycling defects of flippase mutants in budding yeast. Consistent with a previous report that Art5p downregulates the inositol transporter Itr1p by endocytosis, we found that flippase mutations were also suppressed by the disruption of ITR1, as well as by depletion of inositol from the culture medium. Interestingly, inositol depletion suppressed the defects in all five flippase mutants. Inositol depletion also partially restored the formation of secretory vesicles in a flippase mutant. Inositol depletion caused changes in lipid composition, including a decrease in phosphatidylinositol and an increase in phosphatidylserine. A reduction in phosphatidylinositol levels caused by partially depleting the phosphatidylinositol synthase Pis1p also suppressed a flippase mutation. These results suggest that inositol depletion changes the lipid composition of the endosomal/TGN membranes, which results in vesicle formation from these membranes in the absence of flippases.

Spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations are believed to contribute to the regulation of gene expression. Here we investigated whether and how the dynamics of Ca(2+) oscillations changed after sublethal preconditioning (PC) for PC-induced ischemic tolerance in neuron/astrocyte co-cultures. The frequency of spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations significantly decreased between 4 and 8 h after the end of PC in both neurons and astrocytes. Treatment with 2-APB, an inhibitor of IP3 receptors, decreased the oscillatory frequency, induced ischemic tolerance and a down-regulation of glutamate transporter GLT-1 contributing to the increase in the extracellular glutamate during ischemia. The expression of GLT-1 is known to be up-regulated by PACAP. Treatment with PACAP38 increased the oscillatory frequency, and antagonized both the PC-induced down-regulation of GLT-1 and ischemic tolerance. These results suggested that the PC suppressed the spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations regulating the gene expressions of various proteins, especially of astrocytic GLT-1, for the development of the PC-induced ischemic tolerance.