Amino acids induce expression of BAP2, a branched-chain amino acid permease gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Branched-chain amino acid uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by at least three transport systems: the general amino acid permease Gap1p, the branched-chain amino acid permease Bap2p, and one or more so far unknown permeases. Regulation of the transcription of BAP2 is mainly subject to the presence of certain amino acids in the medium. The level of transcription is low during growth on a minimal medium with proline as the sole nitrogen source. As assayed with a lacZ fusion, the level of transcription is slightly higher (3-fold) on a minimal medium with ammonium ions as a nitrogen source, and transcription is induced about 20-fold by addition of leucine (0.2 mM). As little as 10 microM leucine causes a fivefold induction. Addition of (L)-leucine to minimal proline medium, on the other hand, has no effect on BAP2 transcription. The two known permeases for transport of branched-chain amino acids, Gap1p and Bap2p, are thus not active at the same time. The BAP2 promoter contains one or two putative Gcn4p binding sites and one putative Leu3p binding site. None of the three is needed for induction by leucine. Induction of BAP2 transcription by leucine is accompanied by an increase in branched-chain amino acid uptake. This elevation is interpreted to be partly the result of an increased level of the Bap2p permease in the plasma membrane, because deletion of BAP2 slightly decreases the induction of uptake. There is still a leucine-inducible increase in branched-chain amino acid uptake in a delta gap1 delta bap2 strain, indicating that BAP2 shares leucine induction with at least one remaining branched-chain amino acid-transporting permease.