The S. cerevisiae VPS10 (vacuolar protein sorting) gene encodes a type
I transmembrane protein of 1577 amino acids required for the sorting
of the soluble vacuolar protein carboxypeptidase Y (CPY). Mutations in
VPS10 result in the selective missorting and secretion of CPY; all ot
her vacuolar proteins tested are delivered to the vacuole in vps10 mut
ants. Chemical cross-linking studies demonstrate that Vps10p and the G
olgi-modified precursor form of CPY directly interact. A single amino
acid change in the CPY vacuolar sorting signal prevents this interacti
on. Vps10p also interacts with a hybrid protein containing the CPY sor
ting signal fused to the normally secreted enzyme invertase. Subcellul
ar fractionation indicates that the majority of Vps10p is localized to
a late Golgi compartment where vacuolar proteins are sorted. We propo
se that VPS10 encodes a CPY sorting receptor that executes multiple ro
unds of sorting by cycling between the late Golgi and a prevacuolar en
dosome-like compartment.