The contribution of the O-glycosylated protein Pir2p/Hsp150 to the construction of the yeast cell wall in wild-type cells and beta 1,6-glucan-deficient mutants

The cell wall of yeast contains a major structural unit, consisting of a ce ll wall protein (CWP) attached via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-der ived structure to beta 1,6-glucan, which is linked in turn to beta 1,3-gluc an. When isolated cell walls were digested with beta 1,6-glucanase, 16% of all CWPs remained insoluble, suggesting an alternative linkage between CWPs and structural cell wall components that does not involve beta 1,6-glucan. The beta 1,6-glucanase-resistant protein fraction contained the recently i dentified GPI-lacking, O-glycosylated Pir-CWPs, including Pir2p/Hsp150. Evi dence is presented that Pir2p/Hsp150 is attached to beta 1,3-glucan through an alkali-sensitive linkage, without beta 1,6-glucan as an interconnecting moiety. In beta 1,6-glucan-deficient mutants, the beta 1,6-glucanase-resis tant protein fraction increased from 16% to over 60%. This was accompanied by increased incorporation of Pir2p/Hsp150. It is argued that this is part of a more general compensatory mechanism in response to cell wall weakening caused by low levels of beta 1,G-glucan.