Sj. Isakoff et al., IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF PH DOMAIN-CONTAINING TARGETS OF PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL 3-KINASE USING A NOVEL IN-VIVO ASSAY IN YEAST, EMBO journal (Print), 17(18), 1998, pp. 5374-5387
Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) mediates a variety of cellular re
sponses by generating PtdIns(3,4)P-2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P-3, These 3-pho
sphoinositides then function directly as second messengers to activate
downstream signaling molecules by binding pleckstrin homology (PH) do
mains in these signaling molecules, We have established a novel assay
in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify proteins that bind P
tdIns(3,4)P-2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P-3 in vivo which we have called TOPIS
((T) under bar argets (o) under bar f (P) under bar I3K (I) under bar
dentification (S) under bar ystem), The assay uses a plasma membrane-t
argeted Pas to complement a temperature-sensitive CDC25 Ras exchange f
actor in yeast. Coexpression of PI3K and a fusion protein of activated
Pas joined to a PH domain known to bind PtdIns(3,4)P-2 (AKT) or PtdIn
s(3,4,5)P-3 (BTK) rescues yeast growth at the non-permissive temperatu
re of 37 degrees C. Using this assay, we have identified several amino
acids in the beta l-beta 2 region of PH domains that are critical for
high affinity binding to PtdIns(3,3)P-2 and/or PtdIns(3,4,5)P-3, and
we have proposed a structural model for how these PH domains might bin
d PI3K products with high affinity. From these data, we derived a cons
ensus sequence which predicts high-affinity binding to PtdIns(3,4)P2 a
nd/or PtdIns(3,4,5)P-3, and we have identified several new PH domain-c
ontaining proteins that bind PI3K products, including Gab1, Dos, myosi
nX, and Sbf1, Use of this assay to screen for novel cDNAs which rescue
yeast at the non-permissive temperature should provide a powerful app
roach for uncovering additional targets of PI3K.