Expression of a VEGF-like protein from Parapoxvirus ovis in the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe

We report on the expression of a VEGF-like protein encoded by Parapoxvirus ovis in the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We show that a lysine residue at amino acid position 2 (K2) is an important determinant for the stability of this protein in S. cerevisiae. Replacemen t of K2 by an arginine results in stabilization of the protein. This observ ation suggests that this lysine may be a target for ubiquitinylation, which is a prerequisite for proteasome-mediated protein degradation. Interesting ly, in S. pombe the lysine (K2) has no influence on the stability of the pr otein. This result indicates that the two yeast species exhibit significant differences in their protein degradation pathways. (C) 2001 Academic Press .