HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE ADVANCED SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kurahashi, H. Articles by Nakamura, Y. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Kurahashi, H. Articles by Nakamura, Y.

Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan

[PIN⁺] is a prion form of Rnq1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is necessary for the de novo induction of a second prion, [PSI⁺]. We previously isolated a truncated form of Rnq1, named Rnq1100, as a [PSI⁺]-eliminating factor in S. cerevisiae. Rnq1100 deletes the N-terminal non-prion domain of Rnq1, and eliminates [PSI⁺] in [PIN⁺] yeast. Here we found that [PIN⁺] is transmissible to Rnq1100 in the absence of full-length Rnq1, forming a novel prion variant [RNQ1100⁺]. [RNQ1100⁺] has similar [PIN⁺] properties as it stimulates the de novo induction of [PSI⁺] and is eliminated by the null hsp104 mutation, but not by Hsp104 overproduction. In contrast, [RNQ1100⁺] inherits the inhibitory activity and hampers the maintenance of [PSI⁺] though less efficiently than [PIN⁺] made of Rnq1–Rnq1100 co-aggregates. Interestingly, [RNQ1100⁺] prion was eliminated by de novo [PSI⁺] induction. Thus, the [RNQ1100⁺] prion demonstrates selfish activity to eliminate a heterologous prion in S. cerevisiae, showing the first instance of a selfish prion variant in living organisms.

^* Correspondence: nak{at}ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp