Cdc1 removes the ethanolamine phosphate of the first mannose of GPI anchors and thereby facilitates the integration of GPI proteins into the yeast cell wall.

Temperature-sensitive cdc1(ts) mutants are reported to stop the cell cycle upon a shift to 30°C in early G2, that is, as small budded cells having completed DNA replication but unable to duplicate the spindle pole body. A recent report showed that PGAP5, a human homologue of CDC1, acts as a phosphodiesterase removing an ethanolamine phosphate (EtN-P) from mannose 2 of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor, thus permitting efficient endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport of GPI proteins. We find that the essential CDC1 gene can be deleted in mcd4∆ cells, which do not attach EtN-P to mannose 1 of the GPI anchor, suggesting that Cdc1 removes the EtN-P added by Mcd4. Cdc1-314(ts) mutants do not accumulate GPI proteins in the ER but have a partial secretion block later in the secretory pathway. Growth tests and the genetic interaction profile of cdc1-314(ts) pinpoint a distinct cell wall defect. Osmotic support restores GPI protein secretion and actin polarization but not growth. Cell walls of cdc1-314(ts) mutants contain large amounts of GPI proteins that are easily released by β-glucanases and not attached to cell wall β1,6-glucans and that retain their original GPI anchor lipid. This suggests that the presumed transglycosidases Dfg5 and Dcw1 of cdc1-314(ts) transfer GPI proteins to cell wall β1,6-glucans inefficiently.

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