Repressors and Upstream Repressing Sequences of the Stress-Regulated ENA1 Gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: bZIP Protein Sko1p Confers HOG-Dependent Osmotic Regulation

The yeastENA1/PMR2A gene encodes a cation extrusion ATPase inSaccharomyces cerevisiae which is essential for survival under salt stress conditions. One important mechanism ofENA1 transcriptional regulation is based on repression under normal growth conditions, which is relieved by either osmotic induction or glucose starvation. Analysis of theENA1 promoter revealed a Mig1p-binding motif (−533 to −544) which was characterized as an upstream repressing sequence (URSMIG-ENA1 ) regulated by carbon source. Its function was abolished in amig1 mig2 double-deletion strain as well as in eitherssn6 ortup1 single mutants. A second URS at −502 to −513 is responsible for transcriptional repression regulated by osmotic stress and is similar to mammalian cyclic AMP response elements (CREs) that are recognized by CREB proteins. This URSCRE-ENA1 element requires for its repression function the yeast CREB homolog Sko1p (Acr1p) as well as the integrity of the Ssn6p-Tup1p corepressor complex. When targeted to theGAL1 promoter by fusing with the Gal4p DNA-binding domain, Sko1p acts as an Ssn6/Tup1p-dependent repressor regulated by osmotic stress. A glutathione S -transferase–Sko1 fusion protein binds specifically to the URSCRE-ENA1 element. Furthermore, ahog1 mitogen-activated protein kinase deletion strain could not counteract repression on URSCRE-ENA1 during osmotic shock. The loss ofSKO1 completely restoredENA1 expression in ahog1 mutant and partially suppressed the osmotic stress sensitivity, qualifying Sko1p as a downstream effector of the HOG pathway. Our results indicate that different signalling pathways (HOG osmotic pathway and glucose repression pathway) use distinct promoter elements ofENA1 (URSCRE-ENA1 and URSMIG-ENA1 ) via specific transcriptional repressors (Sko1p and Mig1/2p) and via the general Ssn6p-Tup1p complex. The physiological importance of the relief from repression during salt stress was also demonstrated by the increased tolerance ofsko1 orssn6 mutants to Na+ or Li+ stress.