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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1994 Aug 2;91(16):7762–7766. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.16.7762

Complexes between STE5 and components of the pheromone-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinase module.

S Marcus 1, A Polverino 1, M Barr 1, M Wigler 1
PMCID: PMC44482  PMID: 8052657

Abstract

We present genetic evidence for complex formation of STE5 and the STE11, STE7, and FUS3 protein kinases, the pheromone-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinase module of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Interaction between STE5 and STE11 is not dependent on STE7, and interaction between STE5 and STE7 does not require STE11. The N-terminal regulatory domain of STE11 is both necessary and sufficient for interaction with STE5. Interaction between STE7 and STE11 is bridged by STE5, suggesting the formation of a multiprotein complex. We also demonstrate biochemical interaction between STE5 and STE11 by using a combination of bacterially expressed fusion proteins and extracts prepared from yeast. Our results suggest that STE5 is a scaffolding protein that facilitates interactions between components of the pheromone-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinase module. We further propose that such scaffolding proteins serve to inhibit cross-talk between functionally unrelated mitogen-activated protein kinase modules within the same cell.

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Selected References

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