The Erv14 protein works as a cargo receptor in the COPII vesicles. Many proteins, including Na+, K+/H+ antiporter Nha1, which participates in the maintenance of cell alkali-metal-cation homeostasis, need Erv14 for their trafficking from the ER. When Erv14 is missing, the Nha1 antiporter is partially retained in the ER and its overall transport activity is affected. Although Erv14 interacts with the antiporter through Nha1's transmembrane domains, a shortened version of Nha1 lacking its long hydrophilic C-terminus does not require Erv14 for its efficient trafficking to plasma membrane. This thesis contributes to the understanding of the role of the Erv14 protein in the maintenance of alkali-metal-cation homeostasis in S. cerevisiae cells. Two S. cerevisiae strains lacking ERV14 gene were prepared and the effect of this deletion on the growth and salt tolerance of cells was studied. Using heterologous expression of NHA antiporters from various yeast species with variable lengths of their hydrophilic C-termini we studied localisation and function of these antiporters in S. cerevisiae cells in the presence and in the absence of Erv14 protein. Our results suggested that the length of the antiporter's C-terminus might play a role in its requirement of Erv14 presence for its trafficking through the...

When damaged DNA is detected during replication, a checkpoint delays the cell cycle to allow time for repair. Here I show that continually delaying the cell cycle in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle stabilizes the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in both checkpoint proficient and deficient cells; a phenomenon I call slow cycle stabilization (SCS). SCS stabilizes the genome in cells defective for DNA damage response (DDR), spindle checkpoint, and telomere biology, as well as wild type (WT) cells. I verify SCS using genetic and chemical means and further substantiate SCS using three different Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome systems.

Positive-strand RNAviruses invariably assemble their viral replication complexes (VRCs) by remodeling host intracellular membranes. How viral replication proteins are targeted to specific organelle membranes to initiate VRC assembly remains elusive. Brome mosaic virus (BMV), whose replication can be recapitulated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, assembles its VRCs by invaginating the outer perinuclear endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Remarkably, BMV replication protein 1a (BMV 1a) is the only viral protein required for such membrane remodeling. We show that ER-vesicle protein of 14 kD (Erv14), a cargo receptor of coat protein complex II (COPII), interacts with BMV 1a. Moreover, the perinuclear ER localization of BMV 1a is disrupted in cells lacking ERV14 or expressing dysfunctional COPII coat components (Sec13, Sec24 or Sec31). The requirement of Erv14 for the localization of BMV 1a is bypassed by addition of a Sec24-recognizable sorting signal to BMV 1a or by overexpressing Sec24, suggesting a coordinated effort by both Erv14 and Sec24 for the proper localization of BMV 1a. The COPII pathway is well known for being involved in protein secretion; our data suggest that a subset of COPII coat proteins have an unrecognized role in targeting proteins to the perinuclear ER membrane.