Dimerisation of the Yeast K<sup>+</sup> Translocation Protein Trk1 Depends on the K<sup>+</sup> Concentration

oleh: Natalia Kulik, Deepika Kale, Karin Spurna, Katsiaryna Shamayeva, Fabian Hauser, Sandra Milic, Hannah Janout, Vasilina Zayats, Jaroslaw Jacak, Jost Ludwig

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-12-01

Deskripsi

In baker’s yeast (<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>), Trk1, a member of the superfamily of K-transporters (SKT), is the main K<sup>+</sup> uptake system under conditions when its concentration in the environment is low. Structurally, Trk1 is made up of four domains, each similar and homologous to a K-channel α subunit. Because most K-channels are proteins containing four channel-building α subunits, Trk1 could be functional as a monomer. However, related SKT proteins TrkH and KtrB were crystallised as dimers, and for Trk1, a tetrameric arrangement has been proposed based on molecular modelling. Here, based on Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation experiments and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy combined with molecular modelling; we provide evidence that Trk1 can exist in the yeast plasma membrane as a monomer as well as a dimer. The association of monomers to dimers is regulated by the K<sup>+</sup> concentration.