THE PUTATIVE PHOSPHOINOSITIDE-SPECIFIC PHOSPHOLIPASE-C GENE, PLC1, OF THE YEAST SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE IS IMPORTANT FOR CELL-GROWTH

Using the polymerase chain reaction technique, we have isolated a gene that encodes a putative phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The nucleotide sequence indicates that the gene encodes a polypeptide of 869 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 101 kDa. This polypeptide has both the X and Y regions conserved among mammalian PLC-beta, -gamma, and -delta, and the structure is most similar to that of mammalian PLC-delta. This putative yeast PLC gene has been designated PLC1. Disruption of PLC1 results in slow growth or lethality for cells, depending on their genetic background and the medium, indicating that PLC1 is important for cell growth. Expression of rat PLC-delta1 cDNA suppressed the growth defect of plc1 disruptants, strongly suggesting that PLC1 encodes PLC.