Transcriptional regulation of phospholipid biosynthesis is linked to fatty acid metabolism by an acyl-CoA-binding-protein-dependent mechanism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the present study, we have used DNA microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analysis to examine the transcriptional changes that occur in response to cellular depletion of the yeast acyl-CoA-binding protein, Acb1p. Depletion of Acb1p resulted in the differential expression of genes encoding proteins involved in fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis (e.g. FAS 1, FAS2, ACC1, OLE1, INO1 and OPI3), glycolysis and glycerol metabolism (e.g. GPD1 and TDH1), ion transport and uptake (e.g. ITR1 and HNM1) and stress response (e.g. HSP12, DDR2 and CTT1). In the present study, we show that transcription of the INO1 gene, which encodes inositol-3-phosphate synthase, cannot be fully repressed by inositol and choline, and UAS(INO1) (inositol-sensitive upstream activating sequence)-driven transcription is enhanced in Aeb1p-depleted cells. In addition, the reduction in inositol-mediated repression of INO1 transcription observed after depletion of Acb1p appeared to be independent of the transcriptional repressor, Opi1p. We also demonstrated that INO1 and OPI3 expression can be normalized in Acb1p-depleted cells by the addition of high concentrations of exogenous fatty acids, or by the overexpression of FAS1 or ACC1. Together, these findings revealed an Acb1p-dependent connection between fatty acid metabolism and transcriptional regulation of phospholipid biosynthesis in yeast. Finally, expression of an Acb1p mutant which is unable to bind acyl-CoA esters could not normalize the transcriptional changes caused by Acb1p depletion. This strongly implied that gene expression is modulated either by the Acb1p-acyl-CoA ester complex directly or by its ability to donate acyl-CoA esters to utilizing systems.