The Role of the Parkinson's Disease Gene PARK9 in Essential Cellular Pathways and the Manganese Homeostasis Network in Yeast

YPK9 (Yeast PARK9; also known as YOR291W) is a non-essential yeast gene predicted by sequence to encode a transmembrane P-type transport ATPase. However, its substrate specificity is unknown. Mutations in the human homolog of YPK9, ATP13A2/PARK9, have been linked to genetic forms of early onset parkinsonism. We previously described a strong genetic interaction between Ypk9 and another Parkinson's disease (PD) protein α-synuclein in multiple model systems, and a role for Ypk9 in manganese detoxification in yeast. In humans, environmental exposure to toxic levels of manganese causes a syndrome similar to PD and is thus an environmental risk factor for the disease. How manganese contributes to neurodegeneration is poorly understood. Here we describe multiple genome-wide screens in yeast aimed at defining the cellular function of Ypk9 and the mechanisms by which it protects cells from manganese toxicity. In physiological conditions, we found that Ypk9 genetically interacts with essential genes involved in cellular trafficking and the cell cycle. Deletion of Ypk9 sensitizes yeast cells to exposure to excess manganese. Using a library of non-essential gene deletions, we screened for additional genes involved in tolerance to excess manganese exposure, discovering several novel pathways involved in manganese homeostasis. We defined the dependence of the deletion strain phenotypes in the presence of manganese on Ypk9, and found that Ypk9 deletion modifies the manganese tolerance of only a subset of strains. These results confirm a role for Ypk9 in manganese homeostasis and illuminates cellular pathways and biological processes in which Ypk9 likely functions

Exploring the transport of plant metabolites using positron emitting radiotracers

Short-lived positron-emitting radiotracer techniques provide time-dependent data that are critical for developing models of metabolite transport and resource distribution in plants and their microenvironments. Until recently these techniques were applied to measure radiotracer accumulation in coarse regions along transport pathways. The recent application of positron emission tomography (PET) techniques to plant research allows for detailed quantification of real-time metabolite dynamics on previously unexplored spatial scales. PET provides dynamic information with millimeter-scale resolution on labeled carbon, nitrogen, and water transport over a small plant-size field of view. Because details at the millimeter scale may not be required for all regions of interest, hybrid detection systems that combine high-resolution imaging with other radiotracer counting technologies offer the versatility needed to pursue wide-ranging plant physiological and ecological research. In this perspective we describe a recently developed hybrid detection system at Duke University that provides researchers with the flexibility required to carry out measurements of the dynamic responses of whole plants to environmental change using short-lived radiotracers. Following a brief historical development of radiotracer applications to plant research, the role of radiotracers is presented in the context of various applications at the leaf to the whole-plant level that integrates cellular and subcellular signals and∕or controls