Interaction of the late endo-lysosomal lipid PI(3,5)P2 with the Vph1 isoform of yeast V-ATPase increases its activity and cellular stress tolerance.

The low-level endo-lysosomal signaling lipid, phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2), is required for full assembly and activity of vacuolar H-ATPases (V-ATPases) containing the vacuolar a-subunit isoform Vph1 in yeast. The cytosolic N-terminal domain of Vph1 is also recruited to membranes in a PI(3,5)P2-dependent manner, but it is not known if its interaction with PI(3,5)P2 is direct. Here, using biochemical characterization of isolated yeast vacuolar vesicles, we demonstrate that addition of exogenous short-chain PI(3,5)P2 to Vph1-containing vacuolar vesicles activates V-ATPase activity and proton pumping. Modeling of the cytosolic N-terminal domain of Vph1 identified two membrane-oriented sequences that contain clustered basic amino acids. Substitutions in one of these sequences (KTREYKHK) abolished the PI(3,5)P2-dependent activation of V-ATPase without affecting basal V-ATPase activity. We also observed that mutants lacking PI(3,5)P2 activation have enlarged vacuoles relative to those in WT cells. These mutants exhibit a significant synthetic growth defect when combined with deletion of Hog1, a kinase important for signaling the transcriptional response to osmotic stress. The results suggest that PI(3,5)P2 interacts directly with Vph1, and that this interaction both activates V-ATPase activity and protects cells from stress.