A missense mutation in the RING finger motif of PEX2 protein disturbs the import of peroxisome targeting signal 1 (PTS1)-containing protein but not the PTS2-containing protein.

SK24 and PT54 mutant cells, which are peroxisome-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells isolated using peroxisomal forms of green fluorescent protein (GFP), were found to be defective in the PEX2 gene. The nucleotide sequences of PEX2 cDNA from the mutant cells were determined to identify mutation sites in the mutant cells. The mutation in SK24 cells changed cysteine to tyrosine at amino acid position 258, which is a component of the RING finger (C(3)HC(4)) motif in the carboxyl terminus of the protein. PT54 cells contained a nonsense mutation in the codon for glutamine at position 101, resulting in premature termination. The immunocytochemical analyses revealed distinct phenotypes between mutant cells defective in the PEX2 gene. Both mutant cells exhibited cytosolic mislocalizations on catalase and urate oxidase containing PTS1. On the other hand, on 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase containing PTS2, PT54 cells exhibited cytosolic mislocalization, but SK24 cells exhibited peroxisomal localization. When wild-type or mutant-type PEX2 cDNA was transfected into both mutant cells, the stable transformants restored the phenotype in accordance with the transfected cDNA. These observations indicate that an amino acid substitution, cysteine-258 to tyrosine, in the RING finger motif of PEX2 protein, whose function is required for peroxisomal localizations of both PTS1- and PTS2-containing proteins, results in a complete defect in the PTS1 pathway but not in the PTS2 pathway.