Yeast mutant defective in phosphatidylserine synthesis.

Phospholipid biosynthesis in a mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (cho1) which lacks phosphatidylserine (Atkinson, K. D., Jensen, B., Storm, E., Kolat, A. I., Henry, S. A. & Fogel, S. (1980) J. Bacteriol. 141, 558-564) has been examined. The ability of cells of this strain to synthesize phosphatidylserine in vitro in a cell-free system is reduced at least 10-fold, whereas other phospholipid-synthesizing activities are present at normal or slightly elevated levels. While all phospholipid biosynthetic activities, except phosphatidylserine synthesis, can be demonstrated in vitro in the cho1 mutant, the entire pattern of phospholipid synthesis, accumulation, and turnover in vivo is distorted. Phosphatidylinositol synthesis is elevated, as is phosphatidylcholine synthesis. In addition, the turnover of phosphatidylcholine is more rapid in the cho1 mutant. The cho1 mutant appears to use almost exclusively the alternative pathway described by Kennedy and Weiss (1956) J. Biol. Chem. 222, 193-214) for the production of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, bypassing phosphatidylserine as an intermediate.