The [PSI+] prion of yeast: A problem of inheritance

The [PSI+] prion of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was first identified by Brian Cox some 40 years ago as a non-Mendelian genetic element that modulated the efficiency of nonsense suppression. Following the suggestion by Reed Wickner in 1994 that such elements might be accounted for by invoking a prion-based model, it was subsequently established that the [PSI+] determinant was the prion form of the Sup35p protein. In this article, we review how a combination of classical genetic approaches and modern molecular and biochemical methods has provided conclusive evidence of the prion basis of the [PSI+] determinant. In so doing we have tried to provide a historical context, but also describe the results of more recent experiments aimed at elucidating the mechanism by which the [PSI+] (and other yeast prions) are efficiently propagated in dividing cells. While understanding of the [PSI+] prion and its mode of propagation has, and will continue to have, an impact on mammalian prion biology nevertheless the very existence of a protein-based mechanism that can have a beneficial impact on a cell’s fitness provides equally sound justification to fully explore yeast prions.