Vps9, Rabex-5 and DSS4: proteins with weak but distinct nucleotide-exchange activities for Rab proteins

The activities of three Rab-specific factors with GDP/GTP exchange activity, Vps9p, Rabex-5 and DSS4, with their cognate GTPases, Ypt5lp, Rab5 and Ypt1p, have been analysed quantitatively. In contrast to other exchange factors examined and to DSS4, Vps9p, and by analogy probably Rabex-5, have considerably lower affinity than GDP to the respective GTPases. In keeping with this, they are relatively weak exchangers, with a maximal rate constant for GDP release from the ternary complex between exchange factor, GTPase and GDP of ca 0.01 s(-1), which is several orders of magnitude lower than for other exchange factors examined. If interaction with these proteins is a mandatory aspect of the Rab cycle, this suggests that the overall rate of cycling might be controlled at this point of the cycle. Surprisingly, DSS$, which has the thermodynamic potential to displace GDP effectively from Ypt1p, also does this very slowly, again with a maximal rate constant of ca 0.01 s(-1). An additional, and based on present knowledge, unique, feature of the Ypt1p.DSS4 complex, is that the association of GTP (or GDP) is more than 10(3)-fold slower than to Ypt1p, thus leading to a long life-time of the binary complex between the two proteins, even at the high nucleotide concentrations that prevail in the cell. This leads to the conclusion that the protein-protein complex is likely to have an important biological significance in addition to its probable role in GTP/GDP exchange. (C) 2001 Academic Press