YEH2/YLR020c encodes a novel steryl ester hydrolase of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Previous work from our laboratory (Zinser, E., Paltauf, F., and Daum, G. (1993) J. Bacteriol. 175, 2853-2858) demonstrated steryl ester hydrolase activity in the plasma membrane of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we show that the gene product of YEH2/ YLR020c, which is homologous to several known mammalian steryl ester hydrolases, is the enzyme catalyzing this reaction. Deletion of yeast YEH2 led to complete loss of plasma membrane steryl ester hydrolase activity whereas overexpression of the gene resulted in a significant elevation of the activity. Purification of enzymatically active Yeh2p close to homogeneity unambiguously identified this protein as a steryl ester hydrolase and thus as the first enzyme of this kind characterized in S. cerevisiae. In addition to evidence obtained in vitro experiments in vivo contributed to the characterization of this novel enzyme. Sterol analysis of yeh2Delta unveiled a slightly elevated level of zymosterol suggesting that the esterified form of this sterol precursor is a preferred substrate of Yeh2p. However, in strains bearing hybrid proteins with strongly enhanced Yeh2p activity decreased levels of all steryl esters were observed. Thus, it appears that Yeh2p activity is not restricted to distinct steryl esters but rather has broad substrate specificity. The fact that in a yeh2Delta deletion strain bulk steryl ester mobilization occurred at a similar rate as in wild type suggested that Yeh2p is not the only steryl ester hydrolase but that other enzymes with overlapping function exist in the yeast.