Yeast protein kinase A isoforms: a means of encoding specificity in the response to diverse stress conditions?

Eukaryotic cells have developed a complex circuitry of signalling molecules which monitor changes in their intra- and extracellular environments. One of the most widely studied signalling pathways is the highly conserved cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway which is a major glucose sensing circuit in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PKA activity regulates diverse targets in yeast, positively activating processes associated with rapid cell growth (e.g., fermentative metabolism, ribosome biogenesis, and cell division) and negatively regulating processes associated with slow growth, such as respiratory growth, carbohydrate storage and entry into stationary phase. As in higher eukaryotes, yeast have evolved complexity at the level of the PKA catalytic subunit and Saccharomyces cerevisiae expresses three isoforms denoted Tpk1-3. Despite evidence for isoform differences in multiple biological processes, the molecular basis of PKA signalling specificity remains poorly defined, and many studies continue to assume redundancy with regards to PKA-mediated regulation. PKA has canonically been shown to play a key role in fine-tuning the cellular response to diverse stressors, however recent studies have now begun to interrogate the requirement for individual PKA catalytic isoforms in coordinating distinct steps in stress response pathways. In this review, we discuss the known non-redundant functions of the Tpk catalytic subunits and the evolving picture of how these isoforms establish specificity in the response to different stress conditions.