The DIPSY domain is characterised by the distinctive D*I*PSY motif at the very C-terminus of yeast cell-wall glycoproteins. It appears not to be conserved in any other species, however. In fungi, cell adhesion is required for flocculation, mating and virulence, and is mediated by covalently bound cell wall proteins termed adhesins. Map4, an adhesin required for mating in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, is N-glycosylated and O-glycosylated, and is an endogenous substrate for the mannosyl transferase Oma4p. Map4 has a modular structure with an N-terminal signal peptide, a serine and threonine (S/T)-rich domain that includes nine repeats of 36 amino acids (rich in serine and threonine residues, but lacking glutamines), and a C-terminal DIPSY domain with no glycosyl-phosphatidyl inositol (GPI)-anchor signal. The N-terminal S/T-rich regions, are required for cell wall attachment, but the C-terminal DIPSY domain is required for agglutination and mating in liquid and solid media [3].

1: The fission yeast Map4 protein is a novel adhesin required for mating. Sharifmoghadam MR, Bustos-Sanmamed P, Valdivieso MH; FEBS Lett. 2006;580:4457-4462. PMID:16857197

2: Molecular phylogenetics of ascomycotal adhesins-A novel family of putative cell-surface adhesive proteins in fission yeasts. Linder T, Gustafsson CM; Fungal Genet Biol. 2007; [Epub ahead of print] PMID:17870620

3: The Schizosaccharomyces pombe Map4 adhesin is a glycoprotein that can be extracted from the cell wall with alkali but not with beta-glucanases and requires the C-terminal DIPSY domain for function. Sharifmoghadam MR, Valdivieso MH; Mol Microbiol. 2008;69:1476-1490. PMID:18673459