HOPS complex

GO:0030897 · Other · Multiprotein complex · Proposed

A multimeric protein complex that associates with the vacuolar membrane, late endosomal (multivesicular body) and lysosomal membranes. HOPS is a tethering complex involved in vesicle fusion. [GO:0030897]

Synonyms: homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting complex

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Essential	Role
Vps11 HOPS subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	VPS11	UNKNOWN	Class C Vps scaffold subunit of the yeast HOPS complex. `DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 showed that class C Vps11p is part of the six-protein yeast HOPS complex.
Vps16 HOPS subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	VPS16	UNKNOWN	Class C Vps scaffold subunit of the yeast HOPS complex. `DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 showed that class C Vps16p is part of the six-protein yeast HOPS complex.
Vps18 HOPS subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	VPS18	UNKNOWN	Class C Vps scaffold subunit of the yeast HOPS complex. `DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 showed that class C Vps18p is part of the six-protein yeast HOPS complex.
Vps33 HOPS subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	VPS33	UNKNOWN	Sec1/Munc18-family class C Vps subunit of the yeast HOPS complex. `DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 showed that Sec1-family protein Vps33p is part of the six-protein yeast HOPS complex.
Vps39/Vam6 HOPS subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	VPS39, VAM6	UNKNOWN	HOPS-specific Vam6/Vps39 subunit in the yeast vacuolar tethering complex. `DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 identified Vam6p/Vps39p as a vacuole-associated subunit of yeast HOPS.
Vps41/Vam2 HOPS subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	VPS41, VAM2	UNKNOWN	HOPS-specific Vam2/Vps41 subunit in the yeast vacuolar tethering complex. `DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 identified Vam2p/Vps41p as a vacuole-associated subunit of yeast HOPS.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — COMMON: Budding yeast uses the Vps11/Vps16/Vps18/Vps33/Vps39/Vps41 HOPS complex in homotypic vacuole fusion. [DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Model in which the HOPS complex was biochemically defined as Vam2/Vam6 plus the four class C Vps proteins during vacuole fusion. [DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402]

Functions

vacuole fusion, non-autophagic GO:0042144 — HOPS acts as a vacuolar tethering complex during non-autophagic homotypic vacuole fusion.
- GO:0042144 GO:0042144 denotes the fusion of two vacuole membranes to form a single vacuole.
- DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402 Seals et al. 2000 named HOPS while testing its requirement for Saccharomyces cerevisiae homotypic vacuole fusion.

Mechanism graphs

HOPS supports yeast homotypic vacuole fusion (FUNCTION)

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Vps11, Vps16, Vps18, Vps33, Vps39/Vam6 and Vps41/Vam2 form HOPS, a vacuole-associated Ypt7 effector complex required for homotypic vacuole fusion.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
Vps11 HOPS subunit	is part of	HOPS complex	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 placed Vps11p, Vps16p, Vps18p, Vps33p, Vam2/Vps41p and Vam6/Vps39p in the yeast HOPS complex.
Vps16 HOPS subunit	is part of	HOPS complex	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 placed Vps11p, Vps16p, Vps18p, Vps33p, Vam2/Vps41p and Vam6/Vps39p in the yeast HOPS complex.
Vps18 HOPS subunit	is part of	HOPS complex	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 placed Vps11p, Vps16p, Vps18p, Vps33p, Vam2/Vps41p and Vam6/Vps39p in the yeast HOPS complex.
Vps33 HOPS subunit	is part of	HOPS complex	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 placed Vps11p, Vps16p, Vps18p, Vps33p, Vam2/Vps41p and Vam6/Vps39p in the yeast HOPS complex.
Vps39/Vam6 HOPS subunit	is part of	HOPS complex	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 placed Vps11p, Vps16p, Vps18p, Vps33p, Vam2/Vps41p and Vam6/Vps39p in the yeast HOPS complex.
Vps41/Vam2 HOPS subunit	is part of	HOPS complex	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 placed Vps11p, Vps16p, Vps18p, Vps33p, Vam2/Vps41p and Vam6/Vps39p in the yeast HOPS complex.
HOPS complex	localizes to	fungal-type vacuole membrane	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 studied vacuole-associated HOPS during in vitro homotypic vacuole fusion.
HOPS complex	binds	Ypt7 Rab GTPase	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 found that HOPS binds GTP-loaded Ypt7 after release from the primed 65S vacuolar complex.
HOPS complex	acts in	vacuole fusion, non-autophagic	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402` Seals et al. 2000 reported that antibodies to each class C Vps protein block the homotypic vacuole fusion assay.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact source-neutral InterPro, Pfam, or Complex Portal groundings for the six HOPS subunit classes. This first HOPS record records the named Saccharomyces cerevisiae subunits without asserting paralogy boundaries or source-neutral family identifiers unless those identifiers are reviewed exactly.
CURATION_TODO (RESOLVED): Do not model vacuolar SNAREs, Sec17/Sec18 priming factors, or Ypt7 as constituent HOPS components. Seals et al. 2000 found HOPS associated with SNARE-containing 65S vacuolar material before priming and with Ypt7 after priming, but defined the 38S HOPS complex as Vam2/Vps41, Vam6/Vps39, Vps11, Vps16, Vps18 and Vps33.

Evidence

GO:0030897 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the HOPS complex.
GO:0098796 Gene Ontology cellular-component parent term for membrane protein complexes.
GO:0042144 Gene Ontology biological-process term for non-autophagic vacuole fusion.
DOI:10.1091/mbc.8.11.2307 Rieder and Emr 1997, A Novel RING Finger Protein Complex Essential for a Late Step in Protein Transport to the Yeast Vacuole, Molecular Biology of the Cell.
DOI:10.1073/pnas.97.17.9402 Seals, Eitzen, Margolis, Wickner and Price 2000, A Ypt/Rab effector complex containing the Sec1 homolog Vps33p is required for homotypic vacuole fusion, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Curation history

2026-09-16T17:36:37Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-16T17:38:05Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added HOPS synonymy, GO membrane-complex parentage, reviewed-label-only Vps11/Vps16/Vps18/Vps33/Vps39/Vps41 yeast components, Saccharomyces scope, a homotypic vacuole fusion function, GO/DOI evidence, a nonmechanistic yeast vacuole-fusion graph, a subunit-grounding TODO, and a resolved SNARE/Ypt7 boundary decision.
2026-09-16T17:44:52Z codex · REFINED_RECORD — Replaced the broad components discussion anchor on the HOPS interactor boundary with concrete anchors for all six HOPS subunit components.
2026-09-16T17:53:48Z codex · ADDRESSED_PR_REVIEW — Addressed PR #1114 / issue #1115 by changing the HOPS vacuole-membrane graph edge from acts-on to localization.

Source: data/structures/other/hops_complex.yaml