Research, Research Articles
Integrative modules for efficient genome engineering in yeast
Triana Amen1 and Daniel Kaganovich1
The study introduces a set of vectors with integrative modules designed for effective genome integration into standard marker loci of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, enabling precise expression levels using various promoters and demonstrating the capability of stable multi-gene integration, which is useful for tasks like multi-color cellular imaging and metabolic engineering.
The neuroprotective steroid progesterone promotes mitochondrial uncoupling, reduces cytosolic calcium and augments stress resistance in yeast cells
Slaven Stekovic1,*, Christoph Ruckenstuhl1,*, Philipp Royer1, Christof Winkler-Hermaden1, Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1, Kai-Uwe Fröhlich1, Guido Kroemer3-8, and Frank Madeo1,2
Progesterone, known for its role in the reproductive system, also acts as a neurosteroid and has been suggested to aid recovery from traumatic brain injury; a study using yeast models shows that progesterone can protect against apoptosis, reduce oxidative stress and calcium spikes, and increase mitochondrial function, independent of traditional progesterone receptors or calcium transporters.
A simple microfluidic platform to study age-dependent protein abundance and localization changes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Margarita Cabrera1,†, Daniele Novarina1, Irina L. Rempel1, Liesbeth M. Veenhoff1, and Michael Chang1
We have developed a user-friendly microfluidic system paired with a genetic approach to enrich and study ageing mother yeast cells, enabling the monitoring of protein abundance and localization changes during the crucial first half of their replicative lifespan, leading to the discovery of novel age-dependent protein behaviors.
Thiol trapping and metabolic redistribution of sulfur metabolites enable cells to overcome cysteine overload
Anup Arunrao Deshpande1,#, Muskan Bhatia1,#, Sunil Laxman2, Anand Kumar Bachhawat1
In this study, researchers investigate the mechanisms for handling cysteine overload using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, finding that overexpressing the high affinity cysteine transporter, YCT1, enables yeast cells to rapidly accumulate high levels of intracellular cysteine. The study demonstrates that cells can manage potentially toxic levels of cysteine by converting it to non-reactive thiol forms and utilizing the metabolic products for cell growth.
The frequency of yeast [PSI+] prion formation is increased during chronological ageing
Shaun H. Speldewinde1 and Chris M. Grant1
Aging is marked by a decline in cellular functions and the increased formation of the yeast [PSI+] prion, an altered translation termination factor, which suggests that autophagy suppresses age-related prion development. Interestingly, yeast cells that adopt the [PSI+] form exhibit better survival through aging, indicating that [PSI+] formation, linked to enhanced autophagy, may confer advantages such as reduced protein aggregation and improved cell viability.
A multigene family encoding surface glycoproteins in Trypanosoma congolense
Magali Thonnus1, Amandine Guérin1,2 and Loïc Rivière1
Trypanosoma congolense, the causative agent of the most important livestock disease in Africa, expresses specific surface proteins involved in its parasitic lifestyle. By mining the T. congolense genome database, we identified a novel family of lectin-like glycoproteins (TcoClecs).
Identification of Ftr1 and Zrt1 as iron and zinc micronutrient transceptors for activation of the PKA pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Joep Schothorst1,2, Griet Van Zeebroeck1,2 and Johan M. Thevelein1,2
We now show that the yeast high-affinity iron transporter Ftr1 and high-affinity zinc transporter Zrt1 function as transceptors for the micronutrients iron and zinc. We show that replenishment of iron to iron-starved cells or zinc to zinc-starved cells triggers within 1-2 minutes a rapid surge in trehalase activity, a well-established PKA target.
Balanced CoQ6 biosynthesis is required for lifespan and mitophagy in yeast
Isabel González-Mariscal, Aléjandro Martín-Montalvo, Cristina Ojeda-González, Adolfo Rodríguez-Eguren, Purificación Gutiérrez-Ríos, Plácido Navas, and Carlos Santos-Ocaña
In brief, we show that, in yeast, Ptc7 modulates the adaptation to respiratory metabolism by dephosphorylating Coq7 to supply newly synthesized CoQ6, and by activating mitophagy to remove defective mitochondria at stationary phase, guaranteeing a proper CLS in yeast.
Mutational analysis of fructose-1,6-bis-phosphatase FBP1 indicates partially independent functions in gluconeogenesis and sensitivity to genotoxic stress
Ali Ghanem, Ana Kitanovic, Jinda Holzwarth, Stefan Wölfl
Our results support predicted vital roles of several fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase residues for enzymatic activity and led to the identification of residues indispensable for the MMS-sensitizing effect. Despite an overlap between these two properties, careful analysis revealed two mutations, Asn75 and His324, which decouple the enzymatic activity and the MMS-sensitizing effect, indicating two distinctive biological activities linked in this key gluconeogenesis enzyme.
Depletion of SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4 alters lipid droplet homeostasis during Chlamydia infection
December 3, 2019
This study reveals that the plasma membrane SNARE proteins SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4 are crucial for Chlamydia trachomatis development by regulating lipid droplet homeostasis and supporting the formation of infectious progeny within host cells.
Yeast can express and assemble bacterial secretins in the mitochondrial outer membrane
November 19, 2019
Secretins, essential components of bacterial secretion systems, can be expressed in yeast and show differential dependencies on mitochondrial import and assembly factors for membrane integration, suggesting diverse pathways for their assembly into the bacterial outer membrane.
Metabolic reprogramming of Salmonella infected macrophages and its modulation by iron availability and the mTOR pathway
November 14, 2019
This article shows that iron plays a critical role in both the immune response and metabolic reprogramming of macrophages during infection, influencing the TCA cycle and mTOR pathway, with implications for the growth of intracellular bacteria like Salmonella.
Transcriptomic and chemogenomic analyses unveil the essential role of Com2-regulon in response and tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to stress induced by sulfur dioxide
September 30, 2019
This article shows that in the presence of sulfur dioxide (SO2), the transcription factor Com2 plays a critical role in the tolerance and response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, affecting the expression of a majority of SO2-activated genes and contributing to the protection against stress induced by SO2 at an enologically relevant pH.
Network dynamics of the yeast methyltransferome
July 9, 2019
This article presents a systematic genetic analysis of methyltransferases (MTases) under normal and stress conditions, uncovering the complex and adaptive nature of the methyltransferome and discovering a potential connection between phospholipid methylation and histone methylation, suggesting interplay between lipid homeostasis and epigenetic regulation.
Functional link between mitochondria and Rnr3, the minor catalytic subunit of yeast ribonucleotide reductase
May 20, 2019
This article shows that the carbon source affects the abundance of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) subunits in yeast, with a novel Mec1 signaling axis regulating Rnr3 independently of known DNA damage response pathways, and reveals Rnr3's unexpected role in mitochondrial function.
Mitochondria-Associated Membranes (MAMs) are involved in Bax mitochondrial localization and cytochrome c release
March 15, 2019
This study investigated the role of Mitochondria-Associated Membranes (MAMs) in the regulation of apoptosis by analyzing the localization and function of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax in yeast, finding that disruption of MAMs by deletion of the MDM34 gene affects Bax's mitochondrial localization and the release of cytochrome c.
Chlamydia pneumoniae is present in the dental plaque of periodontitis patients and stimulates an inflammatory response in gingival epithelial cells
March 11, 2019
This study found that Chlamydia pneumoniae is present more frequently in the dental plaque of individuals with periodontal disease, can invade human gingival epithelial cells causing inflammatory responses, and may therefore be a contributing factor to periodontal disease and a potential indicator of risk.
Genome-wide analysis of yeast expression data based on a priori generated co-regulation cliques
January 22, 2019
The study demonstrates the use of predefined genome-wide expression cliques, derived from extensive microarray data, to effectively analyze and visualize the complete gene expression response across various cellular conditions in yeast.