Research, Research Reports

Rewiring yeast acetate metabolism through MPC1 loss of function leads to mitochondrial damage and decreases chronological lifespan

Ivan Orlandi1,2, Damiano Pellegrino Coppola2 and Marina Vai1,2

This work shows that MPC1-deficient cells make up for their impairment in mitochondrial pyruvate with a metabolic rewiring which involves several intermediates of the mitochondrially localized TCA cycle and the cytosolic glyoxylate shunt but ultimately results in a pro-aging process.

Overexpression of the transcription factor Yap1 modifies intracellular redox conditions and enhances recombinant protein secretion

Marizela Delic1,2, Alexandra B. Graf2,3, Gunda Koellensperger1,4, Christina Haberhauer-Troyer1,4, Stephan Hann1,4, Diethard Mattanovich1,2, Brigitte Gasser1,2

This article investigates the role of Yap1 during the production of recombinant secretory proteins in glucose based growth conditions in Pichia pastoris, and reports a novel role of Yap1 during ER-resident oxidative protein folding.

Functional analysis of lipid metabolism genes in wine yeasts during alcoholic fermentation at low temperature

María López-Malo1,2, Estéfani García-Ríos1, Rosana Chiva1 and José Manuel Guillamon1

This study confirms the importance of specific genes in growth and fermentation activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at low temperature.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers increase tolerance of cells to copper and cisplatin

Pieter Spincemaille1,+, Gursimran Chandhok2,+, Andree Zibert2, Hartmut Schmidt2, Jef Verbeek3, Patrick Chaltin4,5, Bruno P.A. Cammue1,6,#, David Cassiman3, Karin Thevissen1,#

This study reports the identification of the drug class of Angiotensin II Type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) and shows that specific ARBs increase yeast tolerance to Cu and Cp, and affect markers of Cu-induced apoptosis. Likewise, this study finds that specific ARBs increase human cell line tolerance to Cu and decrease the prevalence of apoptotic markers.

An extensive endoplasmic reticulum-localised glycoprotein family in trypanosomatids

Harriet Allison1, Amanda J. O’Reilly1, Jeremy Sternberg2 and Mark C. Field1

This work describes a novel family of type I membrane proteins ("invariant glycoproteins") and proposes them as trypanosomatid-specific ER-localised glycoproteins, with potential contributions to life cycle progression and immunity, that utilise oligomerisation as an ER retention mechanism.

Time resolved DNA occupancy dynamics during the respiratory oscillation uncover a global reset point in the yeast growth program

Cornelia Amariei, Rainer Machné, Viktor Stolc, Tomoyoshi Soga, Masaru Tomita and Douglas B. Murray

Using multiple approaches, this work implies a nucleosome focusing event as a key step that resets transcription during the respiratory oscillation.

Cell wall dynamics modulate acetic acid-induced apoptotic cell death of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

António Rego#, Ana Marta Duarte#, Flávio Azevedo#, Maria João Sousa, Manuela Côrte-Real and Susana R. Chaves

This work characterizes the involvement of MAPK signaling pathways in cell death induced by acetic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Extracellular calcium triggers unique transcriptional programs and modulates staurosporine-induced cell death in Neurospora crassa

A. Pedro Gonçalves1,2, João Monteiro2, Chiara Lucchi2, David J. Kowbel3, J. Miguel Cordeiro1,4, Paulo Correia-de-Sá1,4, Daniel J. Rigden5, N. Louise Glass3, Arnaldo Videira1,2

The results presented here reveal that in Neurospora crassa, extracellular Ca2+ modulates cell death and the transcriptional alterations induced by staurosporine, and lead to the identification of two novel putative Ca2+-binding proteins, encoded by the NCU08524 and NCU06607 genes.

Multiple metabolic requirements for size homeostasis and initiation of division in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Shivatheja Soma, Kailu Yang, Maria I. Morales and Michael Polymenis

This article reveals an unexpected diversity in the G1 cell cycle phenotypes of metabolic and biosynthetic Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants, suggesting that growth requirements for cell division are multiple, distinct and imposed throughout the G1 phase of the cell cycle.

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Airborne bacteria in show caves from Southern Spain

July 26, 2021

This study analyzes the factors conditioning the diversity of airborne bacteria recorded in three Andalusian show caves, subjected to different managements.

Proanthocyanidin-enriched cranberry extract induces resilient bacterial community dynamics in a gnotobiotic mouse model

April 29, 2021

This study investigates the effect of a water-soluble, proanthocyanidin-rich cranberry juice extract on the short-term dynamics of a human-derived bacterial community in a gnotobiotic mouse model.

A novel BR-SMAD is required for larval development in barber’s pole worm Haemonchus contortus

December 23, 2020

The herein presented results show a BMP-like receptor-regulated SMAD in Haemonchus contortus that is required for larval differentiation and underscore an adaptive functional repurposing of BMP-signaling in parasitic worms.

Systematic analysis of nuclear gene function in respiratory growth and expression of the mitochondrial genome in S. cerevisiae

June 30, 2020

Using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the authors identified 254 nuclear genes essential for respiratory growth and 12 required for viability without mtDNA. They also found 176 genes involved in mitochondrial protein synthesis and mtDNA maintenance, offering a comprehensive view of the processes supporting oxidative phosphorylation.

Sulforaphane alters the acidification of the yeast vacuole

March 20, 2020

This study identifies vacuolar pH regulation as a key factor in sulforaphane (SFN) sensitivity, showing that SFN-induced cell death in yeast - and potentially in human cancer cells - is linked to its ability to raise vacuolar or lysosomal pH.

Proline metabolism regulates replicative lifespan in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

September 24, 2019

This article shows that intracellular proline levels in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are correlated with its replicative lifespan, suggesting a protective role of proline against cellular senescence due to various stresses.

Simultaneous profiling of sexually transmitted bacterial pathogens, microbiome, and concordant host response in cervical samples using whole transcriptome sequencing analysis

January 24, 2019

This study used total RNA sequencing to analyze cervical samples from women at high risk for STIs, revealing that host transcriptional profiles can be linked to microbiome composition and STI infections, with implications for advancing our understanding of PID and identifying potential biomarkers.

The translationally controlled tumor protein TCTP is involved in cell cycle progression and heat stress response in the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei

August 24, 2018

This study reveals the involvement of the translationally controlled tumor protein TCTP in cell cycle regulation and heat stress response in the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei, shedding light on its role in these cellular processes.

Evolution of substrate specificity in the Nucleobase-Ascorbate Transporter (NAT) protein family

March 22, 2018

L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is an essential metabolite in animals and plants due to its role as an enzyme co-factor and antioxidant activity. Here, Kourkoulou et al. show further evidence that ascorbate-specific Nucleobase-Ascorbate Transporters (NATs) evolved by optimization of a sub-function of ancestral nucleobase transporters.

Valine biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by the mitochondrial branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase Bat1

March 21, 2018

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast, the Bat1 and Bat2 proteins, which are branched-chain amino acid aminotransferases, play distinct roles in valine biosynthesis and cell growth regulation, with Bat1 primarily located in the mitochondria and Bat2 in the cytosol, and the mitochondria being identified as the major site of valine biosynthesis in this yeast.