Research, Research Articles
Mitochondria-Associated Membranes (MAMs) are involved in Bax mitochondrial localization and cytochrome c release
Alexandre Légiot1, Claire Céré1, Thibaud Dupoiron1, Mohamed Kaabouni1, Nadine Camougrand1 and Stéphen Manon1
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
Cássio Luiz Coutinho Almeida-da-Silva1, Tamer Alpagot2, Ye Zhu1, Sonho Sierra Lee3,4, Brian P. Roberts5, Shu-Chen Hung1, Norina Tang1,2 and David M. Ojcius1
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.
Simultaneous profiling of sexually transmitted bacterial pathogens, microbiome, and concordant host response in cervical samples using whole transcriptome sequencing analysis
Catherine M. O’Connell1,#, Hayden Brochu2,#, Jenna Girardi1, Erin Harrell2, Aiden Jones2, Toni Darville1, Arlene C. Seña3 and Xinxia Peng2,4
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.
Genome-wide analysis of yeast expression data based on a priori generated co-regulation cliques
Siyuan Sima1, Lukas Schmauder1 and Klaus Richter1
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.
A humanized yeast-based toolkit for monitoring phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity at both single cell and population levels
Julia María Coronas-Serna1, Teresa Fernández-Acero1, María Molina1 and Víctor J. Cid1
In this study, a humanized yeast system for functional studies on higher eukaryotic Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) was developed by restricting PI3K activity in yeast to specific plasma membrane microdomains, utilizing engineered reporters to monitor activity at a single-cell level and employing novel tools to study the performance of yeast plasma membrane (PM) microdomain-directed PI3K, revealing location-specific effects on yeast growth and endocytosis.
A chemical genetic screen reveals a role for proteostasis in capsule and biofilm formation by Cryptococcus neoformans
François L. Mayer1, Eddy Sánchez-León1, James W. Kronstad1
This study demonstrates that the bipolar disorder drug lithium inhibits the formation of key virulence factors, biofilm, and polysaccharide capsule, in Cryptococcus neoformans by dysregulating the ubiquitin/proteasome system, shedding light on the impact of lithium and providing insights into potential alternative pharmaceutical approaches for combating this fungal pathogen.
Nutritional and meiotic induction of transiently heritable stress resistant states in budding yeast
Heldder Gutierrez1, Bakhtiyar Taghizada1, and Marc D. Meneghini1
This study demonstrates that transient exposures to environmental stresses induce persistent states of elevated stress resistance in yeast cells, termed cellular memory, suggesting a form of epigenetic inheritance, and shows that this phenomenon occurs not only in meiotically produced spores but also in haploid cells subjected to glucose withdrawal, adding new insights into the developmentally and nutritionally induced cellular memory.
Specific mutations in the permease domain of septal protein SepJ differentially affect functions related to multicellularity in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena
Félix Ramos-León1, Sergio Arévalo1, Vicente Mariscal1 and Enrique Flores1
In this study, the multifunctional roles of the SepJ protein in the multicellular function of the Anabaena filament were investigated, revealing that specific amino acids and stretches within the protein are essential for the formation of long filaments, heterocyst differentiation, and intercellular communication, shedding light on the structure and diverse functions of SepJ in the model heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.
Trehalose-6-phosphate promotes fermentation and glucose repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Rebeca L. Vicente1,2, Lucie Spina1, Jose P.L. Gómez1, Sebastien Dejean3, Jean-Luc Parrou1 and Jean Marie François1,4
This study examined the capability of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS1) homologues from various species to complement the phenotypic defects of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae tps1 mutant, resulting in the classification of complementation into different groups based on metabolic patterns and fermentation capacity, shedding light on the role of TPS1 and trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) as critical factors in sugar fermentation and glucose repression.
The cytosolic glyoxalases of Plasmodium falciparum are dispensable during asexual blood-stage development
November 20, 2017
In this study the authors demonstrate that, PfGlo1 and PfcGlo2 are dispensable during asexual blood-stage development while the loss of PfcGlo2 may induce the formation of transmissible gametocytes. These combined data show that PfGlo1 and PfcGlo2 are most likely not suited as targets for selective drug development against the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
Aminoglycoside resistance profile and structural architecture of the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase AAC(6’)-Im
November 9, 2017
AAC(6')-Im, a monofunctional acetyltransferase, imparts increased resistance to certain aminoglycosides compared to its bifunctional homolog AAC(6')-Ie, with structural studies revealing differences in substrate binding that explain the discrepancies in their enzymatic activity and resistance profiles.
Cross-species complementation of bacterial- and eukaryotic-type cardiolipin synthases
November 3, 2017
This article shows that cardiolipin is crucial for cellular respiration and membrane integrity, with cardiolipin synthase enzymes like TbCLS in Trypanosoma brucei being potential drug targets due to their essential role in survival. The study demonstrates TbCLS's ability to restore cardiolipin production in yeast, highlighting the specificity and potential co-localization required for cardiolipin synthesis and remodeling, and underscoring the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cardiolipin synthase mechanisms.
Identification of SUMO conjugation sites in the budding yeast proteome
October 2, 2017
The authors present a proteomic study that mapped SUMO acceptor lysines in budding yeast, identifying 257 potential conjugation sites, including both known and novel substrates, and providing a significant resource for future research into the functional implications of SUMOylation in yeast.
Ydj1 governs fungal morphogenesis and stress response, and facilitates mitochondrial protein import via Mas1 and Mas2
October 2, 2017
The authors descibe the role of the Hsp40 chaperone Ydj1 in Candida albicans, noting its localization to the cytosol and mitochondrial membrane, its necessity for stress responses and filamentation, and its involvement in a protein interaction network related to co-chaperones, filamentation regulators, and mitochondrial processing peptidases, with a particular focus on the impact of Ydj1 on mitochondrial morphology, function, and the import of precursor proteins.
Farnesol inhibits translation to limit growth and filamentation in C. albicans and S. cerevisiae
September 4, 2017
Farnesol, a quorum-sensing molecule, inhibits the switch from yeast to filamentous growth in Candida albicans by impeding translation initiation, differing from fusel alcohols that affect the initiation factor eIF2B, as it disrupts mRNA interaction with the ribosome and prevents preinitiation complex formation.
Cristae architecture is determined by an interplay of the MICOS complex and the F1FO ATP synthase via Mic27 and Mic10
July 20, 2017
This article investigates the roles of MICOS subunits Mic27 and Mic10, revealing their antagonistic and cooperative interactions in crista junction formation and cristae membrane curvature, and proposes a model where F1FO-ATP synthase is connected to MICOS, influencing CJ formation.
Integrative modules for efficient genome engineering in yeast
June 5, 2017
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
May 31, 2017
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.