Research, Research Articles

Spontaneous mutations in CYC8 and MIG1 suppress the short chronological lifespan of budding yeast lacking SNF1/AMPK

Nazif Maqani1,#, Ryan D. Fine1,#, Mehreen Shahid1, Mingguang Li1,2, Elisa Enriquez-Hesles1 and Jeffrey S. Smith1

Chronologically aging yeast cells are prone to adaptive regrowth, whereby mutants with a survival advantage spontaneously appear and re-enter the cell cycle in stationary phase cultures. Here, Magani et al. identified specific downstream SNF1 targets responsible for CLS extension during CR.

Decreasing cytosolic translation is beneficial to yeast and human Tafazzin-deficient cells

Maxence de Taffin de Tilques1,$, Jean-Paul Lasserre1,$, François Godard1, Elodie Sardin1, Marine Bouhier1, Marina Le Guedard2,3, Roza Kucharczyk4, Patrice X. Petit5, Eric Testet2, Jean-Paul di Rago1, Déborah Tribouillard-Tanvier1,#

Cardiolipin (CL) optimizes diverse mitochondrial processes, including oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Here, de Taffin de Tilques et al. describe that a diminished capacity of CL remodeling deficient cells to preserve protein homeostasis is likely an important factor contributing to the pathogenesis of Barth Syndrome (BTHS) and identifies cytosolic translation as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease.

Production of poly-β-1,6-N-acetylglucosamine by MatAB is required for hyphal aggregation and hydrophilic surface adhesion by Streptomyces

Dino van Dissel1, Joost Willemse1, Boris Zacchetti1, Dennis Claessen1, Gerald B. Pier2, Gilles P. van Wezel1

In this article van Dissel et al. describe new insights to allow better control of liquid-culture morphology of streptomycetes, which may be harnessed to improve growth and industrial exploitation of these highly versatile natural product and enzyme producers.

Impact of F1Fo-ATP-synthase dimer assembly factors on mitochondrial function and organismic aging

Nadia G Rampello1, Maria Stenger2, Benedikt Westermann2, Heinz D Osiewacz1

In aerobic organisms, mitochondrial F1Fo-ATP-synthase is the major site of ATP production. Here, Rampello et al. report on the role of the two dimer assembly factors PaATPE and PaATPG of the aging model Podospora anserina validating a model that links mitochondrial membrane remodeling to aging and identify specific molecular components triggering this process.

Non-canonical regulation of glutathione and trehalose biosynthesis characterizes non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts with poor performance in active dry yeast production

Esther Gamero-Sandemetrio1, Lucía Payá-Tormo1, Rocío Gómez-Pastor1,3, Agustín Aranda1,2 and Emilia Matallana1,2

Several yeast species, belonging to Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces genera, play fundamental roles during spontaneous must grape fermentation, and recent studies have shown that mixed fermentations, co-inoculated with S. cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces strains, can improve wine organoleptic properties. Here, Gamero-Sandemetrio et al. present findings that non-canonical regulation of glutathione and trehalose biosynthesis could cause poor fermentative performance after active dry yeast (ADY) production, as it corroborates the corrective effect of antioxidant treatments, during biomass propagation, with both pure chemicals and food-grade argan oil.

Molecular signature of the imprintosome complex at the mating-type locus in fission yeast

Célia Raimondi1, Bernd Jagla2, Caroline Proux3, Hervé Waxin4, Serge Gangloff1, Benoit Arcangioli1

Genetic and molecular studies have indicated that an epigenetic imprint at mat1, the sexual locus of fission yeast, initiates mating type switching. Here, Raimondi et al. characterized the recruitment of early players of mating type switching at the mat1 region and suggest a nucleoprotein protective structure defined as imprintosome.

Leishmania guyanensis parasites block the activation of the inflammasome by inhibiting maturation of IL-1β

Mary-Anne Hartley1,¶, Remzi O. Eren1,¶, Matteo Rossi1, Florence Prevel1, Patrik Castiglioni1, Nathalie Isorce1, Chantal Desponds1, Lon-Fye Lye2, Stephen M. Beverley2, Stefan K. Drexler1,&, Nicolas Fasel1,&

The various symptomatic outcomes of cutaneous leishmaniasis relates to the type and potency of its underlying inflammatory responses mediated by Toll-Like-Receptor-3 (TLR3). Here, Hartely et al. investigated other innate pattern recognition receptors capable of reacting to dsRNA and potentially contributing to LRV1-mediated inflammatory pathology. They postulate that avoidance of the inflammasome pathways is likely an important mechanism of virulence in Leishmania infection irrespective of the LRV1-status.

A novel system to monitor mitochondrial translation in yeast

Tamara Suhm1, Lukas Habernig2, Magdalena Rzepka1, Jayasankar Mohanakrishnan Kaimal3, Claes Andréasson3, Sabrina Büttner2,3 and Martin Ott1

In this study Suhm et al. present a novel system to monitor mitochondrial translation by detection of mitochondrial GFP-translation through fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in functional mitochondria. This novel tool allows the investigation of the function and regulation of mitochondrial translation during stress signaling, aging and mitochondrial biogenesis.

Fat storage-inducing transmembrane (FIT or FITM) proteins are related to lipid phosphatase/phosphotransferase enzymes

Matthew J Hayes1, Vineet Choudhary2, Namrata Ojha2, John JH Shin3, Gil-Soo Han4, George M. Carman4, Christopher JR Loewen3, William A Prinz2 and Timothy P Levine1

Fat storage-inducing transmembrane (FIT or FITM) proteins have been implicated in the partitioning of triacylglycerol to lipid droplets and the budding of lipid droplets from the ER. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two FITM homologues and the presented results suggest that Scs3p and Yft2p as well as FITMs in general are lipid phosphatase/phosphotransferase (LPT) enzymes involved in an as yet unknown critical step in phospholipid metabolism.

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Luminal acetylation of microtubules is not essential for Plasmodium berghei and Toxoplasma gondii survival

December 17, 2025

Acetylation of α-tubulin at lysine 40 is not essential for cytoskeletal stability in Plasmodium berghei or Toxoplasma gondii, suggesting redundancy and plasticity in microtubule regulation in these parasites.

The dual-site agonist for human M2 muscarinic receptors Iper-8-naphtalimide induces mitochondrial dysfunction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

December 12, 2025

S. cerevisiae is a model to study human GPCRs. N-8-Iper, active against glioblastoma via M2 receptor, causes mitochondrial damage in yeast by binding Ste2, highlighting evolutionary conservation of GPCRs.

The core genetic drivers of chronological aging in yeast are universal regulators of longevity

October 31, 2025

This study provides an integrated view of the core genetic landscape underlying aging in yeast, highlighting the value of the chronological lifespan paradigm for investigating conserved mechanisms of aging.

Organelle activity organized by the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria encounter structure –ERMES– is essential for Podospora anserina development

September 12, 2025

This study shows that the regulation of the activity of multiple organelles by the ERMES (Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondria Encounter Structure) tethering complex is essential for fungal growth and sexual development.

Role of the putative sit1 gene in normal germination of spores and virulence of the Mucor lusitanicus

August 12, 2025

Mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection caused by certain members of the fungal order Mucorales, with increased incidence in recent years. Individuals with untreated diabetes mellitus, and patients treated with deferoxamine are particularly susceptible to this infection.

Tumor microenvironment signatures enhances lung adenocarcinoma prognosis prediction: Implication of intratumoral microbiota

August 11, 2025

The interaction between intratumoral microbiome and the tumor microenvironment (TME) has furthered our understanding of tumor ecology. Yet, the implications of their interaction for lung cancer management remain unclear.

Persistence phenotype of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli in response to ciprofloxacin, revealing high-persistence strains

July 11, 2025

We investigated the roles of the resident antibiotic resistance plasmid, the stress response protein HtrA, and macrophage-induced persister formation. Our results revealed broad variability in persister cell formation among AIEC strains.

Knocking out histidine ammonia-lyase by using CRISPR-Cas9 abolishes histidine role in the bioenergetics and the life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi

June 25, 2025

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of this pathway in ATP production, redox balance, and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in T. cruzi. In this work, we focus on the first step of the histidine degradation pathway, which is performed by the enzyme histidine ammonia lyase. Here we determined the kinetic and biochemical parameters of the T. cruzi histidine ammonia-lyase.

Dissecting the cell cycle regulation, DNA damage sensitivity and lifespan effects of caffeine in fission yeast

June 24, 2025

Our findings show that caffeine accelerates mitotic division and is beneficial for CLS through AMPK. Direct pharmacological targeting of AMPK may serve towards healthspan and lifespan benefits beyond yeasts, given the highly conserved nature of this key regulatory cellular energy sensor.

Uga3 influences nitrogen metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by modulating arginine biosynthesis

June 12, 2025

Nitrogen metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is tightly regulated to optimize the utilization of available nitrogen sources. Uga3 is a known transcription factor involved in the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) pathway; however, its broader role in nitrogen metabolism remains unclear.

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