Review, Reviews
Live fast, die soon: cell cycle progression and lifespan in yeast cells
Javier Jiménez, Samuel Bru, Mariana PC Ribeiro and Josep Clotet
Our understanding of lifespan has benefited enormously from the study of a simple model, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although a unicellular organism, yeasts undergo many of the processes directly related with aging that to some extent are conserved in mammalian cells. Nutrient-limiting conditions have been involved in lifespan extension, especially in the case of caloric restriction, which also has a direct impact on cell cycle progression. In fact, other environmental stresses (osmotic, oxidative) that interfere with normal cell cycle progression also influence the lifespan of cells, indicating a relationship between lifespan and cell cycle control. In the present review we compile and discuss new findings related to how cell cycle progression is regulated by other nutrients. We centred this review on the analysis of phosphate, also give some attention to nitrogen, and the impact of these nutrients on lifespan...
Yeast as a tool for studying proteins of the Bcl-2 family
Peter Polčic, Petra Jaká and Marek Mentel
This review focuses on using yeast expressing mammalian proteins of the Bcl-2 family as a tool to investigate mechanisms, by which these proteins permeabilize mitochondrial membranes, mechanisms, by which pro- and antiapoptotic members of this family interact, and involvement of other cellular components in the regulation of programmed cell death by Bcl-2 family proteins.
Mitochondrial type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases in fungal cell death
Pedro Gonçalves1,2,4, Arnaldo Videira1,2,3
During aerobic respiration, cells produce energy through oxidative phosphorylation, which includes a specialized group of multi-subunit complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane known as the electron transport chain. However, this canonical pathway is branched into single polypeptide alternative routes in some fungi, plants, protists and bacteria. They confer metabolic plasticity, allowing cells to adapt to different environmental conditions and stresses...
EzrA: a spectrin-like scaffold in the bacterial cell division machinery
Robert M Cleverley, Richard J Lewis
Much progress has been made in identifying the components of the divisome, the assembly of proteins that undertakes the vital process of cell division in bacteria. However, how the highly interdependent processes on either side of the membrane are coordinated during division is a major unresolved question. This comment discusses the article "Structure and function of a spectrin-like regulator of bacterial cytokinesis" by Cleverley et al. (2014), Nat Commun.
Microbial hara-kiri: Exploiting lysosomal cell death in malaria parasites
Jun-Hong Ch’ng1,2, Johan Ursing2 and Kevin Shyong-Wei Tan1
The antimalarial drug chloroquine (CQ) has been sidelined in the fight against falciparum malaria due to wide-spread CQ resistance. This comment discusses the article "Validation of a chloroquine-induced cell death mechanism for clinical use against malaria" by Ch'ng et al. (2014), Cell Death Dis.
A pseudokinase couples signaling pathways to enable asymmetric cell division in a bacterium
W. Seth Childers and Lucy Shapiro
In this article, the authors comment on the study "Cell fate regulation governed by a repurposed bacterial histidine kinase" by Childers et al., PLoS Biol. 2014 Oct 28;12(10):e1001979.
Targeting of chromatin readers: a novel strategy used by the Shigella flexneri virulence effector OspF to reprogram transcription
Habiba Harouz, Christophe Rachez, Benoit Meijer, Christian Muchardt, Laurence Arbibe.
In this microreview, the authors discuss the article "Shigella flexneri targets the HP1γ subcode through the phosphothreoninelyase OspF" by Harouz et al. (2014), EMBO J, 22 : 2606-2622.
Plasmodium spp. membrane glutathione S-transferases: detoxification units and drug targets
Andreas Martin Lisewski
This article comments on work published by Lisewski et al. (Cell, 2014), which reported the first examples of membrane-associated proteins in eicosanoid and glutathione metabolism members among Plasmodium spp.
Proline cis-trans isomerization is influenced by local lysine acetylation-deacetylation
Françoise S. Howe and Jane Mellor
This article comments on work published by Howe et al. (Mol Cell, 2014), which shows that local lysine acetylation and deacetylation modulate proline cis-trans isomerization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Lipid and fatty acid metabolism in trypanosomatids
October 6, 2021
This work reviews specific aspects of lipid and fatty acid metabolism in the protozoan parasites T. brucei, T. cruzi, and Leishmania spp., as well as the pathways that have been explored for the development of new chemotherapies.
Understanding the pathogenesis of infectious diseases by single-cell RNA sequencing
August 4, 2021
This work highlights recent remarkable advances in single-cell RNA sequencing technologies and their applications in the investigation of host-pathogen interactions. Current challenges and potential prospects for disease treatment are discussed as well.
Exploring absent protein function in yeast: assaying post translational modification and human genetic variation
July 2, 2021
This review discusses the applicability of yeast systems to investigate absent human protein function with a specific focus on the impact of protein variation on protein-protein interaction modulation.
LasR-regulated proteases in acute vs. chronic lung infection: a double-edged sword
May 31, 2021
This article comments on work published by Hennemann et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2021), which observed that in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, functional loss of the quorum sensing transcriptional activator LasR in lasR variants results in impaired secreted protease production, leads to increased expression of the membrane-bound surface adhesion molecule mICAM-1 in the airway epithelium, and increases neutrophilic inflammation.
DNA polymerase III protein, HolC, helps resolve replication/transcription conflicts
May 6, 2021
This article comments on work published by Cooper et al. (mBio, 2021), which isolated and identified spontaneous suppressor mutants in a strain devoid of the holC gene, which encodes an accessory protein to the core clamp loader complex and is the only protein of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme that binds to single-strand DNA binding protein.
Too much of a good thing: Overproduction of virulence factors impairs cryptococcal pathogenicity
April 20, 2021
This article comments on work published by Reuwsaat et al. (mBio, 2021), which identified the transcription factor Pdr802 as essential for Cryptococcus neoformans adaptation to and survival under host conditions both in vitro and in vivo.
Mechanisms underlying lactic acid tolerance and its influence on lactic acid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
April 14, 2021
This article reviews the manner in which Saccharomyces cerevisiae deals with the accumulation of lactic acid as a singular stress factor as well as in combination with other stresses. In addition, different methods to improve lactic acid tolerance in S. cerevisiae using targeted and non-targeted engineering methods are discussed.
When the pandemic opts for the lockdown: Secretion system evolution in the cholera bacterium
February 18, 2021
This article comments on work published by Santoriello et al. (Nat Comm, 2020), which demonstrates that the T6SS island Auxiliary Cluster 3 (Aux3) is unique to pandemic strains of V. cholerae.