Reviews
Laundry and textile hygiene in healthcare and beyond
Dirk P. Bockmühl1, Jan Schages1 and Laura Rehberg1
This article shows that while institutional laundering is regulated to ensure hygiene, the trend towards energy-efficient washing at lower temperatures raises concerns about the antimicrobial efficacy of domestic laundering, with a focus on addressing microbial contamination in both clinical and home settings.
Yeast AP-1 like transcription factors (Yap) and stress response: a current overview
Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada1, Frédéric Devaux2, Soraia M. Caetano1, Catarina Pimentel1, Sofia da Silva1, Ana Carolina Cordeiro1 and Catarina Amaral1
This review summarizes current understanding of the eight Yap transcription factors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, detailing their activation by specific stress conditions and discussing their function and evolution across various fungal species.
The influence of the microbiota on immune development, chronic inflammation, and cancer in the context of aging
Taylor N. Tibbs1,#, Lacey R. Lopez1,#, and Janelle C. Arthur1,2,3
This article shows that the microbiota is crucial for immune system development and that its relationship with the immune system during aging and the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, including cancer, needs further research to inform disease treatment and prevention.
Ser/Thr protein phosphatases in fungi: structure, regulation and function
Joaquín Ariño1, Diego Velázquez1 and Antonio Casamayor1
In this work we present the members of this family in S. cerevisiae and other fungal species, and review the most recent findings concerning their regulation and the roles they play in the most diverse aspects of cell biology.
Forty-five-year evolution of probiotic therapy
Scarlett Puebla-Barragan1,2 and Gregor Reid1,2
The field of probiotics has greatly expanded over the past 45 years, driven by the need for safer alternatives to drugs, interest in natural microbial products, and clinical proof of effectiveness, with scientific formulations increasingly defining the market and promising applications for various health areas expected in the future.
Adaptive bacterial response to low level chlorhexidine exposure and its implications for hand hygiene
Günter Kampf1
This article shows that bacteria can adapt to low levels of Chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG), resulting in increased tolerance and cross-resistance to other antimicrobials, suggesting caution in the widespread use of CHG to minimize avoidable selection pressure for resistance.
Microevolution of the pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Candida glabrata during antifungal therapy and host infection
Pedro Pais1,2,#, Mónica Galocha1,2,#, Romeu Viana1,2, Mafalda Cavalheiro1,2, Diana Pereira1,2, Miguel Cacho Teixeira1,2
This review explores how Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, common fungal pathogens resistant to antifungal therapy, adapt and evolve within different environments, aiming to identify stable adaptive mechanisms as potential drug targets.
The extracellular matrix of mycobacterial biofilms: could we shorten the treatment of mycobacterial infections?
Poushali Chakraborty1 and Ashwani Kumar1, 2
The article discusses the challenges presented by biofilms formed by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species, which can lead to persistent infections that are difficult to treat due to phenotypic drug tolerance. The role of various cell wall components in mycobacterial biofilm formation is outlined, with a particular focus on Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Guidelines for DNA recombination and repair studies: Cellular assays of DNA repair pathways
Hannah L. Klein1, Giedrė Bačinskaja2, Jun Che3, Anais Cheblal4, Rajula Elango5, Anastasiya Epshtein1, Devon M. Fitzgerald6-9, Belén Gómez-González10, Sharik R. Khan11, Sandeep Kumar7, Bryan A. Leland12, Léa Marie13, Qian Mei14, Judith Miné-Hattab16,17, Alicja Piotrowska18, Erica J. Polleys19, Christopher D. Putnam20,21, Elina A. Radchenko19, Anissia Ait Saada22,23, Cynthia J. Sakofsky24, Eun Yong Shim3, Mathew Stracy25, Jun Xia6-9, Zhenxin Yan7, Yi Yin26, Andrés Aguilera10, Juan Lucas Argueso27, Catherine H. Freudenreich19,28, Susan M. Gasser4, Dmitry A. Gordenin24, James E. Haber29, Grzegorz Ira7, Sue Jinks-Robertson30, Megan C. King12, Richard D. Kolodner20, 31-33, Andrei Kuzminov11, Sarah AE Lambert22,23, Sang Eun Lee3, Kyle M. Miller6,15, Sergei M. Mirkin19, Thomas D. Petes26, Susan M. Rosenberg6-9,14, Rodney Rothstein34, Lorraine S. Symington13, Pawel Zawadzki18, Nayun Kim35, Michael Lisby2 and Anna Malkova5
DNA recombination, repair and mutagenesis assays are powerful tools but each comes with its particular advantages and limitations. Here the most commonly used assays are reviewed, discussed, and presented as the guidelines for future studies.
Translate to divide: сontrol of the cell cycle by protein synthesis
March 20, 2015
Protein synthesis underpins much of cell growth and, consequently, cell multiplication. Understanding how proliferating cells commit and progress into the cell cycle requires knowing not only which proteins need to be synthesized, but also what determines their rate of synthesis during cell division. Experiments with proliferating populations of microbial strains, animal or plant cell lines, have rigorous expectations. Under the same culture conditions, cells ought to have the same properties and composition in every single experiment. The basic “metrics” of proliferating cells remain constant, even after many rounds of cell division. These metrics include cellular mass and volume, and macromolecular composition. The constancy of such parameters reflects the fundamental ability of cells to coordinate their growth with their division. Balancing cell growth with cell division determines the overall rates of cell proliferation...
Live fast, die soon: cell cycle progression and lifespan in yeast cells
March 2, 2015
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
March 2, 2015
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
March 2, 2015
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...
The dual role of cyclin C connects stress regulated gene expression to mitochondrial dynamics
September 14, 2014
This work summarizes the role cyclin C plays in regulating stress-responsive transcription in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, including mitochondrial fission and regulated cell death.
Sphingolipids and mitochondrial function, lessons learned from yeast
June 25, 2014
This article reviews recent research showing that Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an invaluable model to investigate sphingolipids as signaling molecules in modulating mitochondrial function, but can also be used as a tool to further enhance our current knowledge on sphingolipids and mitochondria in mammalian cells.
When less is more: hormesis against stress and disease
May 5, 2014
This article condenses the conceptual and potentially therapeutic importance of hormesis by providing a short overview of current evidence in favor of the cytoprotective impact of hormesis, as well as of its underlying molecular mechanisms.
Longevity pathways and maintenance of the proteome: the role of autophagy and mitophagy during yeast ageing
April 7, 2014
This review describes recent findings that shed light on how longevity pathways and metabolic status impact maintenance of the proteome in both yeast ageing paradigms. These findings demonstrate that yeast remain a powerful model system for elucidating these relationships and their influence on ageing regulation.
Genome-wide studies of telomere biology in budding yeast
March 1, 2014
In the last decade, technical advances have allowed carrying out systematic genome-wide screens for mutants affecting various aspects of telomere biology. In this review we summarize these efforts, and the insights that this Systems Biology approach has produced so far.