Sample records for saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants

  1. Isolation of peroxisome-deficient mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Erdmann, R; Veenhuis, M; Mertens, D; Kunau, W H

    1989-01-01

    Two mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae affected in peroxisomal assembly (pas mutants) have been isolated and characterized. Each strain contains a single mutation that results in (i) the inability to grow on oleic acid, (ii) accumulation of peroxisomal matrix enzymes in the cytosol, and (iii) absence of detectable peroxisomes at the ultrastructural level. These lesions (pas1-1 and pas2) are shown to be nonallelic and recessive. Crossing of pas1-1 and pas2 strains resulted in diploid cells that had regained the ability to grow on oleic acid as sole carbon source and to form peroxisomes. These pas mutants may provide useful tools for future studies on the molecular mechanisms involved in peroxisomal assembly. Images PMID:2568633

  2. Isolation and Characterization of Mms-Sensitive Mutants of SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

    PubMed Central

    Prakash, Louise; Prakash, Satya

    1977-01-01

    We have isolated mutants sensitive to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Alleles of rad1, rad4, rad6, rad52, rad55 and rad57 were found among these mms mutants. Twenty-nine of the mms mutants which complement the existing radiation-sensitive (rad and rev ) mutants belong to 22 new complementation groups. Mutants from five complementation groups are sensitive only to MMS. Mutants of 11 complementation groups are sensitive to UV or X rays in addition to MMS, mutants of six complementation groups are sensitive to all three agents. The cross-sensitivities of these mms mutants to UV and X rays are discussed in terms of their possible involvement in DNA repair. Sporulation is reduced or absent in homozygous diploids of mms mutants from nine complementation groups. PMID:195865

  3. [Construction and stress tolerance of trehalase mutant in Saccharomyces cerevisiae].

    PubMed

    Lv, Ye; Xiao, Dongguang; He, Dongqin; Guo, Xuewu

    2008-10-01

    Accumulation of trehalose is critical in improving the stress tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two enzymes are capable of hydrolyzing trehalose: a neutral trehalase (NTH1) and an acidic trehalase (ATH1). We constructed trehalase disruption mutants to provide a basis for future commercial application. To retain the accumulation of trehalose in yeast cell, we constructed diploid homozygous neutral trehalase mutants (Deltanth1), acid trehalase mutants (Deltaath1) and double mutants (Deltaath1Deltanth1) by using gene disruption. We tested mutants'trehalose content and their tolerance to freezing, heat, high-sugar and ethanol concentrations. These trehalase disruption mutants were further confirmed by PCR amplification and southern blot. All mutant strains accumulated higher levels of cellular trehalose and grew to a higher cell density than the isogenic parent strain. In addition, the levels of trehalose in these mutants correlated with increased tolerance to freezing, heat, high-sugar and ethanol concentration. The improved tolerance of trehalase mutants may make them useful in commercial applications, including baking and brewing protein.

  4. Induction and characterization of morphologic mutants in a natural Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain.

    PubMed

    Barberio, Claudia; Bianchi, Lucia; Pinzauti, Francesca; Lodi, Tiziana; Ferrero, Iliana; Polsinelli, Mario; Casalone, Enrico

    2007-02-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a good model with which to study the effects of morphologic differentiation on the ecological behaviour of fungi. In this work, 33 morphologic mutants of a natural strain of S. cerevisiae, obtained with UV mutagenesis, were selected for their streak shape and cell shape on rich medium. Two of them, showing both high sporulation proficiency and constitutive pseudohyphal growth, were analysed from a genetic and physiologic point of view. Each mutant carries a recessive monogenic mutation, and the two mutations reside in unlinked genes. Flocculation ability and responsiveness to different stimuli distinguished the two mutants. Growth at 37 degrees C affected the cell but not the colony morphology, suggesting that these two phenotypes are regulated differently. The effect of ethidium bromide, which affects mitochondrial DNA replication, suggested a possible "retrograde action" of mitochondria in pseudohyphal growth.

  5. Improved Xylose Metabolism by a CYC8 Mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Nijland, Jeroen G; Shin, Hyun Yong; Boender, Leonie G M; de Waal, Paul P; Klaassen, Paul; Driessen, Arnold J M

    2017-06-01

    Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the utilization of pentose sugars is an important goal for the production of second-generation bioethanol and biochemicals. However, S. cerevisiae lacks specific pentose transporters, and in the presence of glucose, pentoses enter the cell inefficiently via endogenous hexose transporters (HXTs). By means of in vivo engineering, we have developed a quadruple hexokinase deletion mutant of S. cerevisiae that evolved into a strain that efficiently utilizes d-xylose in the presence of high d-glucose concentrations. A genome sequence analysis revealed a mutation (Y353C) in the general corepressor CYC8 , or SSN6 , which was found to be responsible for the phenotype when introduced individually in the nonevolved strain. A transcriptome analysis revealed altered expression of 95 genes in total, including genes involved in (i) hexose transport, (ii) maltose metabolism, (iii) cell wall function (mannoprotein family), and (iv) unknown functions (seripauperin multigene family). Of the 18 known HXTs, genes for 9 were upregulated, especially the low or nonexpressed HXT10 , HXT13 , HXT15 , and HXT16 Mutant cells showed increased uptake rates of d-xylose in the presence of d-glucose, as well as elevated maximum rates of metabolism ( V max ) for both d-glucose and d-xylose transport. The data suggest that the increased expression of multiple hexose transporters renders d-xylose metabolism less sensitive to d-glucose inhibition due to an elevated transport rate of d-xylose into the cell. IMPORTANCE The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used for second-generation bioethanol formation. However, growth on xylose is limited by pentose transport through the endogenous hexose transporters (HXTs), as uptake is outcompeted by the preferred substrate, glucose. Mutant strains were obtained with improved growth characteristics on xylose in the presence of glucose, and the mutations mapped to the regulator Cyc8. The inactivation of Cyc8 caused increased

  6. Regulation of phospholipid synthesis in phosphatidylserine synthase-deficient (chol) mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Letts, V.A.; Henry, S.A.

    1985-08-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants, chol, are deficient in the synthesis of the phospholipid phosphatidylserine owing to lowered activity of the membrane-associated enzyme phosphatidylserine synthase. These mutants are auxotrophic for ethanolamine or choline and, in the absence of these supplements, cannot synthesize phosphatidylethanolamine or phosphatidylcholine (PC). The authors exploited these characteristics of the chol mutants to examine the regulation of phospholipid metabolism in S. cerevisiae. Macromolecular synthesis and phospholipid metabolism were examined in chol cells starved for ethanolamine. Coupled to the decline in PC biosynthesis was a simultaneous decrease in the overall rate of phospholipid synthesis. In particular, the rate of synthesismore » of phosphatidylinositol decreased in parallel with the decline in PC biosynthesis. However, under conditions of ethanolamine deprivation in chol cells, the cytoplasmic enzyme inositol-1-phosphate synthase could not be repressed by exogenous inositol, and the endogenous synthesis of the phospholipid precursor inositol appeared to be elevated. The implications of these findings with respect to the coordinated regulation of phospholipid synthesis are discussed.« less

  7. Mutants of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae with Defects in Acetate Metabolism: Isolation and Characterization of Acn(-) Mutants

    PubMed Central

    McCammon, M. T.

    1996-01-01

    The two carbon compounds, ethanol and acetate, can be oxidatively metabolized as well as assimilated into carbohydrate in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The distribution of acetate metabolic enzymes among several cellular compartments, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and cytoplasm makes it an intriguing system to study complex metabolic interactions. To investigate the complex process of carbon catabolism and assimilation, mutants unable to grow on acetate were isolated. One hundred five Acn(-) (``ACetate Nonutilizing'') mutants were sorted into 21 complementation groups with an additional 20 single mutants. Five of the groups have defects in TCA cycle enzymes: MDH1, CIT1, ACO1, IDH1, and IDH2. A defect in RTG2, involved in the retrograde communication between the mitochondrion and the nucleus, was also identified. Four genes encode enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle and gluconeogenesis: ICL1, MLS1, MDH2, and PCK1. Five other genes appear to be defective in regulating metabolic activity since elevated levels of enzymes in several metabolic pathways, including the glyoxylate cycle, gluconeogenesis, and acetyl-CoA metabolism, were detected in these mutants: ACN8, ACN9, ACN17, ACN18, and ACN42. In summary, this analysis has identified at least 22 and as many as 41 different genes involved in acetate metabolism. PMID:8878673

  8. Thermosensitivity of a barosensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant obtained by UV mutagenesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shigematsu, Toru; Nomura, Kazuki; Nasuhara, Yusuke; Ikarashi, Kenta; Nagai, Gen; Hirayama, Masao; Hayashi, Mayumi; Ueno, Shigeaki; Fujii, Tomoyuki

    2010-12-01

    Using UV mutagenesis, a high pressure (HP)-sensitive (barosensitive) mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was obtained. The mutant strain a924E1 showed a significant loss of viability at HP levels of 175 to 250 MPa at 20 °C compared with the parent strain. This strain also showed a significant loss of viability following heat treatment at 50-58 °C at 0.1 MPa. These results showed that the mutation caused a significant thermosensitivity as well as barosensitivity. The activation volume and activation energy values for the inactivation of strain a924E1 were equivalent to those of the parent strain. This suggested that the mechanism for the HP and thermal inactivation reaction of strain a924E1 was basically the same as that of the parent strain. Strain a924E1 showed no deficiency in growth and fermentation ability as well as auxotrophic property. Although the identification of the genetic sites of mutation introduced is underway, these phenotypes are favorable for the application of HP treatment and heat-assisted HP treatment on fermentation control.

  9. Isolation and characterization of xylitol-assimilating mutants of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tani, Tatsunori; Taguchi, Hisataka; Fujimori, Kazuhiro E; Sahara, Takehiko; Ohgiya, Satoru; Kamagata, Yoichi; Akamatsu, Takashi

    2016-10-01

    To clarify the mechanisms of xylitol utilization, three xylitol-assimilating mutants were isolated from recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains showing highly efficient xylose-utilization. The nucleotide sequences of the mutant genomes were analyzed and compared with those of the wild-type strains and the mutation sites were identified. gal80 mutations were common to all the mutants, and recessive to the wild-type allele. Hence we constructed a gal80Δ mutant and confirmed that the gal80Δ mutant showed a xylitol-assimilation phenotype. When the constructed gal80Δ mutant was crossed with the three isolated mutants, all diploid hybrids showed xylitol assimilation, indicating that the mutations were all located in the GAL80. We analyzed the role of the galactose permease Gal2, controlled by the regulatory protein Gal80, in assimilating xylitol. A gal2Δ gal80Δ double mutant did not show xylitol assimilation, whereas expression of GAL2 under the control of the TDH3 promoter in the GAL80 strain did result in assimilation. These data indicate that Gal2 was needed for xylitol assimilation in the wild-type strain. When the gal80 mutant with an initial cell concentration of A660 = 20 was used for batch fermentation in a complex medium containing 20 g/L xylose or 20 g/L xylitol at pH 5.0 and 30°C under oxygen limitation, the gal80 mutant consumed 100% of the xylose within 12 h, but <30% of the xylitol within 100 h, indicating that xylose reductase is required for xylitol consumption in oxygen-limited conditions. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Effects of spaceflight on polysaccharides of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall.

    PubMed

    Liu, Hong-Zhi; Wang, Qiang; Liu, Xiao-Yong; Tan, Sze-Sze

    2008-12-01

    Freeze-dried samples of four Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, namely, FL01, FL03, 2.0016, and 2.1424, were subjected to spaceflight. After the satellite's landing on Earth, the samples were recovered and changes in yeast cell wall were analyzed. Spaceflight strains of all S. cerevisiae strains showed significant changes in cell wall thickness (P < 0.05). One mutant of S. cerevisiae 2.0016 with increased biomass, cell wall thickness, and cell wall glucan was isolated (P < 0.05). The spaceflight mutant of S. cerevisiae 2.0016 showed 46.7%, 62.6%, and 146.0% increment in biomass, cell wall thickness and beta-glucan content, respectively, when compared to the ground strain. Moreover, growth curve analysis showed spaceflight S. cerevisiae 2.0016 had a faster growth rate, shorter lag phase periods, higher final biomass, and higher content of beta-glucan. Genetic stability analysis showed that prolonged subculturing of spaceflight strain S. cerevisiae 2.0016 did not lead to the appearance of variants, indicating that the genetic stability of S. cerevisiae 2.0016 mutant could be sufficient for its exploitation of beta-glucan production.

  11. Molecular genetic diversity of the Saccharomyces yeasts in Taiwan: Saccharomyces arboricola, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces kudriavzevii.

    PubMed

    Naumov, Gennadi I; Lee, Ching-Fu; Naumova, Elena S

    2013-01-01

    Genetic hybridization, sequence and karyotypic analyses of natural Saccharomyces yeasts isolated in different regions of Taiwan revealed three biological species: Saccharomyces arboricola, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces kudriavzevii. Intraspecies variability of the D1/D2 and ITS1 rDNA sequences was detected among S. cerevisiae and S. kudriavzevii isolates. According to molecular and genetic analyses, the cosmopolitan species S. cerevisiae and S. kudriavzevii contain local divergent populations in Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan. Six of the seven known Saccharomyces species are documented in East Asia: S. arboricola, S. bayanus, S. cerevisiae, S. kudriavzevii, S. mikatae, and S. paradoxus.

  12. Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants with enhanced induced mutation and altered mitotic gene conversion.

    PubMed

    Ivanov, E L; Kovaltzova, S V; Korolev, V G

    1989-08-01

    We have developed a method to isolate yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) mutants with enhanced induced mutagenesis based on nitrous acid-induced reversion of the ade2-42 allele. Six mutants have been isolated and designated him (high induced mutagenesis), and 4 of them were studied in more detail. The him mutants displayed enhanced reversion of the ade2-42 allele, either spontaneous or induced by nitrous acid, UV light, and the base analog 6-N-hydroxylaminopurine, but not by gamma-irradiation. It is worth noting that the him mutants turned out not to be sensitive to the lethal effects of the mutagens used. The enhancement in mutation induced by nitrous acid, UV light, and 6-N-hydroxylaminopurine has been confirmed in a forward-mutation assay (induction of mutations in the ADE1, ADE2 genes). The latter agent revealed the most apparent differences between the him mutants and the wild-type strain and was, therefore, chosen for the genetic analysis of mutants, him mutations analyzed behaved as a single Mendelian trait; complementation tests indicated 3 complementation groups (HIM1, HIM2, and HIM3), each containing 1 mutant allele. Uracil-DNA glycosylase activity was determined in crude cell extracts, and no significant differences between the wild-type and him strains were detected. Spontaneous mitotic gene conversion at the ADE2 locus is altered in him1 strains, either increased or decreased, depending on the particular heteroallelic combination. Genetic evidence strongly suggests him mutations to be involved in a process of mismatch correction of molecular heteroduplexes.

  13. A novel class of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants specifically UV-sensitive to "petite" induction.

    PubMed

    Moustacchi, E; Perlman, P S; Mahler, H R

    1976-11-17

    A mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been isolated which, though exhibiting a normal response to nuclear genetic damage by ultraviolet light (UV), is more sensitive than its wild type specifically in the production of the cytoplasmic (rho-) mutation by this agent. Some of the features of this mutation which has been designated uvsrho 5 are: i) The mutation is recessive, it exhibits a Mendelian, and hence presumably nuclear, pattern of segregation, but manifests its effects specifically and pleiotropically on mitochondrial functions. ii) Mutant cells resemble their wild type parents in a) growth characteristics on glucose; b) in their UV induced dose response to lethality or nuclear mutation and c) the ability of their mitochondrial genome, upon mating with appropriate testers, of transmitting and recombining various markers, albeit with enhanced efficiency. Similarly, d) they are able to modulate the expression of mitochondrial mutagenesis by ethidium bromide. Thus their mitochondrial DNA appears genetically as competent as that of the wild type. iii) Mutant cells differ from their wild type parents in a) growth characteristics on glycerol; b) susceptibility to induction of the mitochondrial (rho-) mutation by various mutagens, in that the rate of spontaneous mutation is slightly and that by UV is significantly enhanced, whild that by ethidium bromide is greatly diminished. Conversely, c) modulating influences resulting in the repair of initial damage are diminished fro UV and stimulated in the case of Berenil. iv) The amount of mitochondrial DNA per cell appears elevated in the mutant, relative to wild type, and its rate of degradation subsequent to a mutagenic exposure to either UV or ethidium bromide is diminished. v) A self-consistent scheme to account for this and all other information so far available for the induction and modulation of the (rho-) mutation is presented. In a previous study it was shown that some nuclear mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

  14. Stress Tolerance in Doughs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Trehalase Mutants Derived from Commercial Baker’s Yeast

    PubMed Central

    Shima, Jun; Hino, Akihiro; Yamada-Iyo, Chie; Suzuki, Yasuo; Nakajima, Ryouichi; Watanabe, Hajime; Mori, Katsumi; Takano, Hiroyuki

    1999-01-01

    Accumulation of trehalose is widely believed to be a critical determinant in improving the stress tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is commonly used in commercial bread dough. To retain the accumulation of trehalose in yeast cells, we constructed, for the first time, diploid homozygous neutral trehalase mutants (Δnth1), acid trehalase mutants (Δath1), and double mutants (Δnth1 ath1) by using commercial baker’s yeast strains as the parent strains and the gene disruption method. During fermentation in a liquid fermentation medium, degradation of intracellular trehalose was inhibited with all of the trehalase mutants. The gassing power of frozen doughs made with these mutants was greater than the gassing power of doughs made with the parent strains. The Δnth1 and Δath1 strains also exhibited higher levels of tolerance of dry conditions than the parent strains exhibited; however, the Δnth1 ath1 strain exhibited lower tolerance of dry conditions than the parent strain exhibited. The improved freeze tolerance exhibited by all of the trehalase mutants may make these strains useful in frozen dough. PMID:10388673

  15. Improving Xylose Utilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Expressing the MIG1 Mutant from the Self-Flocculating Yeast SPSC01.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jian-Ren; Zhao, Xin-Qing; Liu, Chen-Guang; Bai, Feng-Wu

    2018-01-01

    The major carbohydrate components of lignocellulosic biomass are cellulose and hemicelluloses. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot efficiently utilize xylose derived upon the hydrolysis of hemicelluloses. Although engineering the yeast with xylose metabolic pathway has been intensively studied, challenges are still ahead for developing robust strains for lignocellulosic bioethanol production. The main objective of this study was to reveal the role of the MIG1 mutant isolated from the self-flocculating S. cerevisiae SPSC01 in xylose utilization, glucose repression and ethanol fermentation by S. cerevisiae. The MIG1 mutant was amplified from S. cerevisiae SPSC01 by PCR and MIG1- overexpression-cassette was transformed into S. cerevisiae S288c and xylose-metabolizing strain YB-2625-T through homologous recombination. Yeast growth was measured by colony assay on plates with or without xylose supplementation. Then xylose utilization and ethanol production were further evaluated through flask fermentation when mixed sugars of glucose and xylose at 3:1 and 2:1, respectively, were supplied. Fermentation products were detected by HPLC, and activities of xylose reductase (XR), xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) and xylulokinase (XK) were also measured. The transcription of genes regulated by the expression of the MIG1 mutant was analyzed by RTqPCR. Evolutionary relationship of various MIG1s was developed by gene sequencing and sequence alignment. No difference was observed for S288c growing with xylose when it was engineered with the overexpression or deletion of its native MIG1, but its growth was enhanced when overexpressing the MIG1 mutant from SPSC01. The submerged culture of YB-2625-T MIG1-SPSC engineered with xylose-metabolic pathway and the MIG1 mutant indicated that xylitol accumulation was decreased, and consequently, more biomass was accumulated. Furthermore, improved activities of the key enzymes such as XR, XDH and XK were detected in YB-2625-T MIG1-SPSC. Evolutionary

  16. Assessment of the Toxicity of CuO Nanoparticles by Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mutants with Multiple Genes Deleted

    PubMed Central

    Bao, Shaopan; Lu, Qicong; Dai, Heping; Zhang, Chao

    2015-01-01

    To develop applicable and susceptible models to evaluate the toxicity of nanoparticles, the antimicrobial effects of CuO nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) on various Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) strains (wild type, single-gene-deleted mutants, and multiple-gene-deleted mutants) were determined and compared. Further experiments were also conducted to analyze the mechanisms associated with toxicity using copper salt, bulk CuO (bCuO), carbon-shelled copper nanoparticles (C/Cu-NPs), and carbon nanoparticles (C-NPs) for comparisons. The results indicated that the growth inhibition rates of CuO-NPs for the wild-type and the single-gene-deleted strains were comparable, while for the multiple-gene deletion mutant, significantly higher toxicity was observed (P < 0.05). When the toxicity of the CuO-NPs to yeast cells was compared with the toxicities of copper salt and bCuO, we concluded that the toxicity of CuO-NPs should be attributed to soluble copper rather than to the nanoparticles. The striking difference in adverse effects of C-NPs and C/Cu-NPs with equivalent surface areas also proved this. A toxicity assay revealed that the multiple-gene-deleted mutant was significantly more sensitive to CuO-NPs than the wild type. Specifically, compared with the wild-type strain, copper was readily taken up by mutant strains when cell permeability genes were knocked out, and the mutants with deletions of genes regulated under oxidative stress (OS) were likely producing more reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hence, as mechanism-based gene inactivation could increase the susceptibility of yeast, the multiple-gene-deleted mutants should be improved model organisms to investigate the toxicity of nanoparticles. PMID:26386067

  17. Selection of lys2 Mutants of the Yeast SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE by the Utilization of α-AMINOADIPATE

    PubMed Central

    Chattoo, Bharat B.; Sherman, Fred; Azubalis, Dalia A.; Fjellstedt, Thorsten A.; Mehnert, David; Ogur, Maurice

    1979-01-01

    Normal strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae do not use α-aminoadipate as a principal nitrogen source. However, α-aminoadipate is utilized as a nitrogen source by lys2 and lys5 strains having complete or partial deficiencies of α-aminoadipate reductase and, to a limited extent, by heterozygous lys2/+ strains. Lys2 mutants were conveniently selected on media containing α-aminoadipate as a nitrogen source, lysine, and other supplements to furnish other possible auxotrophic requirements. The lys2 mutations were obtained in a variety of laboratory strains containing other markers, including other lysine mutations. In addition to the predominant class of lys2 mutants, low frequencies of lys5 mutants and mutants not having any obvious lysine requirement were recovered on α-aminoadipate medium. The mutants not requiring lysine appeared to have mutations at the lys2 locus that caused partial deficiencies of α-aminoadipate reductase. Such partial deficiencies are believed to be sufficiently permissive to allow lysine biosynthesis, but sufficiently restrictive to allow for the utilization of α-aminoadipate. Although it is unknown why partial or complete deficiencies of α-aminoadipate reductase cause utilization of α-aminoadipate as a principal nitrogen source, the use of α-aminoadipate medium has considerable utility as a selective medium for lys2 and lys5 mutants. PMID:17248969

  18. Quercetin Protects Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae pep4 Mutant from Oxidative and Apoptotic Stress and Extends Chronological Lifespan.

    PubMed

    Alugoju, Phaniendra; Janardhanshetty, Sudharshan Setra; Subaramanian, Subasri; Periyasamy, Latha; Dyavaiah, Madhu

    2018-05-01

    The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae PEP4 gene encodes vacuolar endopeptidase proteinase A (Pep4p), which is a homolog of the human CTSD gene that encodes cathepsin D. Mutation of CTSD gene in human resulted in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we have shown that yeast pep4 mutant cells are highly sensitive to oxidative and apoptotic stress induced by hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, respectively. pep4∆ cells also showed accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptotic markers, and reduced chronological lifespan. In contrast, quercetin pretreatment protected the pep4 mutant from oxidative and apoptotic stress-induced sensitivity by scavenging ROS and reducing apoptotic markers. The percentage viability of quercetin-treated pep4∆ cells was more pronounced and increased stress resistance against oxidant, apoptotic, and heat stress during chronological aging. From our experimental results, we concluded that quercetin protects yeast pep4 mutant cells from oxidative stress and apoptosis, thereby increasing viability during chronological aging.

  19. Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus citri Changed the Protein Content of the Nigerian Oryza sativa variety “Igbimo” during Fermentation

    PubMed Central

    Boboye, Bolatito E; Adeleke, Mutiat A; Olawale, Anthony O

    2012-01-01

    Effect of mutation on protein production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus citri, the best protein producing yeast and bacterium isolated during a previous natural fermentation of a Nigerian rice (“Igbimo”). The two microorganisms were grown to logarithmic phase and mutagenized separately using ethylmethyl sulphonate (EMS). The wild-types and variants were inoculated individually into sterile “Igbimo” rice. Fermentation was allowed to take place at 27°C for 7 days after which protein released into the rice was quantified using the Biuret reagent method. The data obtained showed that the mutants are different from each other. Some mutants did form the protein at lower concentrations, others at the same and higher concentrations than the mother strains. The parental strains of S. cerevisiae and B. citri synthesized 0.89 mg/mL and 0.36 mg/mL protein respectively. Four groups of the mutants are recognized: classes I, II, III and IV which are the Poor, Average, Good and Super Protein Producers with 0-0.20, 0.21-0.50, 0.51-1.0 and 1.0 mg/mL protein respectively The yeast mutants produced higher amounts of protein than those of the bacterium. PMID:23166568

  20. Construction of a quadruple auxotrophic mutant of an industrial polyploid saccharomyces cerevisiae strain by using RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Guo-Chang; Kong, In Iok; Kim, Heejin; Liu, Jing-Jing; Cate, Jamie H D; Jin, Yong-Su

    2014-12-01

    Industrial polyploid yeast strains harbor numerous beneficial traits but suffer from a lack of available auxotrophic markers for genetic manipulation. Here we demonstrated a quick and efficient strategy to generate auxotrophic markers in industrial polyploid yeast strains with the RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease. We successfully constructed a quadruple auxotrophic mutant of a popular industrial polyploid yeast strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 4124, with ura3, trp1, leu2, and his3 auxotrophies through RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease. Even though multiple alleles of auxotrophic marker genes had to be disrupted simultaneously, we observed knockouts in up to 60% of the positive colonies after targeted gene disruption. In addition, growth-based spotting assays and fermentation experiments showed that the auxotrophic mutants inherited the beneficial traits of the parental strain, such as tolerance of major fermentation inhibitors and high temperature. Moreover, the auxotrophic mutants could be transformed with plasmids containing selection marker genes. These results indicate that precise gene disruptions based on the RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease now enable metabolic engineering of polyploid S. cerevisiae strains that have been widely used in the wine, beer, and fermentation industries. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  1. Epigenetics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Grunstein, Michael; Gasser, Susan M.

    2013-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides a well-studied model system for heritable silent chromatin, in which a nonhistone protein complex—the SIR complex—represses genes by spreading in a sequence-independent manner, much like heterochromatin in higher eukaryotes. The ability to study mutations in histones and to screen genome-wide for mutations that impair silencing has yielded an unparalleled depth of detail about this system. Recent advances in the biochemistry and structural biology of the SIR-chromatin complex bring us much closer to a molecular understanding of how Sir3 selectively recognizes the deacetylated histone H4 tail and demethylated histone H3 core. The existence of appropriate mutants has also shown how components of the silencing machinery affect physiological processes beyond transcriptional repression. PMID:23818500

  2. Identification of auxotrophic mutants of the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus by non-homologous end joining-mediated integrative transformation with genes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Yarimizu, Tohru; Nonklang, Sanom; Nakamura, Junpei; Tokuda, Shuya; Nakagawa, Takaaki; Lorreungsil, Sasithorn; Sutthikhumpha, Surasit; Pukahuta, Charida; Kitagawa, Takao; Nakamura, Mikiko; Cha-Aim, Kamonchai; Limtong, Savitree; Hoshida, Hisashi; Akada, Rinji

    2013-12-01

    The isolation and application of auxotrophic mutants for gene manipulations, such as genetic transformation, mating selection and tetrad analysis, form the basis of yeast genetics. For the development of these genetic methods in the thermotolerant fermentative yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus, we isolated a series of auxotrophic mutants with defects in amino acid or nucleic acid metabolism. To identify the mutated genes, linear DNA fragments of nutrient biosynthetic pathway genes were amplified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosomal DNA and used to directly transform the K. marxianus auxotrophic mutants by random integration into chromosomes through non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The appearance of transformant colonies indicated that the specific S. cerevisiae gene complemented the K. marxianus mutant. Using this interspecific complementation approach with linear PCR-amplified DNA, we identified auxotrophic mutations of ADE2, ADE5,7, ADE6, HIS2, HIS3, HIS4, HIS5, HIS6, HIS7, LYS1, LYS2, LYS4, LYS9, LEU1, LEU2, MET2, MET6, MET17, TRP3, TRP4 and TRP5 without the labour-intensive requirement of plasmid construction. Mating, sporulation and tetrad analysis techniques for K. marxianus were also established. With the identified auxotrophic mutant strains and S. cerevisiae genes as selective markers, NHEJ-mediated integrative transformation with PCR-amplified DNA is an attractive system for facilitating genetic analyses in the yeast K. marxianus. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Isolation and genetic study of p-fluoro-DL-phenylalanine-resistant mutants overproducing beta-phenethyl-alcohol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Fukuda, K; Watanabe, M; Asano, K; Ouchi, K; Takasawa, S

    1991-12-01

    p-Fluoro-DL-phenylalanine (PFP)-resistant mutants which produce a large amount of beta-phenethyl-alcohol, a rose-like flavor component, were isolated from the isogenic strains X2180-1A and X2180-1B of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cells of these mutants accumulated phenylalanine and tryptophan more than 3-fold times that of wild-type cells, while they accumulated less than half the tyrosine. The activity of prephenate dehydrogenase (PDG) (EC 1.3.1.12) was markedly decreased while that of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (EC 4.1.2.15) was increased. Genetic analysis revealed that the mutation occurred at the TYR1 locus, encoding PDG, and that the mutated TYR1 gene, try1-pfp, caused both PFP resistance and beta-phenethyl-alcohol overproduction. This was supported by molecular genetic studies with cloned tyr1-pfp DNA.

  4. Monoterpenoid biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Oswald, Marilyne; Fischer, Marc; Dirninger, Nicole; Karst, Francis

    2007-05-01

    Plant monoterpenoids belong to a large family of plant secondary metabolites with valuable applications in cosmetics and medicine. Their usual low levels and difficult purification justify the need for alternative fermentative processes for large-scale production. Geranyl diphosphate is the universal precursor of monoterpenoids. In yeast it occurs exclusively as an intermediate of farnesyl diphosphate synthesis. In the present study we investigated the potential use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an alternative engineering tool. The expression of geraniol synthase of Ocimum basilicum in yeast allowed a strong and specific excretion of geraniol to the growth medium, in contrast to mutants defective in farnesyl diphosphate synthase which excreted geraniol and linalool in similar amounts. A further increase of geraniol synthesis was obtained using yeast mutants defective in farnesyl diphosphate synthase. We also showed that geraniol synthase expression affects the general ergosterol pathway, but in a manner dependent on the genetic background of the strain.

  5. Mutant Profilin Suppresses Mutant Actin-dependent Mitochondrial Phenotype in Saccharomyces cerevisiae*

    PubMed Central

    Wen, Kuo-Kuang; McKane, Melissa; Stokasimov, Ema; Rubenstein, Peter A.

    2011-01-01

    In the Saccharomyces cerevisiae actin-profilin interface, Ala167 of the actin barbed end W-loop and His372 near the C terminus form a clamp around a profilin segment containing residue Arg81 and Tyr79. Modeling suggests that altering steric packing in this interface regulates actin activity. An actin A167E mutation could increase interface crowding and alter actin regulation, and A167E does cause growth defects and mitochondrial dysfunction. We assessed whether a profilin Y79S mutation with its decreased mass could compensate for actin A167E crowding and rescue the mutant phenotype. Y79S profilin alone caused no growth defect in WT actin cells under standard conditions in rich medium and rescued the mitochondrial phenotype resulting from both the A167E and H372R actin mutations in vivo consistent with our model. Rescue did not result from effects of profilin on actin nucleotide exchange or direct effects of profilin on actin polymerization. Polymerization of A167E actin was less stimulated by formin Bni1 FH1-FH2 fragment than was WT actin. Addition of WT profilin to mixtures of A167E actin and formin fragment significantly altered polymerization kinetics from hyperbolic to a decidedly more sigmoidal behavior. Substitution of Y79S profilin in this system produced A167E behavior nearly identical to that of WT actin. A167E actin caused more dynamic actin cable behavior in vivo than observed with WT actin. Introduction of Y79S restored cable movement to a more normal phenotype. Our studies implicate the importance of the actin-profilin interface for formin-dependent actin and point to the involvement of formin and profilin in the maintenance of mitochondrial integrity and function. PMID:21956104

  6. Mitochondrial genomic dysfunction causes dephosphorylation of Sch9 in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Kawai, Shigeyuki; Urban, Jörg; Piccolis, Manuele; Panchaud, Nicolas; De Virgilio, Claudio; Loewith, Robbie

    2011-10-01

    TORC1-dependent phosphorylation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sch9 was dramatically reduced upon exposure to a protonophore or in respiration-incompetent ρ(0) cells but not in respiration-incompetent pet mutants, providing important insight into the molecular mechanisms governing interorganellar signaling in general and retrograde signaling in particular.

  7. [Intragenic mitotic recombination induced by ultraviolet and gamma rays in radiosensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts].

    PubMed

    Zakharov, I A; Kasinova, G V; Koval'tsova, S V

    1983-01-01

    The effect of UV- and gamma-irradiation on the survival and intragenic mitotic recombination (gene conversion) of 5 radiosensitive mutants was studied in comparison with the wild type. The level of spontaneous conversion was similar for RAD, rad2 and rad15, mutations xrs2 and xrs4 increasing and rad54 significantly decreasing it. The frequency of conversion induced by UV-light was greater in rad2, rad15 and xrs2 mutants and lower in xrs4, as compared to RAD. Gamma-irradiation caused induction of gene conversion with an equal frequency in RAD, rad2, rad15. Xrs2 and xrs4 mutations slightly decreased gamma-induced conversion. In rad54 mutant, UV-and gamma-induced conversion was practically absent. In the wild type yeast, a diploid strain is more resistant than a haploid, whereas in rad54 a diploid strain has the same or an increased sensitivity, as compared to a haploid strain (the "inverse ploidy effect"). This effect and also the block of induced mitotic recombination caused by rad54 indicate the presence in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae of repair pathways of UV- and gamma-induced damages acting in diploid cells and realised by recombination. The data obtained as a result of many years' investigation of genetic effects in radiosensitive mutants of yeast are summarised and considered.

  8. Copper/Zinc-Superoxide Dismutase Is Required for Oxytetracycline Resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Avery, Simon V.; Malkapuram, Srividya; Mateus, Carolina; Babb, Kimberly S.

    2000-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae, along with other eukaryotes, is resistant to tetracyclines. We found that deletion of SOD1 (encoding Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase) rendered S. cerevisiae hypersensitive to oxytetracycline (OTC): a sod1Δ mutant exhibited a >95% reduction in colony-forming ability at an OTC concentration of 20 μg ml−1, whereas concentrations of up to 1,000 μg ml−1 had no effect on the growth of the wild type. OTC resistance was restored in the sod1Δ mutant by complementation with wild-type SOD1. The effect of OTC appeared to be cytotoxic and was not evident in a ctt1Δ (cytosolic catalase) mutant or in the presence of tetracycline. SOD1 transcription was not induced by OTC, suggesting that constitutive SOD1 expression is sufficient for wild-type OTC resistance. OTC uptake levels in wild-type and sod1Δ strains were similar. However, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation were both enhanced during exposure of the sod1Δ mutant, but not the wild type, to OTC. We propose that Sod1p protects S. cerevisiae against a mode of OTC action that is dependent on oxidative damage. PMID:10613865

  9. Comparative analysis on inactivation kinetics of between piezotolerant and piezosensitive mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under combinations of high hydrostatic pressure and temperature.

    PubMed

    Nomura, Kazuki; Kuwabara, Yuki; Kuwabara, Wataru; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Nakajima, Kanako; Hayashi, Mayumi; Iguchi, Akinori; Shigematsu, Toru

    2017-12-01

    We previously obtained a pressure-tolerant (piezotolerant) and a pressure sensitive (piezosensitive) mutant strain, under ambient temperature, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain KA31a. The inactivation kinetics of these mutants were analyzed at 150 to 250MPa with 4 to 40°C. By a multiple regression analysis, the pressure and temperature dependency of the inactivation rate constants k values of both mutants, as well as the parent strain KA31a, were well approximated with high correlation coefficients (0.92 to 0.95). For both mutants, as well as strain KA31a, the lowest k value was shown at a low pressure levels with around ambient temperature. The k value approximately increased with increase in pressure level, and with increase and decrease in temperature. The piezosensitive mutant strain a924E1 showed piezosensitivity at all pressure and temperature levels, compared with the parent strain KA31a. In contrast, the piezotolerant mutant strain a2568D8 showed piezotolerance at 4 to 20°C, but did not show significant piezotolerance at 40°C. These results of the variable influence of temperature on pressure inactivation of these strains would be important for better understanding of piezosensitive and piezotolerant mechanisms, as well as the pressure inactivation mechanism of S. cerevisiae. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. The Sep1 Mutant of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Arrests in Pachytene and Is Deficient in Meiotic Recombination

    PubMed Central

    Tishkoff, D. X.; Rockmill, B.; Roeder, G. S.; Kolodner, R. D.

    1995-01-01

    Strand exchange protein 1 (Sep1) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae promotes homologous pairing of DNA in vitro and sep1 mutants display pleiotropic phenotypes in both vegetative and meiotic cells. In this study, we examined in detail the ability of the sep1 mutant to progress through meiosis I prophase and to undergo meiotic recombination. In meiotic return-to-growth experiments, commitment to meiotic recombination began at the same time in wild type and mutant; however, recombinants accumulated at decreased rates in the mutant. Gene conversion eventually reached nearly wild-type levels, whereas crossing over reached 15-50% of wild type. In an assay of intrachromosomal pop-out recombination, the sep1, dmc1 and rad51 single mutations had only small effects; however, pop-out recombination was virtually eliminated in the sep1 dmc1 and sep1 rad51 double mutants, providing evidence for multiple recombination pathways. Analysis of meiotic recombination intermediates indicates that the sep1 mutant is deficient in meiotic double-strand break repair. In a physical assay, the formation of mature reciprocal recombinants in the sep1 mutant was delayed relative to wild type and ultimately reached only 50% of the wild-type level. Electron microscopic analysis of meiotic nuclear spreads indicates that the sep1δ mutant arrests in pachytene, with apparently normal synaptonemal complex. This arrest is RAD9-independent. We hypothesize that the Sep1 protein participates directly in meiotic recombination and that other strand exchange enzymes, acting in parallel recombination pathways, are able to substitute partially for the absence of the Sep1 protein. PMID:7713413

  11. Genomic reconstruction to improve bioethanol and ergosterol production of industrial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ke; Tong, Mengmeng; Gao, Kehui; Di, Yanan; Wang, Pinmei; Zhang, Chunfang; Wu, Xuechang; Zheng, Daoqiong

    2015-02-01

    Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is the common yeast used in the fields of bread making, brewing, and bioethanol production. Growth rate, stress tolerance, ethanol titer, and byproducts yields are some of the most important agronomic traits of S. cerevisiae for industrial applications. Here, we developed a novel method of constructing S. cerevisiae strains for co-producing bioethanol and ergosterol. The genome of an industrial S. cerevisiae strain, ZTW1, was first reconstructed through treatment with an antimitotic drug followed by sporulation and hybridization. A total of 140 mutants were selected for ethanol fermentation testing, and a significant positive correlation between ergosterol content and ethanol production was observed. The highest performing mutant, ZG27, produced 7.9 % more ethanol and 43.2 % more ergosterol than ZTW1 at the end of fermentation. Chromosomal karyotyping and proteome analysis of ZG27 and ZTW1 suggested that this breeding strategy caused large-scale genome structural variations and global gene expression diversities in the mutants. Genetic manipulation further demonstrated that the altered expression activity of some genes (such as ERG1, ERG9, and ERG11) involved in ergosterol synthesis partly explained the trait improvement in ZG27.

  12. Heterologous Expression of an Entamoeba histolytica Chitin Synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Van Dellen, Katrina L.; Bulik, Dorota A.; Specht, Charles A.; Robbins, Phillips W.; Samuelson, John C.

    2006-01-01

    Chitin in the cyst wall of Entamoeba histolytica is made by two chitin synthases (Chs), one of which is unique (EhCHS-1) and one of which resembles those of insects and nematodes (EhCHS-2). EhCHS-1 is deposited chitin in the lateral wall of transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae Chs mutants, independent of accessory proteins (Chs4p to Chs7p) required by yeast Chs3p. PMID:16400183

  13. Heterologous expression of an Entamoeba histolytica chitin synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Van Dellen, Katrina L; Bulik, Dorota A; Specht, Charles A; Robbins, Phillips W; Samuelson, John C

    2006-01-01

    Chitin in the cyst wall of Entamoeba histolytica is made by two chitin synthases (Chs), one of which is unique (EhCHS-1) and one of which resembles those of insects and nematodes (EhCHS-2). EhCHS-1 is deposited chitin in the lateral wall of transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae Chs mutants, independent of accessory proteins (Chs4p to Chs7p) required by yeast Chs3p.

  14. Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Cho2 Mutants Are Deficient in Phospholipid Methylation and Cross-Pathway Regulation of Inositol Synthesis

    PubMed Central

    Summers, E. F.; Letts, V. A.; McGraw, P.; Henry, S. A.

    1988-01-01

    Five allelic Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants deficient in the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) have been isolated, using two different screening techniques. Biochemical analysis suggested that these mutants define a locus, designated CHO2, that may encode a methyltransferase. Membranes of cho2 mutant cells grown in defined medium contain approximately 10% phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 40-50% PE as compared to wild-type levels of 40-45% PC and 15-20% PE. In spite of this greatly altered phospholipid composition, cho2 mutant cells are viable in defined medium and are not auxotrophic for choline or other phospholipid precursors such as monomethylethanolamine (MME). However, analysis of yeast strains carrying more than one mutation affecting phospholipid biosynthesis indicated that some level of methylated phospholipid is essential for viability. The cho2 locus was shown by tetrad analysis to be unlinked to other loci affecting phospholipid synthesis. Interestingly, cho2 mutants and other mutant strains that produce reduced levels of methylated phospholipids are unable to properly repress synthesis of the cytoplasmic enzyme inositol-1-phosphate synthase. This enzyme was previously shown to be regulated at the level of mRNA abundance in response to inositol and choline in the growth medium. We cloned the CHO2 gene on a 3.6-kb genomic DNA fragment and created a null allele of cho2 by disrupting the CHO2 gene in vivo. The cho2 disruptant, like all other cho2 mutants, is viable, exhibits altered regulation of inositol biosynthesis and is not auxotrophic for choline or MME. PMID:3066687

  15. Transcriptome profiling of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant with a constitutively activated Ras/cAMP pathway.

    PubMed

    Jones, D L; Petty, J; Hoyle, D C; Hayes, A; Ragni, E; Popolo, L; Oliver, S G; Stateva, L I

    2003-12-16

    Often changes in gene expression levels have been considered significant only when above/below some arbitrarily chosen threshold. We investigated the effect of applying a purely statistical approach to microarray analysis and demonstrated that small changes in gene expression have biological significance. Whole genome microarray analysis of a pde2Delta mutant, constructed in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae reference strain FY23, revealed altered expression of approximately 11% of protein encoding genes. The mutant, characterized by constitutive activation of the Ras/cAMP pathway, has increased sensitivity to stress, reduced ability to assimilate nonfermentable carbon sources, and some cell wall integrity defects. Applying the Munich Information Centre for Protein Sequences (MIPS) functional categories revealed increased expression of genes related to ribosome biogenesis and downregulation of genes in the cell rescue, defense, cell death and aging category, suggesting a decreased response to stress conditions. A reduced level of gene expression in the unfolded protein response pathway (UPR) was observed. Cell wall genes whose expression was affected by this mutation were also identified. Several of the cAMP-responsive orphan genes, upon further investigation, revealed cell wall functions; others had previously unidentified phenotypes assigned to them. This investigation provides a statistical global transcriptome analysis of the cellular response to constitutive activation of the Ras/cAMP pathway.

  16. vph6 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae require calcineurin for growth and are defective in vacuolar H(+)-ATPase assembly.

    PubMed

    Hemenway, C S; Dolinski, K; Cardenas, M E; Hiller, M A; Jones, E W; Heitman, J

    1995-11-01

    We have characterized a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain that is hypersensitive to cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506, immunosuppressants that inhibit calcineurin, a serine-threonine-specific phosphatase (PP2B). A single nuclear mutation, designated cev1 for calcineurin essential for viability, is responsible for the CsA-FK506-sensitive phenotype. The peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases cyclophilin A and FKBP12, respectively, mediate CsA and FK506 toxicity in the cev1 mutant strain. We demonstrate that cev1 is an allele of the VPH6 gene and that vph6 mutant strains fail to assemble the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase). The VPH6 gene was mapped on chromosome VIII and is predicted to encode a 181-amino acid (21 kD) protein with no identity to other known proteins. We find that calcineurin is essential for viability in many mutant strains with defects in V-ATPase function or vacuolar acidification. In addition, we find that calcineurin modulates extracellular acidification in response to glucose, which we propose occurs via calcineurin regulation of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase PMA1. Taken together, our findings suggest calcineurin plays a general role in the regulation of cation transport and homeostasis.

  17. Mutants in three novel complementation groups inhibit membrane protein insertion into and soluble protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    1992-01-01

    We have isolated mutants that inhibit membrane protein insertion into the ER membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The mutants were contained in three complementation groups, which we have named SEC70, SEC71, and SEC72. The mutants also inhibited the translocation of soluble proteins into the lumen of the ER, indicating that they pleiotropically affect protein transport across and insertion into the ER membrane. Surprisingly, the mutants inhibited the translocation and insertion of different proteins to drastically different degrees. We have also shown that mutations in SEC61 and SEC63, which were previously isolated as mutants inhibiting the translocation of soluble proteins, also affect the insertion of membrane proteins into the ER. Taken together our data indicate that the process of protein translocation across the ER membrane involves a much larger number of gene products than previously appreciated. Moreover, different translocation substrates appear to have different requirements for components of the cellular targeting and translocation apparatus. PMID:1730771

  18. Alkaline pH enhances farnesol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Muramatsu, Masayoshi; Ohto, Chikara; Obata, Shusei; Sakuradani, Eiji; Shimizu, Sakayu

    2009-07-01

    External environments affect prenyl alcohol production by squalene synthetase-deficient mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 64031. Cultivation of the yeast in medium with an initial pH ranging from 7.0 to 8.0 increased the amount of secreted farnesol (FOH). In contrast, acidic medium with a pH below 4.0 increased the intracellular FOH and its isomer nerolidol. These effects of alkaline pH were also observed on constant pH cultivation in a jar fermenter. On cultivation for 133 h, the FOH production reached 102.8 mg/l.

  19. Transposon mutagenesis to improve the growth of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae on D-xylose

    Treesearch

    Haiying Ni; Jose M. Laplaza; Thomas W. Jeffries

    2007-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae L2612 transformed with genes for xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase (XYL1 and XYL2) grows well on glucose but very poorly on D-xylose. When a gene for D-xylulokinase (XYL3 or XKS1) is overexpressed, growth on glucose is unaffected, but growth on xylose is blocked. Spontaneous or chemically induced mutants of this engineered yeast that...

  20. A genome-wide nanotoxicology screen of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants reveals the basis for cadmium sulphide quantum dot tolerance and sensitivity.

    PubMed

    Marmiroli, M; Pagano, L; Pasquali, F; Zappettini, A; Tosato, V; Bruschi, C V; Marmiroli, N

    2016-01-01

    The use of cadmium sulphide quantum dots (CdS QDs) is increasing, particularly in the electronics industry. Their size (1-10 nm in diameter) is, however, such that they can be taken up by living cells. Here, a bakers' yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) deletion mutant collection has been exploited to provide a high-throughput means of revealing the genetic basis for tolerance/susceptibility to CdS QD exposure. The deletion of 112 genes, some associated with the abiotic stress response, some with various metabolic processes, some with mitochondrial organization, some with transport and some with DNA repair, reduced the level of tolerance to CdS QDs. A gene ontology analysis highlighted the role of oxidative stress in determining the cellular response. The transformation of sensitive mutants with centromeric plasmids harbouring DNA from a wild type strain restored the wild type growth phenotype when the complemented genes encoded either HSC82, DSK2 or ALD3. The use of these simple eukaryote knock-out mutants for functional toxicogenomic analysis will inform studies focusing on higher organisms.

  1. In vitro screening of probiotic properties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii and food-borne Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

    PubMed

    van der Aa Kühle, Alis; Skovgaard, Kerstin; Jespersen, Lene

    2005-05-01

    The probiotic potential of 18 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used for production of foods or beverages or isolated from such, and eight strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii, was investigated. All strains included were able to withstand pH 2.5 and 0.3% Oxgall. Adhesion to the nontumorigenic porcine jejunal epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2) was investigated by incorporation of 3H-methionine into the yeast cells and use of liquid scintillation counting. Only few of the food-borne S. cerevisiae strains exhibited noteworthy adhesiveness with the strongest levels of adhesion (13.6-16.8%) recorded for two isolates from blue veined cheeses. Merely 25% of the S. cerevisiae var. boulardii strains displayed good adhesive properties (16.2-28.0%). The expression of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1alpha decreased strikingly in IPEC-J2 cells exposed to a Shiga-like toxin 2e producing Escherichia coli strain when the cells were pre- and coincubated with S. cerevisiae var. boulardii even though this yeast strain was low adhesive (5.4%), suggesting that adhesion is not a mandatory prerequisite for such a probiotic effect. A strain of S. cerevisiae isolated from West African sorghum beer exerted similar effects hence indicating that food-borne strains of S. cerevisiae may possess probiotic properties in spite of low adhesiveness.

  2. Morphogenetic Pathway of Spore Wall Assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Coluccio, Alison; Bogengruber, Edith; Conrad, Michael N.; Dresser, Michael E.; Briza, Peter; Neiman, Aaron M.

    2004-01-01

    The Saccharomyces cerevisiae spore is protected from environmental damage by a multilaminar extracellular matrix, the spore wall, which is assembled de novo during spore formation. A set of mutants defective in spore wall assembly were identified in a screen for mutations causing sensitivity of spores to ether vapor. The spore wall defects in 10 of these mutants have been characterized in a variety of cytological and biochemical assays. Many of the individual mutants are defective in the assembly of specific layers within the spore wall, leading to arrests at discrete stages of assembly. The localization of several of these gene products has been determined and distinguishes between proteins that likely are involved directly in spore wall assembly and probable regulatory proteins. The results demonstrate that spore wall construction involves a series of dependent steps and provide the outline of a morphogenetic pathway for assembly of a complex extracellular structure. PMID:15590821

  3. RNA-Seq analysis of global transcriptomic changes suggests a roles for the MAPK pathway and carbon metabolism in cell wall maintenance in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae FKS1 mutant.

    PubMed

    Huang, Cong; Zhao, Fengguang; Lin, Ying; Zheng, Suiping; Liang, Shuli; Han, Shuangyan

    2018-06-07

    FKS1 encodes a β-1,3-glucan synthase, which is a key player in cell wall assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we analyzed the global transcriptomic changes in the FKS1 mutant to establish a correlation between the changes in the cell wall of the FKS1 mutant and the molecular mechanism of cell wall maintenance. These transcriptomic profiles showed that there are 1151 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the FKS1 mutant. Through KEGG pathway analysis of the DEGs, the MAPK pathway and seven pathways involved in carbon metabolism were significantly enriched. We found that the MAPK pathway is activated for FKS1 mutant survival and the synthesis of cell wall components are reinforced in the FKS1 mutant. Our results confirm that the FKS1 mutant has a β-1,3-glucan defect that affects the cell wall and partly elucidate the molecular mechanism responsible for cell wall synthesis. Our greater understanding of these mechanisms helps to explain how the FKS1 mutant survives, has useful implications for the study of similar pathways in other fungi, and increases the theoretical foundation for the regulation of the cell wall in S. cerevisiae. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Deletion of JJJ1 improves acetic acid tolerance and bioethanol fermentation performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xuechang; Zhang, Lijie; Jin, Xinna; Fang, Yahong; Zhang, Ke; Qi, Lei; Zheng, Daoqiong

    2016-07-01

    To improve tolerance to acetic acid that is present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates and affects bioethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with improved tolerance to acetic acid were obtained through deletion of the JJJ1 gene. The lag phase of the JJJ1 deletion mutant BYΔJJJ1 was ~16 h shorter than that of the parent strain, BY4741, when the fermentation medium contained 4.5 g acetic acid/l. Additionally, the specific ethanol production rate of BYΔJJJ1 was increased (0.057 g/g h) compared to that of the parent strain (0.051 g/g h). Comparative transcription and physiological analyses revealed higher long chain fatty acid, trehalose, and catalase contents might be critical factors responsible for the acetic acid resistance of JJJ1 knockout strains. JJJ1 deletion improves acetic acid tolerance and ethanol fermentation performance of S. cerevisiae.

  5. Activation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae filamentation/invasion pathway by osmotic stress in high-osmolarity glycogen pathway mutants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davenport, K. D.; Williams, K. E.; Ullmann, B. D.; Gustin, M. C.; McIntire, L. V. (Principal Investigator)

    1999-01-01

    Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are frequently used signal transduction mechanisms in eukaryotes. Of the five MAPK cascades in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the high-osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) pathway functions to sense and respond to hypertonic stress. We utilized a partial loss-of-function mutant in the HOG pathway, pbs2-3, in a high-copy suppressor screen to identify proteins that modulate growth on high-osmolarity media. Three high-copy suppressors of pbs2-3 osmosensitivity were identified: MSG5, CAK1, and TRX1. Msg5p is a dual-specificity phosphatase that was previously demonstrated to dephosphorylate MAPKs in yeast. Deletions of the putative MAPK targets of Msg5p revealed that kss1delta could suppress the osmosensitivity of pbs2-3. Kss1p is phosphorylated in response to hyperosmotic shock in a pbs2-3 strain, but not in a wild-type strain nor in a pbs2-3 strain overexpressing MSG5. Both TEC1 and FRE::lacZ expressions are activated in strains lacking a functional HOG pathway during osmotic stress in a filamentation/invasion-pathway-dependent manner. Additionally, the cellular projections formed by a pbs2-3 mutant on high osmolarity are absent in strains lacking KSS1 or STE7. These data suggest that the loss of filamentation/invasion pathway repression contributes to the HOG mutant phenotype.

  6. Activation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae filamentation/invasion pathway by osmotic stress in high-osmolarity glycogen pathway mutants.

    PubMed Central

    Davenport, K D; Williams, K E; Ullmann, B D; Gustin, M C

    1999-01-01

    Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are frequently used signal transduction mechanisms in eukaryotes. Of the five MAPK cascades in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the high-osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) pathway functions to sense and respond to hypertonic stress. We utilized a partial loss-of-function mutant in the HOG pathway, pbs2-3, in a high-copy suppressor screen to identify proteins that modulate growth on high-osmolarity media. Three high-copy suppressors of pbs2-3 osmosensitivity were identified: MSG5, CAK1, and TRX1. Msg5p is a dual-specificity phosphatase that was previously demonstrated to dephosphorylate MAPKs in yeast. Deletions of the putative MAPK targets of Msg5p revealed that kss1delta could suppress the osmosensitivity of pbs2-3. Kss1p is phosphorylated in response to hyperosmotic shock in a pbs2-3 strain, but not in a wild-type strain nor in a pbs2-3 strain overexpressing MSG5. Both TEC1 and FRE::lacZ expressions are activated in strains lacking a functional HOG pathway during osmotic stress in a filamentation/invasion-pathway-dependent manner. Additionally, the cellular projections formed by a pbs2-3 mutant on high osmolarity are absent in strains lacking KSS1 or STE7. These data suggest that the loss of filamentation/invasion pathway repression contributes to the HOG mutant phenotype. PMID:10545444

  7. Microaerobic glycerol formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Costenoble, R; Valadi, H; Gustafsson, L; Niklasson, C; Franzén, C J

    2000-12-01

    The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae produces large amounts of glycerol as an osmoregulator during hyperosmotic stress and as a redox sink at low oxygen availability. NAD(+)-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in S. cerevisiae is present in two isoforms, coded for by two different genes, GPD1 and GPD2. Mutants for either one or both of these genes were investigated under carefully controlled static and dynamic conditions in continuous cultures at low oxygen transfer rates. Our results show that S. cerevisiae controls the production of glycerol in response to hypoxic conditions by regulating the expression of several genes. At high demand for NADH reoxidation, a strong induction was seen not only of the GPD2 gene, but also of GPP1, encoding one of the molecular forms of glycerol-3-phosphatase. Induction of the GPP1 gene appears to play a decisive role at elevated growth rates. At low demand for NADH reoxidation via glycerol formation, the GPD1, GPD2, GPP1, and GPP2 genes were all expressed at basal levels. The dynamics of the gene induction and the glycerol formation at low demand for NADH reoxidation point to an important role of the Gpd1p; deletion of the GPD1 gene strongly altered the expression patterns of the GPD2 and GPP1 genes under such conditions. Furthermore, our results indicate that GCY1 and DAK1, tentatively encoding glycerol dehydrogenase and dihydroxyacetone kinase, respectively, may be involved in the redox regulation of S. cerevisiae. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Comparative characterization of endo-polygalacturonase (Pgu1) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus under winemaking conditions.

    PubMed

    Eschstruth, Alexis; Divol, Benoit

    2011-08-01

    Wine strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have no to weak natural pectinase activity, despite their genetic ability to secrete an endo-polygalacturonase. The addition of external pectinase of fungal origin has therefore become a common step of winemaking in order to enhance the extraction of compounds located in the grape berry skins during maceration and to ease wine clarification after maturation. Recently, the strong pectinase activity of a wine strain of Saccharomyces paradoxus has been reported. In this study, the endo-polygalacturonase-encoding gene of S. paradoxus was sequenced and its activity was characterised, compared with that of S. cerevisiae and tested under winemaking conditions through overexpression of both genes individually in S. cerevisiae. A few differences in the amino acids sequences between the two proteins were revealed and the activity of the Pgu1 enzyme of S. paradoxus was shown to be weaker under winemaking conditions. Clear indicators of extracellular activity were observed in the wines made with both recombinant strains (i.e. enzyme activity in cell-free wine, higher methanol concentration and higher free-run wine), but the actual composition of the wines fermented with the mutants was only sparingly altered. Although unexpectedly found in lower concentrations in the latter wines, phenolic compounds were shown to be the most discriminatory components. Overexpressing the PGU1 gene of S. paradoxus or that of S. cerevisiae did not make much difference, showing that the higher activity of S. paradoxus strains under laboratory conditions could be due to a different regulation mechanism rather than to a different sequence of PGU1.

  9. Fatal Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Aortic Graft Infection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyer, Michael (Technical Monitor); Smith, Davey; Metzgar, David; Wills, Christopher; Fierer, Joshua

    2002-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a yeast commonly used in baking and a frequent colonizer of human mucosal surfaces. It is considered relatively nonpathogenic in immunocompetent adults. We present a case of S. cerevisiae fungemia and aortic graft infection in an immunocompetent adult. This is the first reported case of S. cerevisiue fungemia where the identity of the pathogen was confirmed by rRNA sequencing.

  10. Phenylalanine 445 within oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae influences C-Ring cyclization and deprotonation reactions.

    PubMed

    Wu, Tung-Kung; Liu, Yuan-Ting; Chiu, Feng-Hsuan; Chang, Cheng-Hsiang

    2006-10-12

    [reaction: see text] We describe the Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase Phe445 site-saturated mutants that generate truncated tricyclic and altered deprotonation product profiles. Among these mutants, only polar side-chain group substitutions genetically complemented yeast viability and produced spatially related product diversity, supporting the Johnson model that cation-pi interactions between a carbocationic intermediate and an enzyme can be replaced by an electrostatic or polar side chain to stabilize the cationic intermediate, but with product differentiation.

  11. Proton Gradient-Driven Nickel Uptake by Vacuolar Membrane Vesicles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Nishimura, Ken; Igarashi, Kazuei; Kakinuma, Yoshimi

    1998-01-01

    A vacuolar H+-ATPase-negative mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was highly sensitive to nickel ion. Accumulation of nickel ion in the cells of this mutant of less than 60% of the value for the parent strain arrested growth, suggesting a role for this ATPase in sequestering nickel ion into vacuoles. An artificially imposed pH gradient (interior acid) induced transient nickel ion uptake by vacuolar membrane vesicles, which was inhibited by collapse of the pH difference but not of the membrane potential. Nickel ion transport into vacuoles in a pH gradient-dependent manner is thus important for its detoxification in yeast. PMID:9537401

  12. Fatal Saccharomyces cerevisiae aortic graft infection.

    PubMed

    Smith, Davey; Metzgar, David; Wills, Christopher; Fierer, Joshua

    2002-07-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a yeast commonly used in baking and a frequent colonizer of human mucosal surfaces. It is considered relatively nonpathogenic in immunocompetent adults (J. N. Aucott, J. Fayan, H. Grossnicklas, A. Morrissey, M. M. Lederman, and R. A. Salata, Rev. Infect. Dis. 12:406-411, 1990). We present a case of S. cerevisiae fungemia and aortic graft infection in an immunocompetent adult. This is the first reported case of S. cerevisiae fungemia where the identity of the pathogen was confirmed by rRNA sequencing.

  13. Saccharomyces cerevisiae vaginitis: transmission from yeast used in baking.

    PubMed

    Nyirjesy, P; Vazquez, J A; Ufberg, D D; Sobel, J D; Boikov, D A; Buckley, H R

    1995-09-01

    To determine whether vaginitis due to Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be caused by exposure to exogenous sources of baker's yeast. Eight women with S cerevisiae vaginitis were identified from a cohort of women referred for the evaluation of chronic vaginal symptoms. In those with high-level exposure to exogenous sources of S cerevisiae, isolates from the vagina and those sources were sent in a blinded fashion for contour-clamped homogeneous electric-field electrophoresis. Four women from a cohort of approximately 750 referred patients had high-level exposures to S cerevisiae. In one of these patients, electrophoresis analysis revealed similarities between the strains isolated from her vagina, her husband's fingers, and the yeast he used in his pizza shop. Saccharomyces cerevisiae vaginitis can be the result of the inoculation of this yeast from exogenous sources.

  14. Genes Required for Vacuolar Acidity in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Preston, R. A.; Reinagel, P. S.; Jones, E. W.

    1992-01-01

    Mutations that cause loss of acidity in the vacuole (lysosome) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were identified by screening colonies labeled with the fluorescent, pH-sensitive, vacuolar labeling agent, 6-carboxyfluorescein. Thirty nine vacuolar pH (Vph(-)) mutants were identified. Four of these contained mutant alleles of the previously described PEP3, PEP5, PEP6 and PEP7 genes. The remaining mutants defined eight complementation groups of vph mutations. No alleles of the VAT2 or TFP1 genes (known to encode subunits of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase) were identified in the Vph(-) screen. Strains bearing mutations in any of six of the VPH genes failed to grow on medium buffered at neutral pH; otherwise, none of the vph mutations caused notable growth inhibition on standard yeast media. Expression of the vacuolar protease, carboxypeptidase Y, was defective in strains bearing vph4 mutations but was apparently normal in strains bearing any of the other vph mutations. Defects in vacuolar morphology at the light microscope level were evident in all Vph(-) mutants. Strains that contained representative mutant alleles of the 17 previously described PEP genes were assayed for vacuolar pH; mutations in seven of the PEP genes (including PEP3, PEP5, PEP6 and PEP7) caused loss of vacuolar acidity. PMID:1628805

  15. Analysis of Polygenic Mutants Suggests a Role for Mediator in Regulating Transcriptional Activation Distance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Reavey, Caitlin T; Hickman, Mark J; Dobi, Krista C; Botstein, David; Winston, Fred

    2015-10-01

    Studies of natural populations of many organisms have shown that traits are often complex, caused by contributions of mutations in multiple genes. In contrast, genetic studies in the laboratory primarily focus on studying the phenotypes caused by mutations in a single gene. However, the single mutation approach may be limited with respect to the breadth and degree of new phenotypes that can be found. We have taken the approach of isolating complex, or polygenic mutants in the lab to study the regulation of transcriptional activation distance in yeast. While most aspects of eukaryotic transcription are conserved from yeast to human, transcriptional activation distance is not. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the upstream activating sequence (UAS) is generally found within 450 base pairs of the transcription start site (TSS) and when the UAS is moved too far away, activation no longer occurs. In contrast, metazoan enhancers can activate from as far as several hundred kilobases from the TSS. Previously, we identified single mutations that allow transcription activation to occur at a greater-than-normal distance from the GAL1 UAS. As the single mutant phenotypes were weak, we have now isolated polygenic mutants that possess strong long-distance phenotypes. By identification of the causative mutations we have accounted for most of the heritability of the phenotype in each strain and have provided evidence that the Mediator coactivator complex plays both positive and negative roles in the regulation of transcription activation distance. Copyright © 2015 by the Genetics Society of America.

  16. 21 CFR 866.5785 - Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) antibody (ASCA) test systems.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...) antibody (ASCA) test systems. 866.5785 Section 866.5785 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5785 Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) antibody (ASCA) test systems...

  17. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeasts in grape varieties of the São Francisco Valley

    PubMed Central

    de Ponzzes-Gomes, Camila M.P.B.S.; de Mélo, Dângelly L.F.M.; Santana, Caroline A.; Pereira, Giuliano E.; Mendonça, Michelle O.C.; Gomes, Fátima C.O.; Oliveira, Evelyn S.; Barbosa, Antonio M.; Trindade, Rita C.; Rosa, Carlos A.

    2014-01-01

    The aims of this work was to characterise indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in the naturally fermented juice of grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Tempranillo, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo used in the São Francisco River Valley, northeastern Brazil. In this study, 155 S. cerevisiae and 60 non-Saccharomyces yeasts were isolated and identified using physiological tests and sequencing of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit of the rRNA gene. Among the non-Saccharomyces species, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa was the most common species, followed by Pichia kudriavzevii, Candida parapsilosis, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Kloeckera apis, P. manshurica, C. orthopsilosis and C. zemplinina. The population counts of these yeasts ranged among 1.0 to 19 × 105 cfu/mL. A total of 155 isolates of S. cerevisiae were compared by mitochondrial DNA restriction analysis, and five molecular mitochondrial DNA restriction profiles were detected. Indigenous strains of S. cerevisiae isolated from grapes of the São Francisco Valley can be further tested as potential starters for wine production. PMID:25242923

  18. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeasts in grape varieties of the São Francisco Valley.

    PubMed

    de Ponzzes-Gomes, Camila M P B S; de Mélo, Dângelly L F M; Santana, Caroline A; Pereira, Giuliano E; Mendonça, Michelle O C; Gomes, Fátima C O; Oliveira, Evelyn S; Barbosa, Antonio M; Trindade, Rita C; Rosa, Carlos A

    2014-01-01

    The aims of this work was to characterise indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in the naturally fermented juice of grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Tempranillo, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo used in the São Francisco River Valley, northeastern Brazil. In this study, 155 S. cerevisiae and 60 non-Saccharomyces yeasts were isolated and identified using physiological tests and sequencing of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit of the rRNA gene. Among the non-Saccharomyces species, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa was the most common species, followed by Pichia kudriavzevii, Candida parapsilosis, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Kloeckera apis, P. manshurica, C. orthopsilosis and C. zemplinina. The population counts of these yeasts ranged among 1.0 to 19 × 10(5) cfu/mL. A total of 155 isolates of S. cerevisiae were compared by mitochondrial DNA restriction analysis, and five molecular mitochondrial DNA restriction profiles were detected. Indigenous strains of S. cerevisiae isolated from grapes of the São Francisco Valley can be further tested as potential starters for wine production.

  19. Zinc oxide and silver nanoparticles toxicity in the baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Galván Márquez, Imelda; Ghiyasvand, Mergan; Massarsky, Andrey; Babu, Mohan; Samanfar, Bahram; Omidi, Katayoun; Moon, Thomas W; Smith, Myron L; Golshani, Ashkan

    2018-01-01

    Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are increasingly incorporated into a variety of commercial applications and consumer products; however, ENMs may possess cytotoxic properties due to their small size. This study assessed the effects of two commonly used ENMs, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A collection of ≈4600 S. cerevisiae deletion mutant strains was used to deduce the genes, whose absence makes S. cerevisiae more prone to the cytotoxic effects of ZnONPs or AgNPs. We demonstrate that S. cerevisiae strains that lack genes involved in transmembrane and membrane transport, cellular ion homeostasis, and cell wall organization or biogenesis exhibited the highest sensitivity to ZnONPs. In contrast, strains that lack genes involved in transcription and RNA processing, cellular respiration, and endocytosis and vesicular transport exhibited the highest sensitivity to AgNPs. Secondary assays confirmed that ZnONPs affected cell wall function and integrity, whereas AgNPs exposure decreased transcription, reduced endocytosis, and led to a dysfunctional electron transport system. This study supports the use of S. cerevisiae Gene Deletion Array as an effective high-throughput technique to determine cellular targets of ENM toxicity.

  20. Human acylphosphatase cannot replace phosphoglycerate kinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Van Hoek, P; Modesti, A; Ramponi, G; Kötter, P; van Dijken, J P; Pron, J T

    2001-10-01

    Human acylphosphatase (h-AP, EC 3.6.1.7) has been reported to catalyse the hydrolysis of the 1-phosphate group of 1,3-diphosphoglycerate. In vivo operation of this reaction in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae would bypass phosphoglycerate kinase and thus reduce the ATP yield from glycolysis. To investigate whether h-AP can indeed replace the S. cerevisiae phosphoglycerate kinase, a multi-copy plasmid carrying the h-AP gene under control of the yeast TDH3 promoter was introduced into a pgk1 delta mutant of S. cerevisiae. A strain carrying the expression vector without the h-AP cassette was used as a reference. For both strains, steady-state carbon- and energy-limited chemostat cultures were obtained at a dilution rate of 0.10 h(-1) on a medium containing a mixture of glucose and ethanol (15% and 85% on a carbon basis, respectively). Although the h-AP strain exhibited a high acylphosphatase activity in cell extracts, switching to glucose as sole carbon and energy source resulted in a complete arrest of glucose consumption and growth. The lack of a functional glycolytic pathway was further evident from the absence of ethanol formation in the presence of excess glucose in the culture. As h-AP cannot replace yeast phosphoglycerate kinase in vivo, the enzyme is not a useful tool to modify the ATP yield of glycolysis in S. cerevisiae.

  1. Analysis of in vivo correction of defined mismatches in the DNA mismatch repair mutants msh2, msh3 and msh6 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Lühr, B; Scheller, J; Meyer, P; Kramer, W

    1998-02-01

    We have analysed the correction of defined mismatches in wild-type and msh2, msh3, msh6 and msh3 msh6 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in two different yeast strain backgrounds by transformation with plasmid heteroduplex DNA constructs. Ten different base/base mismatches, two single-nucleotide loops and a 38-nucleotide loop were tested. Repair of all types of mismatches was severely impaired in msh2 and msh3 msh6 mutants. In msh6 mutants, repair efficiency of most base/base mismatches was reduced to a similar extent as in msh3 msh6 double mutants. G/T and A/C mismatches, however, displayed residual repair in msh6 mutants in one strain background, implying a role for Msh3p in recognition of base/base mismatches. Furthermore, the efficiency of repair of base/base mismatches was considerably reduced in msh3 mutants in one strain background, indicating a requirement for MSH3 for fully efficient mismatch correction. Also the efficiency of repair of the 38-nucleotide loop was reduced in msh3 mutants, and to a lesser extent in msh6 mutants. The single-nucleotide loop with an unpaired A was less efficiently repaired in msh3 mutants and that with an unpaired T was less efficiently corrected in msh6 mutants, indicating non-redundant functions for the two proteins in the recognition of single-nucleotide loops.

  2. Molecular Mechanism of Terbinafine Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Leber, Regina; Fuchsbichler, Sandra; Klobučníková, Vlasta; Schweighofer, Natascha; Pitters, Eva; Wohlfarter, Kathrin; Lederer, Mojca; Landl, Karina; Ruckenstuhl, Christoph; Hapala, Ivan; Turnowsky, Friederike

    2003-01-01

    Ten mutants of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistant to the antimycotic terbinafine were isolated after chemical or UV mutagenesis. Molecular analysis of these mutants revealed single base pair exchanges in the ERG1 gene coding for squalene epoxidase, the target of terbinafine. The mutants did not show cross-resistance to any of the substrates of various pleiotropic drug resistance efflux pumps tested. The ERG1 mRNA levels in the mutants did not differ from those in the wild-type parent strains. Terbinafine resistance was transmitted with the mutated alleles in gene replacement experiments, proving that single amino acid substitutions in the Erg1 protein were sufficient to confer the resistance phenotype. The amino acid changes caused by the point mutations were clustered in two regions of the Erg1 protein. Seven mutants carried the amino acid substitutions F402L (one mutant), F420L (one mutant), and P430S (five mutants) in the C-terminal part of the protein; and three mutants carried an L251F exchange in the central part of the protein. Interestingly, all exchanges identified involved amino acids which are conserved in the squalene epoxidases of yeasts and mammals. Two mutations that were generated by PCR mutagenesis of the ERG1 gene and that conferred terbinafine resistance mapped in the same regions of the Erg1 protein, with one resulting in an L251F exchange and the other resulting in an F433S exchange. The results strongly indicate that these regions are responsible for the interaction of yeast squalene epoxidase with terbinafine. PMID:14638499

  3. Widespread Use of Non-productive Alternative Splice Sites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Kawashima, Tadashi; Douglass, Stephen; Gabunilas, Jason; Pellegrini, Matteo; Chanfreau, Guillaume F.

    2014-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used as a model system to investigate the mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing but only a few examples of alternative splice site usage have been described in this organism. Using RNA-Seq analysis of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) mutant strains, we show that many S. cerevisiae intron-containing genes exhibit usage of alternative splice sites, but many transcripts generated by splicing at these sites are non-functional because they introduce premature termination codons, leading to degradation by NMD. Analysis of splicing mutants combined with NMD inactivation revealed the role of specific splicing factors in governing the use of these alternative splice sites and identified novel functions for Prp17p in enhancing the use of branchpoint-proximal upstream 3′ splice sites and for Prp18p in suppressing the usage of a non-canonical AUG 3′-splice site in GCR1. The use of non-productive alternative splice sites can be increased in stress conditions in a promoter-dependent manner, contributing to the down-regulation of genes during stress. These results show that alternative splicing is frequent in S. cerevisiae but masked by RNA degradation and that the use of alternative splice sites in this organism is mostly aimed at controlling transcript levels rather than increasing proteome diversity. PMID:24722551

  4. [Saccharomyces cerevisiae infections].

    PubMed

    Souza Goebel, Cristine; de Mattos Oliveira, Flávio; Severo, Luiz Carlos

    2013-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ubiquitous yeast widely used in industry and it is also a common colonizer of the human mucosae. However, the incidence of invasive infection by these fungi has significantly increased in the last decades. To evaluate the infection by S. cerevisiae in a hospital in southern Brazil during a period of 10 years (2000-2010). Review of medical records of patients infected by this fungus. In this period, 6 patients were found to be infected by S. cerevisiae. The age range of the patients was from 10 years to 84. Urine, blood, ascitic fluid, peritoneal dialysis fluid, and esophageal biopsy samples were analyzed. The predisposing factors were cancer, transplant, surgical procedures, renal failure, use of venous catheters, mechanical ventilation, hospitalization in Intensive Care Unit, diabetes mellitus, chemotherapy, corticosteroid use, and parenteral nutrition. Amphotericin B and fluconazole were the treatments of choice. Three of the patients died and the other 3 were discharged from hospital. We must take special precautions in emerging infections, especially when there are predisposing conditions such as immunosuppression or patients with serious illnesses. The rapid and specific diagnosis of S. cerevisiae infections is important for therapeutic decision. Furthermore, epidemiological and efficacy studies of antifungal agents are necessary for a better therapeutic approach. Copyright © 2012 Revista Iberoamericana de Micología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  5. Cloning and expression of two chitin deacetylase genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Mishra, C; Semino, C E; McCreath, K J; de la Vega, H; Jones, B J; Specht, C A; Robbins, P W

    1997-03-30

    Chitin deacetylase (EC 3.5.1.41), which hydrolyses the N-acetamido groups of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in chitin, has been demonstrated in crude extracts from sporulating Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two S. cerevisiae open reading frames (ORFs), identified by the Yeast Genome Project, have protein sequence homology to a chitin deacetylase from Mucor rouxii. Northern blot hybridizations show each ORF was transcribed in diploid cells after transfer to sporulation medium and prior to formation of asci. Each ORF was cloned in a vector under transcriptional control of the GAL 1, 10 promoter and introduced back into haploid strains of S. cerevisiae. Chitin deacetylase activity was detected by in vitro assays from vegetative cells grown in galactose. Chemical analysis of these cells also demonstrated the synthesis of chitosam in vivo. Both recombinant chitin deacetylases showed similar qualitative and quantitative activities toward chitooligosaccharides in vitro. A diploid strain deleted to both ORFs, when sporulated, did not show deacetylase activity. The mutant spores were hypersensitive to lytic enzymes (Glusulase or Zymolyase).

  6. Mutagenic effect of freezing on mitochondrial DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Stoycheva, T; Venkov, P; Tsvetkov, Ts

    2007-06-01

    Although suggested in some studies, the mutagenic effect of freezing has not been proved by induction and isolation of mutants. Using a well-defined genetic model, we supply in this communication evidence for the mutagenic effect of freezing on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The cooling for 2 h at +4 degrees C, followed by freezing for 1 h at -10 degrees C and 16 h at -20 degrees C resulted in induction of respiratory mutations. The immediate freezing in liquid nitrogen was without mutagenic effect. The study of the stepwise procedure showed that the induction of respiratory mutants takes place during the freezing at -10 and -20 degrees C of cells pre-cooled at +4 degrees C. The genetic crosses of freeze-induced mutants evidenced their mitochondrial rho- origin. The freeze-induced rho- mutants are most likely free of simultaneous nuclear mutations. The extracellular presence of cryoprotectants did not prevent the mutagenic effect of freezing while accumulation of cryoprotectors inside cells completely escaped mtDNA from cryodamage. Although the results obtained favor the notion that the mutagenic effect of freezing on yeast mtDNA is due to formation and growth of intracellular ice crystals, other reasons, such as impairment of mtDNA replication or elevated levels of ROS production are discussed as possible explanations of the mutagenic effect of freezing. It is concluded that: (i) freezing can be used as a method for isolation of mitochondrial mutants in S. cerevisiae and (ii) given the substantial development in cryopreservation of cells and tissues, special precautions should be made to avoid mtDNA damage during the cryopreservation procedures.

  7. Chemical Genomic Screening of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Genomewide Mutant Collection Reveals Genes Required for Defense against Four Antimicrobial Peptides Derived from Proteins Found in Human Saliva

    PubMed Central

    Bhatt, Sanjay; Schoenly, Nathan E.; Lee, Anna Y.; Nislow, Corey; Bobek, Libuse A.

    2013-01-01

    To compare the effects of four antimicrobial peptides (MUC7 12-mer, histatin 12-mer, cathelicidin KR20, and a peptide containing lactoferricin amino acids 1 to 11) on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we employed a genomewide fitness screen of combined collections of mutants with homozygous deletions of nonessential genes and heterozygous deletions of essential genes. When an arbitrary fitness score cutoffs of 1 (indicating a fitness defect, or hypersensitivity) and −1 (indicating a fitness gain, or resistance) was used, 425 of the 5,902 mutants tested exhibited altered fitness when treated with at least one peptide. Functional analysis of the 425 strains revealed enrichment among the identified deletions in gene groups associated with the Gene Ontology (GO) terms “ribosomal subunit,” “ribosome biogenesis,” “protein glycosylation,” “vacuolar transport,” “Golgi vesicle transport,” “negative regulation of transcription,” and others. Fitness profiles of all four tested peptides were highly similar, particularly among mutant strains exhibiting the greatest fitness defects. The latter group included deletions in several genes involved in induction of the RIM101 signaling pathway, including several components of the ESCRT sorting machinery. The RIM101 signaling regulates response of yeasts to alkaline and neutral pH and high salts, and our data indicate that this pathway also plays a prominent role in regulating protective measures against all four tested peptides. In summary, the results of the chemical genomic screens of S. cerevisiae mutant collection suggest that the four antimicrobial peptides, despite their differences in structure and physical properties, share many interactions with S. cerevisiae cells and consequently a high degree of similarity between their modes of action. PMID:23208710

  8. Compensatory Internalization of Pma1 in V-ATPase Mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Requires Calcium- and Glucose-Sensitive Phosphatases.

    PubMed

    Velivela, Swetha Devi; Kane, Patricia M

    2018-02-01

    Loss of V-ATPase activity in organelles, whether through V-ATPase inhibition or V-ATPase ( vma ) mutations, triggers a compensatory downregulation of the essential plasma membrane proton pump Pma1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae We have previously determined that the α-arrestin Rim8 and ubiquitin ligase Rsp5 are essential for Pma1 ubiquination and endocytosis in response to loss of V-ATPase activity. Here, we show that Pma1 endocytosis in V-ATPase mutants does not require Rim101 pathway components upstream and downstream of Rim8, indicating that Rim8 is acting independently in Pma1 internalization. We find that two phosphatases, the calcium-responsive phosphatase calcineurin and the glucose-sensitive phosphatase Glc7 (PP1), and one of the Glc7 regulatory subunits Reg1, exhibit negative synthetic genetic interactions with vma mutants, and demonstrate that both phosphatases are essential for ubiquitination and endocytic downregulation of Pma1 in these mutants. Although both acute and chronic loss of V-ATPase activity trigger the internalization of ∼50% of surface Pma1, a comparable reduction in Pma1 expression in a pma1-007 mutant neither compensates for loss of V-ATPase activity nor stops further Pma1 endocytosis. The results indicate that the cell surface level of Pma1 is not directly sensed and that internalized Pma1 may play a role in compensating for loss of V-ATPase-dependent acidification. Taken together, these results provide new insights into cross talk between two major proton pumps central to cellular pH control. Copyright © 2018 by the Genetics Society of America.

  9. Metabolomic approach for improving ethanol stress tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Ohta, Erika; Nakayama, Yasumune; Mukai, Yukio; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro

    2016-04-01

    The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used for brewing and ethanol production. The ethanol sensitivity of yeast cells is still a serious problem during ethanol fermentation, and a variety of genetic approaches (e.g., random mutant screening under selective pressure of ethanol) have been developed to improve ethanol tolerance. In this study, we developed a strategy for improving ethanol tolerance of yeast cells based on metabolomics as a high-resolution quantitative phenotypic analysis. We performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis to identify and quantify 36 compounds on 14 mutant strains including knockout strains for transcription factor and metabolic enzyme genes. A strong relation between metabolome of these mutants and their ethanol tolerance was observed. Data mining of the metabolomic analysis showed that several compounds (such as trehalose, valine, inositol and proline) contributed highly to ethanol tolerance. Our approach successfully detected well-known ethanol stress related metabolites such as trehalose and proline thus, to further prove our strategy, we focused on valine and inositol as the most promising target metabolites in our study. Our results show that simultaneous deletion of LEU4 and LEU9 (leading to accumulation of valine) or INM1 and INM2 (leading to reduction of inositol) significantly enhanced ethanol tolerance. This study shows the potential of the metabolomic approach to identify target genes for strain improvement of S. cerevisiae with higher ethanol tolerance. Copyright © 2015 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. iAID: an improved auxin-inducible degron system for the construction of a 'tight' conditional mutant in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tanaka, Seiji; Miyazawa-Onami, Mayumi; Iida, Tetsushi; Araki, Hiroyuki

    2015-08-01

    Isolation of a 'tight' conditional mutant of a gene of interest is an effective way of studying the functions of essential genes. Strategies that use ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation to eliminate the product of a gene of interest, such as heat-inducible degron (td) and auxin-inducible degron (AID), are powerful methods for constructing conditional mutants. However, these methods do not work with some genes. Here, we describe an improved AID system (iAID) for isolating tight conditional mutants in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this method, transcriptional repression by the 'Tet-OFF' promoter is combined with proteolytic elimination of the target protein by the AID system. To provide examples, we describe the construction of tight mutants of the replication factors Dpb11 and Mcm10, dpb11-iAID, and mcm10-iAID. Because Dpb11 and Mcm10 are required for the initiation of DNA replication, their tight mutants are unable to enter S phase. This is the case for dpb11-iAID and mcm10-iAID cells after the addition of tetracycline and auxin. Both the 'Tet-OFF' promoter and the AID system have been shown to work in model eukaryotes other than budding yeast. Therefore, the iAID system is not only useful in budding yeast, but also can be applied to other model systems to isolate tight conditional mutants. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Divergence in wine characteristics produced by wild and domesticated strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Hyma, Katie E; Saerens, Sofie M; Verstrepen, Kevin J; Fay, Justin C

    2011-01-01

    The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the primary species used by wine makers to convert sugar into alcohol during wine fermentation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is found in vineyards, but is also found in association with oak trees and other natural sources. Although wild strains of S. cerevisiae as well as other Saccharomyces species are also capable of wine fermentation, a genetically distinct group of S. cerevisiae strains is primarily used to produce wine, consistent with the idea that wine making strains have been domesticated for wine production. In this study, we demonstrate that humans can distinguish between wines produced using wine strains and wild strains of S. cerevisiae as well as its sibling species, Saccharomyces paradoxus. Wine strains produced wine with fruity and floral characteristics, whereas wild strains produced wine with earthy and sulfurous characteristics. The differences that we observe between wine and wild strains provides further evidence that wine strains have evolved phenotypes that are distinct from their wild ancestors and relevant to their use in wine production. PMID:22093681

  12. Metabolic Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Ostergaard, Simon; Olsson, Lisbeth; Nielsen, Jens

    2000-01-01

    Comprehensive knowledge regarding Saccharomyces cerevisiae has accumulated over time, and today S. cerevisiae serves as a widley used biotechnological production organism as well as a eukaryotic model system. The high transformation efficiency, in addition to the availability of the complete yeast genome sequence, has facilitated genetic manipulation of this microorganism, and new approaches are constantly being taken to metabolicially engineer this organism in order to suit specific needs. In this paper, strategies and concepts for metabolic engineering are discussed and several examples based upon selected studies involving S. cerevisiae are reviewed. The many different studies of metabolic engineering using this organism illustrate all the categories of this multidisciplinary field: extension of substrate range, improvements of producitivity and yield, elimination of byproduct formation, improvement of process performance, improvements of cellular properties, and extension of product range including heterologous protein production. PMID:10704473

  13. Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungemia: an emerging infectious disease.

    PubMed

    Muñoz, Patricia; Bouza, Emilio; Cuenca-Estrella, Manuel; Eiros, Jose María; Pérez, María Jesús; Sánchez-Somolinos, Mar; Rincón, Cristina; Hortal, Javier; Peláez, Teresa

    2005-06-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well known in the baking and brewing industry and is also used as a probiotic in humans. However, it is a very uncommon cause of infection in humans. During the period of 15-30 April 2003, we found 3 patients with S. cerevisiae fungemia in an intensive care unit (ICU). An epidemiological study was performed, and the medical records for all patients who were in the unit during the second half of April were assessed. The only identified risk factor for S. cerevisiae infection was treatment with a probiotic containing Saccharomyces boulardii (Ultralevura; Bristol-Myers Squibb). This probiotic is used in Europe for the treatment and prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. The 3 patients received the product via nasograstric tube for a mean duration of 8.5 days before the culture result was positive, whereas only 2 of 41 control subjects had received it. Surveillance cultures for the control patients admitted at the same time did not reveal any carriers of the yeast. Strains from the probiotic capsules and the clinical isolates were identified as S. cerevisiae, with identical DNA fingerprinting. Discontinuation of use of the product in the unit stopped the outbreak of infection. A review of the literature identified another 57 cases of S. cerevisiae fungemia. Overall, 60% of these patients were in the ICU, and 71% were receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition. Use of probiotics was detected in 26 patients, and 17 patients died. Use of S. cerevisiae probiotics should be carefully reassessed, particularly in immunosuppressed or critically ill patients.

  14. Deleting the para-nitrophenyl phosphatase (pNPPase), PHO13, in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae improves growth and ethanol production on D-xylose

    Treesearch

    Jennifer Van Vleet; Thomas W. Jeffries; Lisbeth Olsson

    2008-01-01

    Overexpression of D-xylulokinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered for assimilation of xylose results in growth inhibition that is more pronounced at higher xylose concentrations. Mutants deficient in the para-nitrophenyl phosphatase, PHO13, resist growth inhibition on xylose. We studied this inhibition under aerobic growth conditions in well-controlled...

  15. Systematic strain construction and process development: Xylitol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing Candida tenuis xylose reductase in wild-type or mutant form.

    PubMed

    Pratter, S M; Eixelsberger, T; Nidetzky, B

    2015-12-01

    A novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae whole-cell biocatalyst for xylitol production based on Candida tenuis xylose reductase (CtXR) is presented. Six recombinant strains expressing wild-type CtXR or an NADH-specific mutant were constructed and evaluated regarding effects of expression mode, promoter strength, biocatalyst concentration and medium composition. Intracellular XR activities ranged from 0.09 U mgProt(-1) to 1.05 U mgProt(-1) but did not correlate with the strains' xylitol productivities, indicating that other factors limited xylose conversion in the high-activity strains. The CtXR mutant decreased the biocatalyst's performance, suggesting use of the NADPH-preferring wild-type enzyme when (semi-)aerobic conditions are applied. In a bioreactor process, the best-performing strain converted 40 g L(-1) xylose with an initial productivity of 1.16 g L(-1)h(-1) and a xylitol yield of 100%. The obtained results underline the potential of CtXR wild-type for xylose reduction and point out parameters to improve "green" xylitol production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Construction of novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for bioethanol active dry yeast (ADY) production.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Daoqiong; Zhang, Ke; Gao, Kehui; Liu, Zewei; Zhang, Xing; Li, Ou; Sun, Jianguo; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Du, Fengguang; Sun, Peiyong; Qu, Aimin; Wu, Xuechang

    2013-01-01

    The application of active dry yeast (ADY) in bioethanol production simplifies operation processes and reduces the risk of bacterial contamination. In the present study, we constructed a novel ADY strain with improved stress tolerance and ethanol fermentation performances under stressful conditions. The industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain ZTW1 showed excellent properties and thus subjected to a modified whole-genome shuffling (WGS) process to improve its ethanol titer, proliferation capability, and multiple stress tolerance for ADY production. The best-performing mutant, Z3-86, was obtained after three rounds of WGS, producing 4.4% more ethanol and retaining 2.15-fold higher viability than ZTW1 after drying. Proteomics and physiological analyses indicated that the altered expression patterns of genes involved in protein metabolism, plasma membrane composition, trehalose metabolism, and oxidative responses contribute to the trait improvement of Z3-86. This work not only successfully developed a novel S. cerevisiae mutant for application in commercial bioethanol production, but also enriched the current understanding of how WGS improves the complex traits of microbes.

  17. Construction of Novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains for Bioethanol Active Dry Yeast (ADY) Production

    PubMed Central

    Gao, Kehui; Liu, Zewei; Zhang, Xing; Li, Ou; Sun, Jianguo; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Du, Fengguang; Sun, Peiyong; Qu, Aimin; Wu, Xuechang

    2013-01-01

    The application of active dry yeast (ADY) in bioethanol production simplifies operation processes and reduces the risk of bacterial contamination. In the present study, we constructed a novel ADY strain with improved stress tolerance and ethanol fermentation performances under stressful conditions. The industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain ZTW1 showed excellent properties and thus subjected to a modified whole-genome shuffling (WGS) process to improve its ethanol titer, proliferation capability, and multiple stress tolerance for ADY production. The best-performing mutant, Z3-86, was obtained after three rounds of WGS, producing 4.4% more ethanol and retaining 2.15-fold higher viability than ZTW1 after drying. Proteomics and physiological analyses indicated that the altered expression patterns of genes involved in protein metabolism, plasma membrane composition, trehalose metabolism, and oxidative responses contribute to the trait improvement of Z3-86. This work not only successfully developed a novel S. cerevisiae mutant for application in commercial bioethanol production, but also enriched the current understanding of how WGS improves the complex traits of microbes. PMID:24376860

  18. Gains and Losses of Transcription Factor Binding Sites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus

    PubMed Central

    Schaefke, Bernhard; Wang, Tzi-Yuan; Wang, Chuen-Yi; Li, Wen-Hsiung

    2015-01-01

    Gene expression evolution occurs through changes in cis- or trans-regulatory elements or both. Interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and their binding sites (TFBSs) constitute one of the most important points where these two regulatory components intersect. In this study, we investigated the evolution of TFBSs in the promoter regions of different Saccharomyces strains and species. We divided the promoter of a gene into the proximal region and the distal region, which are defined, respectively, as the 200-bp region upstream of the transcription starting site and as the 200-bp region upstream of the proximal region. We found that the predicted TFBSs in the proximal promoter regions tend to be evolutionarily more conserved than those in the distal promoter regions. Additionally, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used in the fermentation of alcoholic drinks have experienced more TFBS losses than gains compared with strains from other environments (wild strains, laboratory strains, and clinical strains). We also showed that differences in TFBSs correlate with the cis component of gene expression evolution between species (comparing S. cerevisiae and its sister species Saccharomyces paradoxus) and within species (comparing two closely related S. cerevisiae strains). PMID:26220934

  19. Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered for xylose metabolism exhibits a respiratory response

    Treesearch

    Yong-Su Jin; Jose M. Laplaza; Thomas W. Jeffries

    2004-01-01

    Native strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae do not assimilate xylose. S. cerevisiae engineered for D-xylose utilization through the heterologous expression of genes for aldose reductase ( XYL1), xylitol dehydrogenase (XYL2), and D-xylulokinase ( XYL3 or XKS1) produce only limited amounts of ethanol in xylose medium. In recombinant S. cerevisiae expressing XYL1, XYL2,...

  20. iTRAQ-based proteome profiling of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and cryotolerant species Saccharomyces uvarum and Saccharomyces kudriavzevii during low-temperature wine fermentation.

    PubMed

    García-Ríos, Estéfani; Querol, Amparo; Guillamón, José Manuel

    2016-09-02

    Temperature is one of the most important parameters to affect the duration and rate of alcoholic fermentation and final wine quality. Some species of the Saccharomyces genus have shown better adaptation at low temperature than Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which was the case of cryotolerant yeasts Saccharomyces uvarum and Saccharomyces kudriavzevii. In an attempt to detect inter-specific metabolic differences, we characterized the proteomic landscape of these cryotolerant species grown at 12°C and 28°C, which we compared with the proteome of S. cerevisiae (poorly adapted at low temperature). Our results showed that the main differences among the proteomic profiling of the three Saccharomyces strains grown at 12°C and 28°C lay in translation, glycolysis and amino acid metabolism. Our data corroborate previous transcriptomic results, which suggest that S. kudriavzevii is better adapted to grow at low temperature as a result of enhanced more efficient translation. Fitter amino acid biosynthetic pathways can also be mechanisms that better explain biomass yield in cryotolerant strains. Yet even at low temperature, S. cerevisiae is the most fermentative competitive species. A higher concentration of glycolytic and alcoholic fermentation enzymes in the S. cerevisiae strain might explain such greater fermentation activity. Temperature is one of the main relevant environmental variables that microorganisms have to cope with and it is also a key factor in some industrial processes that involve microorganisms. However, we are still far from understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms of adaptation at low temperatures. The results obtained in this study provided a global atlas of the proteome changes triggered by temperature in three different species of the genus Saccharomyces with different degree of cryotolerance. These results would facilitate a better understanding of mechanisms for how yeast could adapt at the low temperature of growth. Copyright © 2016

  1. Water treatment process and system for metals removal using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DOEpatents

    Krauter, Paula A. W.; Krauter, Gordon W.

    2002-01-01

    A process and a system for removal of metals from ground water or from soil by bioreducing or bioaccumulating the metals using metal tolerant microorganisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is tolerant to the metals, able to bioreduce the metals to the less toxic state and to accumulate them. The process and the system is useful for removal or substantial reduction of levels of chromium, molybdenum, cobalt, zinc, nickel, calcium, strontium, mercury and copper in water.

  2. Mutations in Ran system affected telomere silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hayashi, Naoyuki; Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0934; Kobayashi, Masahiko

    The Ran GTPase system regulates the direction and timing of several cellular events, such as nuclear-cytosolic transport, centrosome formation, and nuclear envelope assembly in telophase. To gain insight into the Ran system's involvement in chromatin formation, we investigated gene silencing at the telomere in several mutants of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which had defects in genes involved in the Ran system. A mutation of the RanGAP gene, rna1-1, caused reduced silencing at the telomere, and partial disruption of the nuclear Ran binding factor, yrb2-{delta}2, increased this silencing. The reduced telomere silencing in rna1-1 cells was suppressed by a highmore » dosage of the SIR3 gene or the SIT4 gene. Furthermore, hyperphosphorylated Sir3 protein accumulated in the rna1-1 mutant. These results suggest that RanGAP is required for the heterochromatin structure at the telomere in budding yeast.« less

  3. Necrotic and apoptotic cell death induced by Captan on Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Scariot, Fernando J; Jahn, Luciane; Delamare, Ana Paula L; Echeverrigaray, Sergio

    2017-08-01

    Captan is one of the most widely used broad-spectrum fungicide applied to control several early and late diseases of grapes, apples, and other fruits and vegetables, and as other phthalimide fungicides is defined as a multisite compound with thiol-reactivity. Captan can affect non-target organisms as yeasts, modifying microbial populations and fermentation processes. In this study, we asked whether Captan thiol-reactivity and other mechanisms are involved in acute Captan-induced cell death on aerobic growing Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Thus for, we analyze cellular protein and non-protein thiols, cell membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species accumulation, phosphatidylserine externalization, and apoptotic mutants behavior. The results showed that when submitted to acute Captan treatment most cells lost their membrane integrity and died by necrosis due to Captan reaction with thiols. However, part of the cells, even maintaining their membrane integrity, lost their culture ability. These cells showed an apoptotic behavior that may be the result of non-protein thiol depletion and consequent increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS accumulation triggers a metacaspase-dependent apoptotic cascade, as shown by the higher viability of the yca1-deleted mutant. Together, necrosis and apoptosis are responsible for the high mortality detected after acute Captan treatment of aerobically growing cells of S. cerevisiae.

  4. Mechanisms of Ethanol Tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a superb ethanol producer, yet is also sensitive to higher ethanol concentrations especially under high gravity or very high gravity fermentation conditions. Ethanol tolerance is associated with interplay of complex networks at the genome level. Although significant eff...

  5. Creation of a synthetic xylose-inducible promoter for Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is currently used to produce ethanol from glucose, but it cannot utilize five-carbon sugars contained in the hemicellulose component of biomass feedstocks. S. cerevisiae strains engineered for xylose fermentation have been made using constitutive promoters to express the req...

  6. Immunoelectron Microscopy of Cryofixed Freeze-Substituted Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Fišerová, Jindřiška; Richardson, Christine; Goldberg, Martin W

    2016-01-01

    Immunolabeling electron microscopy is a challenging technique with demands for perfect ultrastructural and antigen preservation. High-pressure freezing offers an excellent way to fix cellular structure. However, its use for immunolabeling has remained limited because of the low frequency of labeling due to loss of protein antigenicity or accessibility. Here we present a protocol for immunogold labeling of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that gives specific and multiple labeling while keeping the finest structural details. We use the protocol to reveal the organization of individual nuclear pore complex proteins and the position of transport factors in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in relation to actual transport events.

  7. Impact of oxygenation on the performance of three non-Saccharomyces yeasts in co-fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Shekhawat, Kirti; Bauer, Florian F; Setati, Mathabatha E

    2017-03-01

    The sequential or co-inoculation of grape must with non-Saccharomyces yeast species and Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast strains has recently become a common practice in winemaking. The procedure intends to enhance unique aroma and flavor profiles of wine. The extent of the impact of non-Saccharomyces strains depends on their ability to produce biomass and to remain metabolically active for a sufficiently long period. However, mixed-culture wine fermentations tend to become rapidly dominated by S. cerevisiae, reducing or eliminating the non-Saccharomyces yeast contribution. For an efficient application of these yeasts, it is therefore essential to understand the environmental factors that modulate the population dynamics of such ecosystems. Several environmental parameters have been shown to influence population dynamics, but their specific effect remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, the population dynamics in co-fermentations of S. cerevisiae and three non-Saccharomyces yeast species: Torulaspora delbrueckii, Lachancea thermotolerans, and Metschnikowia pulcherrima, was investigated as a function of oxygen availability. In all cases, oxygen availability strongly influenced population dynamics, but clear species-dependent differences were observed. Our data show that L. thermotolerans required the least oxygen, followed by T. delbrueckii and M. pulcherrima. Distinct species-specific chemical volatile profiles correlated in all cases with increased persistence of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, in particular increases in some higher alcohols and medium chain fatty acids. The results highlight the role of oxygen in regulating the succession of yeasts during wine fermentations and suggests that more stringent aeration strategies would be necessary to support the persistence of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in real must fermentations.

  8. Biosynthesis of diphthamide in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen, J.Y.C.

    1985-01-01

    Inactivation of EF-2 by diphtheria toxin requires the presence of a posttranslationally synthesized amino acid residue, diphthamide. The present work was undertaken to study the biosynthetic mechanism of diphthamide synthesis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in order to gain better understanding of the biological roles of this unique amino acid residue. Thirty-one haploid ADP-ribosylation-negative mutants, comprising 5 complementation groups, were obtained. One of these mutants contains a toxin-resistant form of EF-2 which can be converted to a toxin-sensitive form through the methylation reaction catalyzed by a S-AdoMet:EF-2 methyltransferase enzyme which is present in other yeast strains. The (/sup 3/He)methylated residuemore » in the EF-2 modified by the methyltransferase in the presence of S-Ado-L-(/sup 3/H-methyl)-Met has been analyzed chromatographically following both acid and enzymatic hydrolysis. At the conclusion of the reaction, all of the radiolabel was recovered as diphthine (the unamidated form of diphthamide). The authors conclude that the S-AdoMet:EF-2-methyltransferase is specific for the addition of at least the last two of the three methyl groups present in diphthine.« less

  9. Tangential Ultrafiltration of Aqueous "Saccharomyces Cerevisiae" Suspensions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silva, Carlos M.; Neves, Patricia S.; Da Silva, Francisco A.; Xavier, Ana M. R. B.; Eusebio, M. F. J.

    2008-01-01

    Experimental work on ultrafiltration is presented to illustrate the practical and theoretical principles of this separation technique. The laboratory exercise comprises experiments with pure water and with aqueous "Saccharomyces cerevisiae" (from commercial Baker's yeast) suspensions. With this work students detect the characteristic phenomena…

  10. Ypq3p-dependent histidine uptake by the vacuolar membrane vesicles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Manabe, Kunio; Kawano-Kawada, Miyuki; Ikeda, Koichi; Sekito, Takayuki; Kakinuma, Yoshimi

    2016-06-01

    The vacuolar membrane proteins Ypq1p, Ypq2p, and Ypq3p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are known as the members of the PQ-loop protein family. We found that the ATP-dependent uptake activities of arginine and histidine by the vacuolar membrane vesicles were decreased by ypq2Δ and ypq3Δ mutations, respectively. YPQ1 and AVT1, which are involved in the vacuolar uptake of lysine/arginine and histidine, respectively, were deleted in addition to ypq2Δ and ypq3Δ. The vacuolar membrane vesicles isolated from the resulting quadruple deletion mutant ypq1Δypq2Δypq3Δavt1Δ completely lost the uptake activity of basic amino acids, and that of histidine, but not lysine and arginine, was evidently enhanced by overexpressing YPQ3 in the mutant. These results suggest that Ypq3p is specifically involved in the vacuolar uptake of histidine in S. cerevisiae. The cellular level of Ypq3p-HA(3) was enhanced by depletion of histidine from culture medium, suggesting that it is regulated by the substrate.

  11. Mode of action of the qcr9 and cat3 mutations in restoring the ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae tps1 mutants to grow on glucose.

    PubMed

    Blázquez, M A; Gancedo, C

    1995-12-20

    Mutations in the TPS1 gene, which encodes trehalose-6-P synthase, cause a glucose-negative phenotype in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Antimycin A or disruption of the QCR9 gene, which encodes one subunit of the cytochrome bc1 complex, restore the ability to grow in glucose-containing media. Under these conditions the cell excreted a large amount of glycerol, corresponding to about 20% of the glucose taken up. Suppression appears to be achieved by diversion of accumulated glycolytic intermediates to the production of glycerol, thereby providing NAD+ and phosphate for the glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase reaction. Analysis of the mutation sci1-1, which also suppresses the glucose-negative phenotype of tps1 mutants, showed that glucose transport was decreased in sci1-1 mutants. The gene SCI1 was cloned and its nucleotide sequence revealed it to be identical to CAT3/SNF4. The suppression mediated by sci1-1 is attributable to a decrease in glycolytic flux.

  12. Gains and Losses of Transcription Factor Binding Sites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus.

    PubMed

    Schaefke, Bernhard; Wang, Tzi-Yuan; Wang, Chuen-Yi; Li, Wen-Hsiung

    2015-07-27

    Gene expression evolution occurs through changes in cis- or trans-regulatory elements or both. Interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and their binding sites (TFBSs) constitute one of the most important points where these two regulatory components intersect. In this study, we investigated the evolution of TFBSs in the promoter regions of different Saccharomyces strains and species. We divided the promoter of a gene into the proximal region and the distal region, which are defined, respectively, as the 200-bp region upstream of the transcription starting site and as the 200-bp region upstream of the proximal region. We found that the predicted TFBSs in the proximal promoter regions tend to be evolutionarily more conserved than those in the distal promoter regions. Additionally, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used in the fermentation of alcoholic drinks have experienced more TFBS losses than gains compared with strains from other environments (wild strains, laboratory strains, and clinical strains). We also showed that differences in TFBSs correlate with the cis component of gene expression evolution between species (comparing S. cerevisiae and its sister species Saccharomyces paradoxus) and within species (comparing two closely related S. cerevisiae strains). © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

  13. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Shuttle vectors.

    PubMed

    Gnügge, Robert; Rudolf, Fabian

    2017-05-01

    Yeast shuttle vectors are indispensable tools in yeast research. They enable cloning of defined DNA sequences in Escherichia coli and their direct transfer into Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. There are three types of commonly used yeast shuttle vectors: centromeric plasmids, episomal plasmids and integrating plasmids. In this review, we discuss the different plasmid systems and their characteristic features. We focus on their segregational stability and copy number and indicate how to modify these properties. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Toxicity of CuO nanoparticles to yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741 wild-type and its nine isogenic single-gene deletion mutants.

    PubMed

    Kasemets, Kaja; Suppi, Sandra; Künnis-Beres, Kai; Kahru, Anne

    2013-03-18

    A suite of eight tentatively oxidative stress response-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741 single-gene mutants (sod1Δ, sod2Δ, yap1Δ, cta1Δ, ctt1Δ, gsh1Δ, glr1Δ, and ccs1Δ) and one copper-vulnerable mutant (cup2Δ) was used to elucidate weather the toxicity of CuO nanoparticles to S. cerevisiae is mediated by oxidative stress (OS). Specifically, sensitivity profiles of mutants' phenotypes and wild-type (wt) upon exposure to nano-CuO were compared. As controls, CuSO4 (solubility), bulk-CuO (size), H2O2, and menadione (OS) were used. Growth inhibition of wt and mutant strains was studied in rich YPD medium and cell viability in deionized water (DI). Dissolved Cu-ions were quantified by recombinant metal-sensing bacteria and chemical analysis. To wt strain nano-CuO was 32-fold more toxic than bulk-CuO: 24-h IC50 4.8 and 155 mg/L in DI and 643 and >20000 mg/L in YPD, respectively. In toxicant-free YPD medium, all mutants had practically similar growth patterns as wt. However, the mutant strains sod1Δ, sod2Δ, ccs1Δ, and yap1Δ showed up to 12-fold elevated sensitivity toward OS standard chemicals menadione and H2O2 but not to nano-CuO, indicating that CuO nanoparticles exerted toxicity to yeast cells via different mechanisms. The most vulnerable strain to all studied Cu compounds was the copper stress response-deficient strain cup2Δ (∼16-fold difference with wt), indicating that the toxic effect of CuO (nano)particles proceeds via dissolved Cu-ions. The dissolved copper solely explained the toxicity of nano-CuO in DI but not in YPD. Assumingly, in YPD nano-CuO acquired a coating of peptides/proteins and sorbed onto the yeast's outer surface, resulting in their increased solubility in the close vicinity of yeast cells and increased uptake of Cu-ions that was not registered by the assays used for the analysis of dissolved Cu-ions in the test medium. Lastly, as yeast retained its viability in DI even by 24th hour of incubation, the profiling of the acute

  15. HOL1 mutations confer novel ion transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Gaber, R F; Kielland-Brandt, M C; Fink, G R

    1990-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae histidine auxotrophs are unable to use L-histidinol as a source of histidine even when they have a functional histidinol dehydrogenase. Mutations in the hol1 gene permit growth of His- cells on histidinol by enhancing the ability of cells to take up histidinol from the medium. Second-site mutations linked to HOL1-1 further increase histidinol uptake. HOL1 double mutants and, to a lesser extent, HOL1-1 single mutants show hypersensitivity to specific cations added to the growth medium, including Na+, Li+, Cs+, Be2+, guanidinium ion, and histidinol, but not K+, Rb+, Ca2+, or Mg2+. The Na(+)-hypersensitive phenotype is correlated with increased uptake and accumulation of this ion. The HOL1-1-101 gene was cloned and used to generate a viable haploid strain containing a hol1 deletion mutation (hol1 delta). The uptake of cations, the dominance of the mutant alleles, and the relative inability of hol1 delta cells to take up histidinol or Na+ suggest that hol1 encodes an ion transporter. The novel pattern of ion transport conferred by HOL1-1 and HOL1-1-101 mutants may be explained by reduced selectivity for the permeant ions. Images PMID:2405251

  16. Ubiquitin regulates TORC1 in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Hu, Kejin; Guo, Shuguang; Yan, Gonghong; Yuan, Wenjie; Zheng, Yin; Jiang, Yu

    2016-04-01

    In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae the TOR complex 1 (TORC1) controls many growth-related cellular processes and is essential for cell growth and proliferation. Macrolide antibiotic rapamycin, in complex with a cytosol protein named FKBP12, specifically inhibits TORC1, causing growth arrest. The FKBP12-rapamycin complex interferes with TORC1 function by binding to the FRB domain of the TOR proteins. In an attempt to understand the role of the FRB domain in TOR function, we identified a single point mutation (Tor2(W2041R) ) in the FRB domain of Tor2 that renders yeast cells rapamycin resistant and temperature sensitive. At the permissive temperature, the Tor2 mutant protein is partially defective for binding with Kog1 and TORC1 is impaired for membrane association. At the restrictive temperature, Kog1 but not the Tor2 mutant protein, is rapidly degraded. Overexpression of ubiquitin stabilizes Kog1 and suppresses the growth defect associated with the tor2 mutant at the nonpremissive temperature. We find that ubiquitin binds non-covalently to Kog1, prevents Kog1 from degradation and stabilizes TORC1. Our data reveal a unique role for ubiquitin in regulation of TORC1 and suggest that Kog1 requires association with the Tor proteins for stabilization. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Physiological role of D-amino acid-N-acetyltransferase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: detoxification of D-amino acids.

    PubMed

    Yow, Geok-Yong; Uo, Takuma; Yoshimura, Tohru; Esaki, Nobuyoshi

    2006-03-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is sensitive to D-amino acids: those corresponding to almost all proteinous L-amino acids inhibit the growth of yeast even at low concentrations (e.g. 0.1 mM). We have determined that D-amino acid-N-acetyltransferase (DNT) of the yeast is involved in the detoxification of D-amino acids on the basis of the following findings. When the DNT gene was disrupted, the resulting mutant was far less tolerant to D-amino acids than the wild type. However, when the gene was overexpressed with a vector plasmid p426Gal1 in the wild type or the mutant S. cerevisiae as a host, the recombinant yeast, which was found to show more than 100 times higher DNT activity than the wild type, was much more tolerant to D-amino acids than the wild type. We further confirmed that, upon cultivation with D-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-D-phenylalanine was accumulated in the culture but not in the wild type and hpa3Delta cells overproducing DNT cells. Thus, D-amino acids are toxic to S. cerevisiae but are detoxified with DNT by N-acetylation preceding removal from yeast cells.

  18. Stoichiometric network constraints on xylose metabolism by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Treesearch

    Yong-Su Jin; Thomas W. Jeffries

    2004-01-01

    Metabolic pathway engineering is constrained by the thermodynamic and stoichiometric feasibility of enzymatic activities of introduced genes. Engineering of xylose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has focused on introducing genes for the initial xylose assimilation steps from Pichia stipitis, a xylose-fermenting yeast, into S. cerevisiae, a yeast raditionally...

  19. Cloning of the Pichia anomala SEC61 gene and its expression in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae sec61 mutant.

    PubMed

    Ruíz, Teresa; De la Rosa, José M; Domínguez, Angel; Rodríguez, Luis

    2003-05-01

    In several organisms, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeast species, the product encoded by the SEC61 gene is considered to be the core element of the translocation apparatus within the endoplasmic reticulum membrane through which translocation of secretory and membrane proteins occurs. In this study, we have cloned and characterized the homolog of the SEC61 gene from the yeast Pichia anomala. The cloned gene includes an ORF, interrupted after the first ten nucleotides by an intron of 131 bp, encoding a 479-amino acid putative polypeptide exhibiting homology to the products encoded by different eukaryotic SEC61 genes, particularly to those from other yeast species. We show that the P. anomala SEC61 gene is correctly processed (intron splicing) when expressed in S. cerevisiae and that it is able to complement the thermosensitive phenotype associated with a mutation in the S. cerevisiae SEC61 gene.

  20. Expression of PEP carboxylase from Escherichia coli complements the phenotypic effects of pyruvate carboxylase mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Flores, C L; Gancedo, C

    1997-08-04

    We investigated the effects of the expression of the Escherichia coli ppc gene encoding PEP carboxylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants devoid of pyruvate carboxylase. Functional expression of the ppc gene restored the ability of the yeast mutants to grow in glucose-ammonium medium. Growth yield in this medium was the same in the transformed yeast than in the wild type although the growth rate of the transformed yeast was slower. Growth in pyruvate was slowed down in the transformed strain, likely due to a futile cycle produced by the simultaneous action of PEP carboxykinase and PEP carboxylase.

  1. Influence of temperature and nutrient strength on the susceptibility of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to heavy metals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hsu, T.; Lee, L.W.; Chang, T.H.

    1992-09-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is not only a key microorganism in brewing or fermentation processes, it has also been employed for monitoring aquatic pollutants. The major advantage of using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a bioassay system is that this yeast can be easily obtained as dry pellets from commercial sources at low cost. In addition to its economical aspect, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, like other microorganisms, is easy to handle, grows rapidly, and provides a large number of homogeneous individuals for utilization in toxicity tests. Although cell growth, cell viability, electron transport and mitochondrial respiration of Saccharomyces cerevisiaes have all been selected as parameters formore » toxicity assessment, measuring cell growth by absorbance is by farm the most convenient and rapid method when large amounts of water samples are to be tested. Mochida et al. (1988), however, reported that Saccharomyces cerevisiae was five to ten times less sensitive than cell culture systems to cadmium, mercury and nickel, when cell growth of both systems was monitored. This relative insensitivity to heavy metals might handicap the practical use of this yeast strain for bioassays. Since previous studies indicated that the susceptibility of microorganisms to environmental toxicants can be influenced by incubation temperature and nutrient strength, we attempted to examine the effect of incubation temperature and nutrient strength on the susceptibility of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to heavy metals in order to obtain the optimum bioassay sensitivity. In this study, we used cadmium and mercury as model toxicants. 9 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.« less

  2. Histone H2A is required for normal centromere function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Pinto, Inés; Winston, Fred

    2000-01-01

    Histones are structural and functional components of the eukaryotic chromosome, and their function is essential for normal cell cycle progression. In this work, we describe the characterization of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae cold-sensitive histone H2A mutants. Both mutants contain single amino acid replacements of residues predicted to be on the surface of the nucleosome and in close contact with DNA. We show that these H2A mutations cause an increase-in-ploidy phenotype, an increased rate of chromosome loss, and a defect in traversing the G2–M phase of the cell cycle. Moreover, these H2A mutations show genetic interactions with mutations in genes encoding kinetochore components. Finally, chromatin analysis of these H2A mutants has revealed an altered centromeric chromatin structure. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that histone H2A is required for proper centromere–kinetochore function during chromosome segregation. PMID:10747028

  3. Invasive Saccharomyces cerevisiae infection: a friend turning foe?

    PubMed

    Pillai, Unnikrishnan; Devasahayam, Joe; Kurup, Aparna Narayana; Lacasse, Alexandre

    2014-11-01

    We report a very rare case of acute pyelonephritis in a 51-year-old female with a history of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes caused by a normally benign and a well-known human commensal organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is very often prescribed as a probiotic in modern medical practice. The causal role of S. cerevisiae was confirmed by its isolation in blood, urine, stool as well as vaginal swabs thus proving its virulent nature in suitable situations.

  4. ISOLATION OF A CYTOCHROME P-450 STRUCTURAL GENE FROM SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

    EPA Science Inventory

    We have transformed a Saccharomyces cerevisiae host with an S. cerevisiae genomic library contained in the shuttle vector YEp24 and screened the resultant transformants for resistance to ketoconazole (Kc), an inhibitor of the cytochrome P-450 (P-450) enzyme lanosterol 14-demethyl...

  5. Functional expression of aryl-alcohol oxidase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris by directed evolution.

    PubMed

    Viña-Gonzalez, Javier; Elbl, Katarina; Ponte, Xavier; Valero, Francisco; Alcalde, Miguel

    2018-07-01

    Aryl-alcohol oxidase (AAO) plays a fundamental role in the fungal ligninolytic secretome, acting as a supplier of H 2 O 2 . Despite its highly selective mechanism of action, the presence of this flavooxidase in different biotechnological settings has hitherto been hampered by the lack of appropriate heterologous expression systems. We recently described the functional expression of the AAO from Pleurotus eryngii in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by fusing a chimeric signal peptide (preαproK) and applying structure-guided evolution. Here, we have obtained an AAO secretion variant that is readily expressed in S. cerevisiae and overproduced in Pichia pastoris. First, the functional expression of AAO in S. cerevisiae was enhanced through the in vivo shuffling of a panel of secretion variants, followed by the focused evolution of the preαproK peptide. The outcome of this evolutionary campaign-an expression variant that accumulated 4 mutations in the chimeric signal peptide, plus two mutations in the mature protein- showed 350-fold improved secretion (4.5 mg/L) and was stable. This secretion mutant was cloned into P. pastoris and fermented in a fed-batch bioreactor to enhance production to 25 mg/L. While both recombinant AAO from S. cerevisiae and P. pastoris were subjected to the same N-terminal processing and had a similar pH activity profile, they differed in their kinetic parameters and thermostability. The strong glycosylation observed in the evolved AAO from S. cerevisiae underpinned this effect, since when the mutant was produced in the glycosylation-deficient S. cerevisiae strain Δkre2, its kinetic parameters and thermostability were comparable to its poorly glycosylated P. pastoris recombinant counterpart. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. The impact of MIG1 and/or MIG2 disruption on aerobic metabolism of succinate dehydrogenase negative Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Cao, Hailong; Yue, Min; Li, Shuguang; Bai, Xuefang; Zhao, Xiaoming; Du, Yuguang

    2011-02-01

    The zinc finger proteins Mig1 and Mig2 play important roles in glucose repression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To investigate whether the alleviation of glucose effect would result in an increase in aerobic succinate production, MIG1 and/or MIG2 were disrupted in a succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)-negative S. cerevisiae strain. Moreover, their impacts on physiology of the SDH-negative S. cerevisiae strain were studied under fully aerobic conditions when glucose was the sole carbon source. Our results showed that the succinate production for the SDH-negative S. cerevisiae was very low even under fully aerobic conditions. Furthermore, deletion of MIG1 and/or MIG2 did not result in an increase in succinate production in the SDH-negative S. cerevisiae strain. However, the synthesis of acetate was significantly affected by MIG1 deletion or in combination with MIG2 deletion. The acetate production for the mig1/mig2 double mutant BS2M was reduced by 69.72% compared to the parent strain B2S. In addition, the amount of ethanol produced by BS2M was slightly decreased. With the mig2 mutant BSM2, the concentrations of pyruvate and glycerol were increased by 26.23% and 15.28%, respectively, compared to the parent strain B2S.

  7. Characterization of Synthetic-Lethal Mutants Reveals a Role for the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Guanine-Nucleotide Exchange Factor Cdc24p in Vacuole Function and Na(+) Tolerance

    PubMed Central

    White, W. H.; Johnson, D. I.

    1997-01-01

    Cdc24p is the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor for the Cdc42p GTPase, which controls cell polarity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To identify new genes that may affect cell polarity, we characterized six UV-induced csl (CDC24 synthetic-lethal) mutants that exhibited synthetic-lethality with cdc24-4(ts) at 23°. Five mutants were not complemented by plasmid-borne CDC42, RSR1, BUD5, BEM1, BEM2, BEM3 or CLA4 genes, which are known to play a role in cell polarity. The csl3 mutant displayed phenotypes similar to those observed with calcium-sensitive, Pet(-) vma mutants defective in vacuole function. CSL5 was allelic to VMA5, the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase subunit C, and one third of csl5 cdc24-4(ts) cells were elongated or had misshapen buds. A cdc24-4(ts) Δvma5::LEU2 double mutant did not exhibit synthetic lethality, suggesting that the csl5/vma5 cdc24-4(ts) synthetic-lethality was not simply due to altered vacuole function. The cdc24-4(ts) mutant, like Δvma5::LEU2 and csl3 mutants, was sensitive to high levels of Ca(2+) as well as Na(+) in the growth media, which did not appear to be a result of a fragile cell wall because the phenotypes were not remedied by 1 M sorbitol. Our results indicated that Cdc24p was required in one V-ATPase mutant and another mutant affecting vacuole morphology, and also implicated Cdc24p in Na(+) tolerance. PMID:9286667

  8. High-throughput measurement of recombination rates and genetic interference in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Raffoux, Xavier; Bourge, Mickael; Dumas, Fabrice; Martin, Olivier C; Falque, Matthieu

    2018-06-01

    Allelic recombination owing to meiotic crossovers is a major driver of genome evolution, as well as a key player for the selection of high-performing genotypes in economically important species. Therefore, we developed a high-throughput and low-cost method to measure recombination rates and crossover patterning (including interference) in large populations of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recombination and interference were analysed by flow cytometry, which allows time-consuming steps such as tetrad microdissection or spore growth to be avoided. Moreover, our method can also be used to compare recombination in wild-type vs. mutant individuals or in different environmental conditions, even if the changes in recombination rates are small. Furthermore, meiotic mutants often present recombination and/or pairing defects affecting spore viability but our method does not involve growth steps and thus avoids filtering out non-viable spores. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Roles of Catalase and Trehalose in the Protection from Hydrogen Peroxide Toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Nishimoto, Takuto; Watanabe, Takeru; Furuta, Masakazu; Kataoka, Michihiko; Kishida, Masao

    2016-01-01

    The roles of catalase and trehalose in Saccharomyces cerevisiae subject to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment were examined by measuring the catalase activity and intracellular trehalose levels in mutants lacking catalase or trehalose synthetase. Intracellular trehalose was elevated but the survival rate after H2O2 treatment remained low in mutants with deletion of the Catalase T gene. On the other hand, deletion of the trehalose synthetase gene increased the catalase activity in mutated yeast to levels higher than those in the wild-type strain, and these mutants exhibited some degree of tolerance to H2O2 treatment. These results suggest that Catalase T is critical in the yeast response to oxidative damage caused by H2O2 treatment, but trehalose also plays a role in protection against H2O2 treatment.

  10. [The ABC transporters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae].

    PubMed

    Wawrzycka, Donata

    2011-01-01

    The ABC transporters (ATP Binding Cassette) compose one of the bigest protein family with the great medical, industrial and economical impact. They are found in all organism from bacteria to man. ABC proteins are responsible for resistance of microorganism to antibiotics and fungicides and multidrug resistance of cancer cells. Mutations in ABC transporters genes cause seriuos deseases like cystic fibrosis, adrenoleucodystrophy or ataxia. Transport catalized by ABC proteins is charged with energy from the ATP hydrolysis. The ABC superfamily contains transporters, canals, receptors. Analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome allowed to distinguish 30 potential ABC proteins which are classified into 6 subfamilies. The structural and functional similarity of the yeast and human ABC proteins allowes to use the S. cerevisiae as a model organism for ABC transporters characterisation. In this work the present state of knowleadge on yeast S. cerevisiae ABC proteins was summarised.

  11. Bioethanol production from cellulosic hydrolysates by engineered industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ye-Gi; Jin, Yong-Su; Cha, Young-Lok; Seo, Jin-Ho

    2017-03-01

    Even though industrial yeast strains exhibit numerous advantageous traits for the production of bioethanol, their genetic manipulation has been limited. This study demonstrates that an industrial polyploidy Saccharomyces cerevisiae JHS200 can be engineered through Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9)-based genome editing. Specifically, we generated auxotrophic mutants and introduced a xylose metabolic pathway into the auxotrophic mutants. As expected, the engineered strain (JX123) enhanced ethanol production from cellulosic hydrolysates as compared to other engineered haploid strains. However, the JX123 strain produced substantial amounts of xylitol as a by-product during xylose fermentation. Hypothesizing that the xylitol accumulation might be caused by intracellular redox imbalance from cofactor difference, the NADH oxidase from Lactococcus lactis was introduced into the JX123 strain. The resulting strain (JX123_noxE) not only produced more ethanol, but also produced xylitol less than the JX123 strain. These results suggest that industrial polyploidy yeast can be modified for producing biofuels and chemicals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Growth of non-Saccharomyces yeasts affects nutrient availability for Saccharomyces cerevisiae during wine fermentation.

    PubMed

    Medina, Karina; Boido, Eduardo; Dellacassa, Eduardo; Carrau, Francisco

    2012-07-02

    Yeast produces numerous secondary metabolites during fermentation that impact final wine quality. Although it is widely recognized that growth of diverse non-Saccharomyces (NS) yeast can positively affect flavor complexity during Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine fermentation, the inability to control spontaneous or co-fermentation processes by NS yeast has restricted their use in winemaking. We selected two NS yeasts from our Uruguayan native collection to study NS-S. cerevisiae interactions during wine fermentation. The selected strains of Hanseniaspora vineae and Metschnikowia pulcherrima had different yeast assimilable nitrogen consumption profiles and had different effects on S. cerevisiae fermentation and growth kinetics. Studies in which we varied inoculum size and using either simultaneous or sequential inoculation of NS yeast and S. cerevisiae suggested that competition for nutrients had a significant effect on fermentation kinetics. Sluggish fermentations were more pronounced when S. cerevisiae was inoculated 24h after the initial stage of fermentation with a NS strain compared to co-inoculation. Monitoring strain populations using differential WL nutrient agar medium and fermentation kinetics of mixed cultures allowed for a better understanding of strain interactions and nutrient addition effects. Limitation of nutrient availability for S. cerevisiae was shown to result in stuck fermentations as well as to reduce sensory desirability of the resulting wine. Addition of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and a vitamin mix to a defined medium allowed for a comparison of nutrient competition between strains. Addition of DAP and the vitamin mix was most effective in preventing stuck fermentations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. PCR on yeast colonies: an improved method for glyco-engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Saccharomyces cerevisiae is extensively used in bio-industries. However, its genetic engineering to introduce new metabolism pathways can cause unexpected phenotypic alterations. For example, humanisation of the glycosylation pathways is a high priority pharmaceutical industry goal for production of therapeutic glycoproteins in yeast. Genomic modifications can lead to several described physiological changes: biomass yields decrease, temperature sensitivity or cell wall structure modifications. We have observed that deletion of several N-mannosyltransferases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, results in strains that can no longer be analyzed by classical PCR on yeast colonies. Findings In order to validate our glyco-engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, we developed a new protocol to carry out PCR directly on genetically modified yeast colonies. A liquid culture phase, combined with the use of a Hot Start DNA polymerase, allows a 3-fold improvement of PCR efficiency. The results obtained are repeatable and independent of the targeted sequence; as such the protocol is well adapted for intensive screening applications. Conclusions The developed protocol enables by-passing of many of the difficulties associated with PCR caused by phenotypic modifications brought about by humanisation of the glycosylation in yeast and allows rapid validation of glyco-engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. It has the potential to be extended to other yeast strains presenting cell wall structure modifications. PMID:23688076

  14. The role of Pif1p, a DNA helicase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in maintaining mitochondrial DNA.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Xin; Dunaway, Stephen; Ivessa, Andreas S

    2007-05-01

    Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is highly susceptible to oxidative and chemically induced damage, and these insults lead to a number of diseases. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the DNA helicase Pif1p is localized to the nucleus and mitochondria. We show that pif1 mutant cells are sensitive to ethidium bromide-induced damage and this mtDNA is prone to fragmentation. We also show that Pif1p associates with mtDNA. In pif1 mutant cells, mtDNA breaks at specific sites that exhibit Pif1-dependent recombination. We conclude that Pif1p participates in the protection from double-stranded (ds) DNA breaks or alternatively in the repair process of dsDNA breaks in mtDNA.

  15. Loss of ATP-dependent lysine uptake in the vacuolar membrane vesicles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ypq1∆ mutant.

    PubMed

    Sekito, Takayuki; Nakamura, Kyosuke; Manabe, Kunio; Tone, Junichi; Sato, Yumika; Murao, Nami; Kawano-Kawada, Miyuki; Kakinuma, Yoshimi

    2014-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ypq1p is a vacuolar membrane protein of the PQ-loop protein family. We found that ATP-dependent uptake activities of amino acids by vacuolar membrane vesicles were impaired by ypq1∆ mutation. Loss of lysine uptake was most remarkable, and the uptake was recovered by overproduction of Ypq1p. Ypq1p is thus involved in transport of amino acids into vacuoles.

  16. Overlap of copper and iron uptake systems in mitochondria in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jing; Gammon, Micah G.; Maynard, Margaret K.; White, Olivia L.; Cobine, Jai A.; Mahone, Wilkerson K.

    2016-01-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the mitochondrial carrier family protein Pic2 imports copper into the matrix. Deletion of PIC2 causes defects in mitochondrial copper uptake and copper-dependent growth phenotypes owing to decreased cytochrome c oxidase activity. However, copper import is not completely eliminated in this mutant, so alternative transport systems must exist. Deletion of MRS3, a component of the iron import machinery, also causes a copper-dependent growth defect on non-fermentable carbon. Deletion of both PIC2 and MRS3 led to a more severe respiratory growth defect than either individual mutant. In addition, MRS3 expressed from a high copy number vector was able to suppress the oxygen consumption and copper uptake defects of a strain lacking PIC2. When expressed in Lactococcus lactis, Mrs3 mediated copper and iron import. Finally, a PIC2 and MRS3 double mutant prevented the copper-dependent activation of a heterologously expressed copper sensor in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Taken together, these data support a role for the iron transporter Mrs3 in copper import into the mitochondrial matrix. PMID:26763345

  17. Regulators of pseudohyphal differentiation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified through multicopy suppressor analysis in ammonium permease mutant strains.

    PubMed Central

    Lorenz, M C; Heitman, J

    1998-01-01

    Nitrogen-starved diploid cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae differentiate into a filamentous, pseudohyphal growth form. Recognition of nitrogen starvation is mediated, at least in part, by the ammonium permease Mep2p and the Galpha subunit Gpa2p. Genetic activation of the pheromone-responsive MAP kinase cascade, which is also required for filamentous growth, only weakly suppresses the filamentation defect of Deltamep2/Deltamep2 and Deltagpa2/Deltagpa2 strain. Surprisingly, deletion of Mep1p, an ammonium permease not previously thought to regulate differentiation, significantly enhances the potency of MAP kinase activation, such that the STE11-4 allele induces filamentation to near wild-type levels in Deltamep1/Deltamep1 Deltamep2/Deltamep2 and Deltamep1/Deltamep1 Deltagpa2/Deltagpa2 strains. To identify additional regulatory components, we isolated high-copy suppressors of the filamentation defect of the Deltamep1/Deltamep1 Deltamep2/Deltamep2 mutant. Multicopy expression of TEC1, PHD1, PHD2 (MSS10/MSN1/FUP4), MSN5, CDC6, MSS11, MGA1, SKN7, DOT6, HMS1, HMS2, or MEP2 each restored filamentation in a Deltamep1/Deltamep1 Deltamep2/Deltamep2 strain. Overexpression of SRK1 (SSD1), URE2, DAL80, MEP1, or MEP3 suppressed only the growth defect of the Deltamep1/Deltamep1 Deltamep2/Deltamep2 mutant strain. Characterization of these genes through deletion analysis and epistasis underscores the complexity of this developmental pathway and suggests that stress conditions other than nitrogen deprivation may also promote filamentous growth. PMID:9832522

  18. Rapid and efficient galactose fermentation by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Quarterman, Josh; Skerker, Jeffrey M; Feng, Xueyang; Liu, Ian Y; Zhao, Huimin; Arkin, Adam P; Jin, Yong-Su

    2016-07-10

    In the important industrial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, galactose metabolism requires energy production by respiration; therefore, this yeast cannot metabolize galactose under strict anaerobic conditions. While the respiratory dependence of galactose metabolism provides benefits in terms of cell growth and population stability, it is not advantageous for producing fuels and chemicals since a substantial fraction of consumed galactose is converted to carbon dioxide. In order to force S. cerevisiae to use galactose without respiration, a subunit (COX9) of a respiratory enzyme was deleted, but the resulting deletion mutant (Δcox9) was impaired in terms of galactose assimilation. Interestingly, after serial sub-cultures on galactose, the mutant evolved rapidly and was able to use galactose via fermentation only. The evolved strain (JQ-G1) produced ethanol from galactose with a 94% increase in yield and 6.9-fold improvement in specific productivity as compared to the wild-type strain. (13)C-metabolic flux analysis demonstrated a three-fold reduction in carbon flux through the TCA cycle of the evolved mutant with redirection of flux toward the fermentation pathway. Genome sequencing of the JQ-G1 strain revealed a loss of function mutation in a master negative regulator of the Leloir pathway (Gal80p). The mutation (Glu348*) in Gal80p was found to act synergistically with deletion of COX9 for efficient galactose fermentation, and thus the double deletion mutant Δcox9Δgal80 produced ethanol 2.4 times faster and with 35% higher yield than a single knockout mutant with deletion of GAL80 alone. When we introduced a functional COX9 cassette back into the JQ-G1 strain, the JQ-G1-COX9 strain showed a 33% reduction in specific galactose uptake rate and a 49% reduction in specific ethanol production rate as compared to JQ-G1. The wild-type strain was also subjected to serial sub-cultures on galactose but we failed to isolate a mutant capable of utilizing galactose without

  19. Evaluation of Ethanol Production Activity by Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermenting Cellobiose through the Phosphorolytic Pathway in Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Cellulose.

    PubMed

    Lee, Won-Heong; Jin, Yong-Su

    2017-09-28

    In simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) for production of cellulosic biofuels, engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of fermenting cellobiose has provided several benefits, such as lower enzyme costs and faster fermentation rate compared with wild-type S. cerevisiae fermenting glucose. In this study, the effects of an alternative intracellular cellobiose utilization pathway-a phosphorolytic pathway based on a mutant cellodextrin transporter (CDT-1 (F213L)) and cellobiose phosphorylase (SdCBP)-was investigated by comparing with a hydrolytic pathway based on the same transporter and an intracellular β-glucosidase (GH1-1) for their SSF performances under various conditions. Whereas the phosphorolytic and hydrolytic cellobiose-fermenting S. cerevisiae strains performed similarly under the anoxic SSF conditions, the hydrolytic S. cerevisiae performed slightly better than the phosphorolytic S. cerevisiae under the microaerobic SSF conditions. Nonetheless, the phosphorolytic S. cerevisiae expressing the mutant CDT-1 showed better ethanol production than the glucose-fermenting S. cerevisiae with an extracellular β-glucosidase, regardless of SSF conditions. These results clearly prove that introduction of the intracellular cellobiose metabolic pathway into yeast can be effective on cellulosic ethanol production in SSF. They also demonstrate that enhancement of cellobiose transport activity in engineered yeast is the most important factor affecting the efficiency of SSF of cellulose.

  20. Phosphatidylcholine Supply to Peroxisomes of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Flis, Vid V; Fankl, Ariane; Ramprecht, Claudia; Zellnig, Günther; Leitner, Erich; Hermetter, Albin; Daum, Günther

    2015-01-01

    In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, phosphatidylcholine (PC), the major phospholipid (PL) of all organelle membranes, is synthesized via two different pathways. Methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) catalyzed by the methyl transferases Cho2p/Pem1p and Opi3p/Pem2p as well as incorporation of choline through the CDP (cytidine diphosphate)-choline branch of the Kennedy pathway lead to PC formation. To determine the contribution of these two pathways to the supply of PC to peroxisomes (PX), yeast mutants bearing defects in the two pathways were cultivated under peroxisome inducing conditions, i.e. in the presence of oleic acid, and subjected to biochemical and cell biological analyses. Phenotype studies revealed compromised growth of both the cho20Δopi3Δ (mutations in the methylation pathway) and the cki1Δdpl1Δeki1Δ (mutations in the CDP-choline pathway) mutant when grown on oleic acid. Analysis of peroxisomes from the two mutant strains showed that both pathways produce PC for the supply to peroxisomes, although the CDP-choline pathway seemed to contribute with higher efficiency than the methylation pathway. Changes in the peroxisomal lipid pattern of mutants caused by defects in the PC biosynthetic pathways resulted in changes of membrane properties as shown by anisotropy measurements with fluorescent probes. In summary, our data define the origin of peroxisomal PC and demonstrate the importance of PC for peroxisome membrane formation and integrity.

  1. Molecular mechanisms of ethanol tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a superb ethanol producer, yet sensitive to ethanol at higher concentrations especially under high gravity or very high gravity fermentation conditions. Although significant efforts have been made to study ethanol-stress response in past decades, molecular mecha...

  2. Design and engineering of intracellular-metabolite-sensing/regulation gene circuits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Wang, Meng; Li, Sijin; Zhao, Huimin

    2016-01-01

    The development of high-throughput phenotyping tools is lagging far behind the rapid advances of genotype generation methods. To bridge this gap, we report a new strategy for design, construction, and fine-tuning of intracellular-metabolite-sensing/regulation gene circuits by repurposing bacterial transcription factors and eukaryotic promoters. As proof of concept, we systematically investigated the design and engineering of bacterial repressor-based xylose-sensing/regulation gene circuits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We demonstrated that numerous properties, such as induction ratio and dose-response curve, can be fine-tuned at three different nodes, including repressor expression level, operator position, and operator sequence. By applying these gene circuits, we developed a cell sorting based, rapid and robust high-throughput screening method for xylose transporter engineering and obtained a sugar transporter HXT14 mutant with 6.5-fold improvement in xylose transportation capacity. This strategy should be generally applicable and highly useful for evolutionary engineering of proteins, pathways, and genomes in S. cerevisiae. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism in ecological context.

    PubMed

    Jouhten, Paula; Ponomarova, Olga; Gonzalez, Ramon; Patil, Kiran R

    2016-11-01

    The architecture and regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic network are among the best studied owing to its widespread use in both basic research and industry. Yet, several recent studies have revealed notable limitations in explaining genotype-metabolic phenotype relations in this yeast, especially when concerning multiple genetic/environmental perturbations. Apparently unexpected genotype-phenotype relations may originate in the evolutionarily shaped cellular operating principles being hidden in common laboratory conditions. Predecessors of laboratory S. cerevisiae strains, the wild and the domesticated yeasts, have been evolutionarily shaped by highly variable environments, very distinct from laboratory conditions, and most interestingly by social life within microbial communities. Here we present a brief review of the genotypic and phenotypic peculiarities of S. cerevisiae in the context of its social lifestyle beyond laboratory environments. Accounting for this ecological context and the origin of the laboratory strains in experimental design and data analysis would be essential in improving the understanding of genotype-environment-phenotype relationships. © FEMS 2016.

  4. Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism in ecological context

    PubMed Central

    Jouhten, Paula; Ponomarova, Olga; Gonzalez, Ramon

    2016-01-01

    The architecture and regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic network are among the best studied owing to its widespread use in both basic research and industry. Yet, several recent studies have revealed notable limitations in explaining genotype–metabolic phenotype relations in this yeast, especially when concerning multiple genetic/environmental perturbations. Apparently unexpected genotype–phenotype relations may originate in the evolutionarily shaped cellular operating principles being hidden in common laboratory conditions. Predecessors of laboratory S. cerevisiae strains, the wild and the domesticated yeasts, have been evolutionarily shaped by highly variable environments, very distinct from laboratory conditions, and most interestingly by social life within microbial communities. Here we present a brief review of the genotypic and phenotypic peculiarities of S. cerevisiae in the context of its social lifestyle beyond laboratory environments. Accounting for this ecological context and the origin of the laboratory strains in experimental design and data analysis would be essential in improving the understanding of genotype–environment–phenotype relationships. PMID:27634775

  5. Outlining a future for non-Saccharomyces yeasts: selection of putative spoilage wine strains to be used in association with Saccharomyces cerevisiae for grape juice fermentation.

    PubMed

    Domizio, Paola; Romani, Cristina; Lencioni, Livio; Comitini, Francesca; Gobbi, Mirko; Mannazzu, Ilaria; Ciani, Maurizio

    2011-06-30

    The use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts that are generally considered as spoilage yeasts, in association with Saccharomyces cerevisiae for grape must fermentation was here evaluated. Analysis of the main oenological characteristics of pure cultures of 55 yeasts belonging to the genera Hanseniaspora, Pichia, Saccharomycodes and Zygosaccharomyces revealed wide biodiversity within each genus. Moreover, many of these non-Saccharomyces strains had interesting oenological properties in terms of fermentation purity, and ethanol and secondary metabolite production. The use of four non-Saccharomyces yeasts (one per genus) in mixed cultures with a commercial S. cerevisiae strain at different S. cerevisiae/non-Saccharomyces inoculum ratios was investigated. This revealed that most of the compounds normally produced at high concentrations by pure cultures of non-Saccharomyces, and which are considered detrimental to wine quality, do not reach threshold taste levels in these mixed fermentations. On the other hand, the analytical profiles of the wines produced by these mixed cultures indicated that depending on the yeast species and the S. cerevisiae/non-Saccharomyces inoculum ratio, these non-Saccharomyces yeasts can be used to increase production of polysaccharides and to modulate the final concentrations of acetic acid and volatile compounds, such as ethyl acetate, phenyl-ethyl acetate, 2-phenyl ethanol, and 2-methyl 1-butanol. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Dimethyl sulfoxide induces oxidative stress in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Sadowska-Bartosz, Izabela; Pączka, Aleksandra; Mołoń, Mateusz; Bartosz, Grzegorz

    2013-12-01

    Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used as a cryoprotectant for the preservation of cells, including yeast, and as a solvent for chemical compounds. We report that DMSO induces oxidative stress in the yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae wt strain EG-103 and its mutants Δsod1, Δsod2, and Δsod1 Δsod2 were used. Yeast were subjected to the action of 1-14% DMSO for 1 h at 28 °C. DMSO induced a concentration-dependent inhibition of yeast growth, the effect being more pronounced for mutants devoid of SOD (especially Δsod1 Δsod2). Cell viability was compromised. DMSO-concentration-dependent activity loss of succinate dehydrogenase, a FeS enzyme sensitive to oxidative stress, was observed. DMSO enhanced formation of reactive oxygen species, estimated with dihydroethidine in a concentration-dependent manner, the effect being again more pronounced in mutants devoid of superoxide dismutases. The content of cellular glutathione was increased with increasing DMSO concentrations, which may represent a compensatory response. Membrane fluidity, estimated by fluorescence polarization of DPH, was decreased by DMSO. These results demonstrate that DMSO, although generally considered to be antioxidant, induces oxidative stress in yeast cells. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. The RAD24 (= Rs1) Gene Product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Participates in Two Different Pathways of DNA Repair

    PubMed Central

    Eckardt-Schupp, Friederike; Siede, Wolfram; Game, John C.

    1987-01-01

    The moderately UV- and X-ray-sensitive mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae originally designated rs1 complements all rad and mms mutants available. Therefore, the new nomination rad24-1 according to the RAD nomenclature is suggested. RAD24 maps on chromosome V, close to RAD3 (1.3 cM). In order to associate the RAD24 gene with one of the three repair pathways, double mutants of rad24 and various representative genes of each pathway were constructed. The UV and X-ray sensitivities of the double mutants compared to the single mutants indicate that RAD24 is involved in excision repair of UV damage (RAD3 epistasis group), as well as in recombination repair of UV and X-ray damage (RAD52 epistasis group). Properties of the mutant are discussed which hint at the control of late steps in the pathways. PMID:3549445

  8. Genome duplication and mutations in ACE2 cause multicellular, fast-sedimenting phenotypes in evolved Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Oud, Bart; Guadalupe-Medina, Victor; Nijkamp, Jurgen F.; de Ridder, Dick; Pronk, Jack T.; van Maris, Antonius J. A.; Daran, Jean-Marc

    2013-01-01

    Laboratory evolution of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in bioreactor batch cultures yielded variants that grow as multicellular, fast-sedimenting clusters. Knowledge of the molecular basis of this phenomenon may contribute to the understanding of natural evolution of multicellularity and to manipulating cell sedimentation in laboratory and industrial applications of S. cerevisiae. Multicellular, fast-sedimenting lineages obtained from a haploid S. cerevisiae strain in two independent evolution experiments were analyzed by whole genome resequencing. The two evolved cell lines showed different frameshift mutations in a stretch of eight adenosines in ACE2, which encodes a transcriptional regulator involved in cell cycle control and mother-daughter cell separation. Introduction of the two ace2 mutant alleles into the haploid parental strain led to slow-sedimenting cell clusters that consisted of just a few cells, thus representing only a partial reconstruction of the evolved phenotype. In addition to single-nucleotide mutations, a whole-genome duplication event had occurred in both evolved multicellular strains. Construction of a diploid reference strain with two mutant ace2 alleles led to complete reconstruction of the multicellular-fast sedimenting phenotype. This study shows that whole-genome duplication and a frameshift mutation in ACE2 are sufficient to generate a fast-sedimenting, multicellular phenotype in S. cerevisiae. The nature of the ace2 mutations and their occurrence in two independent evolution experiments encompassing fewer than 500 generations of selective growth suggest that switching between unicellular and multicellular phenotypes may be relevant for competitiveness of S. cerevisiae in natural environments. PMID:24145419

  9. Performance evaluation of Pichia kluyveri, Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in industrial tequila fermentation.

    PubMed

    Amaya-Delgado, L; Herrera-López, E J; Arrizon, Javier; Arellano-Plaza, M; Gschaedler, A

    2013-05-01

    Traditionally, industrial tequila production has used spontaneous fermentation or Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains. Despite the potential of non-Saccharomyces strains for alcoholic fermentation, few studies have been performed at industrial level with these yeasts. Therefore, in this work, Agave tequilana juice was fermented at an industrial level using two non-Saccharomyces yeasts (Pichia kluyveri and Kluyveromyces marxianus) with fermentation efficiency higher than 85 %. Pichia kluyveri (GRO3) was more efficient for alcohol and ethyl lactate production than S. cerevisiae (AR5), while Kluyveromyces marxianus (GRO6) produced more isobutanol and ethyl-acetate than S. cerevisiae (AR5). The level of volatile compounds at the end of fermentation was compared with the tequila standard regulation. All volatile compounds were within the allowed range except for methanol, which was higher for S. cerevisiae (AR5) and K. marxianus (GRO6). The variations in methanol may have been caused by the Agave tequilana used for the tests, since this compound is not synthesized by these yeasts.

  10. Development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae producing higher levels of sulfur dioxide and glutathione to improve beer flavor stability.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yefu; Yang, Xu; Zhang, Shijie; Wang, Xiaoqiong; Guo, Changhui; Guo, Xuewu; Xiao, Dongguang

    2012-01-01

    Sulfur compounds, such as sulfite (SO(2)), hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), and glutathione (GSH), play different roles in beer flavor stability. SO(2) and GSH have antiaging effects which are helpful to improve the flavor stability of beer, whereas H(2)S is undesirable to beer flavor because of its unpleasant aroma. Here, we report the development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which produces higher levels of SO(2) and GSH but lower level of H(2)S to improve beer flavor stability by nongenetic engineering approaches. After two rounds of UV mutagenesis coupled with specific plate screening methods, one promising mutant named MV16 was obtained. Compared with the original strain, the SO(2) and GSH production of MV16 in fermenting liquor increased by 31% and 30.2%, respectively, while H(2)S content decreased by 74.9%, and the DPPH radical clearance and the resistance staling value of beer fermented by MV16 increased by 24.6% and 33.0%, respectively. The antioxidizability of the mutant was improved significantly. The strategy adopted in our study could be used to obtain S. cerevisiae of improved antiaging properties, and the mutant would be safe for public use.

  11. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae enolase-related regions encode proteins that are active enolases.

    PubMed

    Kornblatt, M J; Richard Albert, J; Mattie, S; Zakaib, J; Dayanandan, S; Hanic-Joyce, P J; Joyce, P B M

    2013-02-01

    In addition to two genes (ENO1 and ENO2) known to code for enolase (EC4.2.1.11), the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome contains three enolase-related regions (ERR1, ERR2 and ERR3) which could potentially encode proteins with enolase function. Here, we show that products of these genes (Err2p and Err3p) have secondary and quaternary structures similar to those of yeast enolase (Eno1p). In addition, Err2p and Err3p can convert 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate, with kinetic parameters similar to those of Eno1p, suggesting that these proteins could function as enolases in vivo. To address this possibility, we overexpressed the ERR2 and ERR3 genes individually in a double-null yeast strain lacking ENO1 and ENO2, and showed that either ERR2 or ERR3 could complement the growth defect in this strain when cells are grown in medium with glucose as the carbon source. Taken together, these data suggest that the ERR genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encode a protein that could function in glycolysis as enolase. The presence of these enolase-related regions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and their absence in other related yeasts suggests that these genes may play some unique role in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Further experiments will be required to determine whether these functions are related to glycolysis or other cellular processes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Intracellular Signal Triggered by Cholera Toxin in Saccharomyces boulardii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Brandão, Rogelio L.; Castro, Ieso M.; Bambirra, Eduardo A.; Amaral, Sheila C.; Fietto, Luciano G.; Tropia, Maria José M.; Neves, Maria José; Dos Santos, Raquel G.; Gomes, Newton C. M.; Nicoli, Jacques R.

    1998-01-01

    As is the case for Saccharomyces boulardii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae W303 protects Fisher rats against cholera toxin (CT). The addition of glucose or dinitrophenol to cells of S. boulardii grown on a nonfermentable carbon source activated trehalase in a manner similar to that observed for S. cerevisiae. The addition of CT to the same cells also resulted in trehalase activation. Experiments performed separately on the A and B subunits of CT showed that both are necessary for activation. Similarly, the addition of CT but not of its separate subunits led to a cyclic AMP (cAMP) signal in both S. boulardii and S. cerevisiae. These data suggest that trehalase stimulation by CT probably occurred through the cAMP-mediated protein phosphorylation cascade. The requirement of CT subunit B for both the cAMP signal and trehalase activation indicates the presence of a specific receptor on the yeasts able to bind to the toxin, a situation similar to that observed for mammalian cells. This hypothesis was reinforced by experiments with 125I-labeled CT showing specific binding of the toxin to yeast cells. The adhesion of CT to a receptor on the yeast surface through the B subunit and internalization of the A subunit (necessary for the cAMP signal and trehalase activation) could be one more mechanism explaining protection against the toxin observed for rats treated with yeasts. PMID:9464394

  13. Saccharomyces kudriavzevii and Saccharomyces uvarum differ from Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the production of aroma-active higher alcohols and acetate esters using their amino acidic precursors.

    PubMed

    Stribny, Jiri; Gamero, Amparo; Pérez-Torrado, Roberto; Querol, Amparo

    2015-07-16

    Higher alcohols and acetate esters are important flavour and aroma components in the food industry. In alcoholic beverages these compounds are produced by yeast during fermentation. Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most extensively used species, other species of the Saccharomyces genus have become common in fermentation processes. This study analyses and compares the production of higher alcohols and acetate esters from their amino acidic precursors in three Saccharomyces species: Saccharomyces kudriavzevii, Saccharomyces uvarum and S. cerevisiae. The global volatile compound analysis revealed that S. kudriavzevii produced large amounts of higher alcohols, whereas S. uvarum excelled in the production of acetate esters. Particularly from phenylalanine, S. uvarum produced the largest amounts of 2-phenylethyl acetate, while S. kudriavzevii obtained the greatest 2-phenylethanol formation from this precursor. The present data indicate differences in the amino acid metabolism and subsequent production of flavour-active higher alcohols and acetate esters among the closely related Saccharomyces species. This knowledge will prove useful for developing new enhanced processes in fragrance, flavour, and food industries. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Introducing a new breed of wine yeast: interspecific hybridisation between a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast and Saccharomyces mikatae.

    PubMed

    Bellon, Jennifer R; Schmid, Frank; Capone, Dimitra L; Dunn, Barbara L; Chambers, Paul J

    2013-01-01

    Interspecific hybrids are commonplace in agriculture and horticulture; bread wheat and grapefruit are but two examples. The benefits derived from interspecific hybridisation include the potential of generating advantageous transgressive phenotypes. This paper describes the generation of a new breed of wine yeast by interspecific hybridisation between a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast strain and Saccharomyces mikatae, a species hitherto not associated with industrial fermentation environs. While commercially available wine yeast strains provide consistent and reliable fermentations, wines produced using single inocula are thought to lack the sensory complexity and rounded palate structure obtained from spontaneous fermentations. In contrast, interspecific yeast hybrids have the potential to deliver increased complexity to wine sensory properties and alternative wine styles through the formation of novel, and wider ranging, yeast volatile fermentation metabolite profiles, whilst maintaining the robustness of the wine yeast parent. Screening of newly generated hybrids from a cross between a S. cerevisiae wine yeast and S. mikatae (closely-related but ecologically distant members of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto clade), has identified progeny with robust fermentation properties and winemaking potential. Chemical analysis showed that, relative to the S. cerevisiae wine yeast parent, hybrids produced wines with different concentrations of volatile metabolites that are known to contribute to wine flavour and aroma, including flavour compounds associated with non-Saccharomyces species. The new S. cerevisiae x S. mikatae hybrids have the potential to produce complex wines akin to products of spontaneous fermentation while giving winemakers the safeguard of an inoculated ferment.

  15. The pso4-1 mutation reduces spontaneous mitotic gene conversion and reciprocal recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Meira, L B; Fonseca, M B; Averbeck, D; Schenberg, A C; Henriques, J A

    1992-11-01

    Spontaneous mitotic recombination was examined in the haploid pso4-1 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in the corresponding wild-type strain. Using a genetic system involving a duplication of the his4 gene it was shown that the pso4-1 mutation decreases at least fourfold the spontaneous rate of mitotic recombination. The frequency of spontaneous recombination was reduced tenfold in pso4-1 strains, as previously observed in the rad52-1 mutant. However, whereas the rad52-1 mutation specifically reduces gene conversion, the pso4-1 mutation reduces both gene conversion and reciprocal recombination. Induced mitotic recombination was also studied in pso4-1 mutant and wild-type strains after treatment with 8-methoxypsoralen plus UVA and 254 nm UV irradiation. Consistent with previous results, the pso4-1 mutation was found strongly to affect recombination induction.

  16. Importance of cell damage causing growth delay for high pressure inactivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nanba, Masaru; Nomura, Kazuki; Nasuhara, Yusuke; Hayashi, Manabu; Kido, Miyuki; Hayashi, Mayumi; Iguchi, Akinori; Shigematsu, Toru; Hirayama, Masao; Ueno, Shigeaki; Fujii, Tomoyuki

    2013-06-01

    A high pressure (HP) tolerant (barotolerant) mutant a2568D8 and a variably barotolerant mutant a1210H12 were generated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae using ultra-violet mutagenesis. The two mutants, a barosensitive mutant a924E1 and the wild-type strain, were pressurized (225 MPa), and pressure inactivation behavior was analyzed. In the wild-type strain, a proportion of the growth-delayed cells were detected after exposure to HP. In a924E1, the proportion of growth-delayed cells significantly decreased compared with the wild-type. In a2568D8, the proportion of growth-delayed cells increased and the proportion of inactivated cells decreased compared with the wild-type. In a1210H12, the growth-delayed cells could not be detected within 120 s of exposure to HP. The proportion of growth-delayed cells, which incurred the damage, would affect the survival ratio by HP. These results suggested that cellular changes in barotolerance caused by mutations are remarkably affected by the ability to recover from cellular damage, which results in a growth delay.

  17. [Urinary infection by Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Emerging yeast?].

    PubMed

    Elkhihal, B; Elhalimi, M; Ghfir, B; Mostachi, A; Lyagoubi, M; Aoufi, S

    2015-12-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a commensal yeast of the digestive, respiratory and genito-urinary tract. It is widely used as a probiotic for the treatment of post-antibiotic diarrhea. It most often occurs in immunocompromised patients frequently causing fungemia. We report the case of an adult diabetic patient who had a urinary tract infection due to S. cerevisiae. The disease started with urination associated with urinary frequency burns without fever. The diagnosis was established by the presence of yeasts on direct examination and positivity of culture on Sabouraud-chloramphenicol three times. The auxanogramme gallery (Auxacolor BioRad(®)) allowed the identification of S. cerevisiae. The patient was put on fluconazole with good outcome. This observation points out that this is an opportunistic yeast in immunocompromised patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  18. Anti-oxidant effects of pomegranate juice on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell growth.

    PubMed

    Aslan, Abdullah; Can, Muhammed İsmail; Boydak, Didem

    2014-01-01

    Pomegranate juice has a number of positive effects on both human and animal subjects. Four groups were used in this study. i: Control group, ii: H2O2 group, iii: Pomegranate juice (PJ) group and iv: PJ + H2O2 group. Following the sterilization method for pomegranate juice (10%) and H2O2 (6% v/v), Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures were added and the cultivation incubated at 35°C for 72 hours. Fatty acids and vitamin concentrations were measured using HPLC and GC and the total protein bands profile were determined by SDS-PAGE. According to our results statistically significant differences have been determined among the study groups in terms of fatty acids and vitamin (p<0,05). Fatty acid synthesis, vitamin control and cell density increased in groups to which PJ was given in comparison with the control group (p<0,05). Pomegranate juice increased vitamins, fatty acids and total protein expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in comparison with the control. Pomegranate juice has a positive effect on fatty acid, vitamin and protein synthesis by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Accordingly, we believe that it has significantly decreased oxidative damage thereby making a positive impact on yeast development.

  19. Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a platform for assessing sphingolipid lipid kinase inhibitors

    PubMed Central

    Agah, Sayeh; Mendelson, Anna J.; Eletu, Oluwafunmilayo T.; Barkey-Bircann, Peter; Gesualdi, James

    2018-01-01

    Successful medicinal chemistry campaigns to discover and optimize sphingosine kinase inhibitors require a robust assay for screening chemical libraries and for determining rank order potencies. Existing assays for these enzymes are laborious, expensive and/or low throughput. The toxicity of excessive levels of phosphorylated sphingoid bases for the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, affords an assay wherein inhibitors added to the culture media rescue growth in a dose-dependent fashion. Herein, we describe our adaptation of a simple, inexpensive, and high throughput assay for assessing inhibitors of sphingosine kinase types 1 and 2 as well as ceramide kinase and for testing enzymatic activity of sphingosine kinase type 2 mutants. The assay was validated using recombinant enzymes and generally agrees with the rank order of potencies of existing inhibitors. PMID:29672528

  20. Purification of Arp2/3 complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Doolittle, Lynda K.; Rosen, Michael K.; Padrick, Shae B.

    2014-01-01

    Summary Much of cellular control over actin dynamics comes through regulation of actin filament initiation. At the molecular level, this is accomplished through a collection of cellular protein machines, called actin nucleation factors, which position actin monomers to initiate a new actin filament. The Arp2/3 complex is a principal actin nucleation factor used throughout the eukaryotic family tree. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has proven to be not only an excellent genetic platform for the study of the Arp2/3 complex, but also an excellent source for the purification of endogenous Arp2/3 complex. Here we describe a protocol for the preparation of endogenous Arp2/3 complex from wild type Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This protocol produces material suitable for biochemical study, and yields milligram quantities of purified Arp2/3 complex. PMID:23868593

  1. The links between hypertrophy, reproductive potential and longevity in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast.

    PubMed

    Molon, Mateusz; Zadrag-Tecza, Renata

    2016-01-01

    The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has long been used as a model organism for studying the basic mechanisms of aging. However, the main problem with the use of this unicellular fungus is the unit of "longevity". For all organisms, lifespan is expressed in units of time, while in the case of yeast it is defined by the number of daughter cells produced. Additionally, in yeast the phenotypic effects of mutations often show a clear dependence on the genetic background, suggesting the need for an analysis of strains representing different genetic backgrounds. Our results confirm the data presented in earlier papers that the reproductive potential is strongly associated with an increase in cell volume per generation. An excessive cell volume results in the loss of reproductive capacity. These data clearly support the hypertrophy hypothesis. The time of life of all analysed mutants, with the exception of sch9D, is the same as in the case of the wild-type strain. Interestingly, the 121% increase of the fob1D mutant's reproductive potential compared to the sfp1D mutant does not result in prolongation of the mutant's time of life (total lifespan).

  2. Mitochondrial translational-initiation and elongation factors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Vambutas, A; Ackerman, S H; Tzagoloff, A

    1991-11-01

    C155 and E252 are respiratory-defective mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, previously assigned to complementation groups G37 and G142, respectively. The following evidence suggested that both mutants were likely to have lesions in components of the mitochondrial translational machinery: C155 and E252 display a pleiotropic deficiency in cytochromes a, a3 and b; both strains are severly limited in their ability to incorporate radioactive methionine into the mitochondrial translation products and, in addition, display a tendency to loose wild-type mitochondrial DNA. This set of characteristics is commonly found in strains affected in mitochondrial protein synthesis. To identify the biochemical lesions, each mutant was transformed with a wild-type yeast genomic library and clones complemented for the respiratory defect were selected for growth on a non-fermentable substrate. Analysis of the cloned genes revealed that C155 has a mutation in a protein which has high sequence similarity to bacterial elongation factor G and that E252 has a mutation in a protein homologous to bacterial initiation factor 2. Disruption of the chromosomal copy of each gene in a wild-type haploid yeast induced a phenotype analogous to that of the original mutants, but does not affect cell viability. These results indicate that both gene products function exclusively in mitochondrial protein synthesis. Subcloning of the IFM1 gene, coding for the mitochondrial initiation factor, indicates that the amino-terminal 423 residues of the protein are sufficient to promote peptide-chain initiation in vivo.

  3. Mutation breeding of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with lower methanol content and the effects of pectinase, cellulase and glycine in sugar cane spirits.

    PubMed

    Liang, Ming-Hua; Liang, Ying-Jie; Wu, Xiao-Na; Zhou, Shi-Shui; Jiang, Jian-Guo

    2015-07-01

    To decrease the methanol content of the sugar cane sprits, mutagenesis of ultraviolet (UV) coupled with diethyl sulfate (DES) was used to generate a mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with lower methanol content. Meanwhile, the effects of the additions of pectinase, cellulase and glycine on the production of methanol in sugar cane spirits were evaluated. After mutagenesis of UV coupled with DES, a mutant S. cerevisiae DU9 with low production of methanol (97.3 ± 1.7 mg/L) was selected, with a 12.3% decrease of that of S. cerevisiae D4 only with DES treatment, and with a 27.8% reduction of that of the strain without any treatment. Pectinase and cellulase significantly increased the methanol levels of the sugar cane spirits. The results showed that there was linear relationship between glycine (concentration within 0∼0.9 g/L) and methanol in sugar cane sprits and the linear equation was y = 104.7 × -4.79 with the conversion rate of glycine conversion to methanol as 24.56%. Mutagenesis of UV coupled with DES is an efficient way to generate a mutant of S. cerevisiae with lower methanol content. Also, it is necessary to control the additions of pectinase, cellulase and glycine in the fermentation medium, and other unknown ways to generate methanol metabolic pathway in yeasts may need further study. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  4. Direct conversion of starch to ethanol using recombınant Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing glucoamylase gene

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Purkan, P.; Baktir, A.; Puspaningsih, N. N. T.; Ni'mah, M.

    2017-09-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known for its high fermentative capacity, high ethanol yield and its high ethanol tolerance. The yeast is inability converting starch (relatively inexpensive substrate) into biofuel ethanol. Insertion of glucoamylase gene in yeast cell of Saccharomyces cerevisiae had been done to increase the yeast function in ethanol fermentation from starch. Transformation of yeast of S. cerevisiae with recombinant plasmid yEP-GLO1 carrying gene encoding glucoamylase (GLO1) produced the recombinant yeast which enable to degrade starch. Optimizing of bioconversion process of starch into ethanol by the yeast of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae [yEP-GLO1] had been also done. Starch concentration which could be digested by recombinant yeast of S. cerevisiae [yEP-GLO1] was 10% (w/v). Bioconversion of starch having concentration 10% (b/v) using recombinant yeast of S. cerevisiae BY5207 [yEP-GLO1] could result ethanol as 20% (v/v) to alcoholmeter and 19,5% (v/v) to gas of chromatography. Otherwise, using recombinant yeast S. cerevisiae S. cerevisiae AS3324 [yEP-GLO1] resulted ethanol as 17% (v/v) to alcoholmeter and 17,5% (v/v) to gas of chromatography. The highest ethanol in starch bioconversion using both recombinant yeasts BY5207 and AS3324 could be resulted on 144 hours of fermentation time as well as in pH 5.

  5. Biotransformation of mogrosides from Siraitia grosvenorii Swingle by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Chiu, Chun-Hui; Wang, Reuben; Lee, Cho-Ching; Lo, Yi-Chen; Lu, Ting-Jang

    2013-07-24

    Mogrosides are a group of triterpenoidal saponins from the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii Swingle; they are intensely sweet and have consequently been used as a substitute for sugar by the food industry. The lack of efficient methods to produce specific mogrosides has hindered investigation of the relationship between their structure and bioactivity, e.g., down-regulation of blood glucose levels, anti-inflammation, and antiviral infection. Here, we attempt to selectively convert the major saponin mogroside V, a mogrol pentaglucoside, into mogroside III E, a triglucoside, via the β-glucosidases of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We report that the β-glucopyranosyl and β-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-d-glucopyranosyl attached on C-3 and -24 of mogrol, respectively, were resistant to hydrolysis by yeast β-d-glucosidases. We further screened 16 mutants bearing single defective glucanase or glucosidase genes, thereby demonstrating that Exg1 is a major enzyme of the initiation of mogroside V conversion. Deletion of the KRE6 gene unexpectedly facilitated the production of mogroside III E in yeast culture. This paper demonstrates that yeast knockout mutants are a valuable tool for saponin modification and for studying the specificity of glucosidase function.

  6. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mob1p Is Required for Cytokinesis and Mitotic Exit

    PubMed Central

    Luca, Francis C.; Mody, Manali; Kurischko, Cornelia; Roof, David M.; Giddings, Thomas H.; Winey, Mark

    2001-01-01

    The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitotic exit network (MEN) is a conserved set of genes that mediate the transition from mitosis to G1 by regulating mitotic cyclin degradation and the inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK). Here, we demonstrate that, in addition to mitotic exit, S. cerevisiae MEN gene MOB1 is required for cytokinesis and cell separation. The cytokinesis defect was evident in mob1 mutants under conditions in which there was no mitotic-exit defect. Observation of live cells showed that yeast myosin II, Myo1p, was present in the contractile ring at the bud neck but that the ring failed to contract and disassemble. The cytokinesis defect persisted for several mitotic cycles, resulting in chains of cells with correctly segregated nuclei but with uncontracted actomyosin rings. The cytokinesis proteins Cdc3p (a septin), actin, and Iqg1p/ Cyk1p (an IQGAP-like protein) appeared to correctly localize in mob1 mutants, suggesting that MOB1 functions subsequent to actomyosin ring assembly. We also examined the subcellular distribution of Mob1p during the cell cycle and found that Mob1p first localized to the spindle pole bodies during mid-anaphase and then localized to a ring at the bud neck just before and during cytokinesis. Localization of Mob1p to the bud neck required CDC3, MEN genes CDC5, CDC14, CDC15, and DBF2, and spindle pole body gene NUD1 but was independent of MYO1. The localization of Mob1p to both spindle poles was abolished in cdc15 and nud1 mutants and was perturbed in cdc5 and cdc14 mutants. These results suggest that the MEN functions during the mitosis-to-G1 transition to control cyclin-CDK inactivation and cytokinesis. PMID:11564880

  7. Screening of Non- Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains for Tolerance to Formic Acid in Bioethanol Fermentation.

    PubMed

    Oshoma, Cyprian E; Greetham, Darren; Louis, Edward J; Smart, Katherine A; Phister, Trevor G; Powell, Chris; Du, Chenyu

    2015-01-01

    Formic acid is one of the major inhibitory compounds present in hydrolysates derived from lignocellulosic materials, the presence of which can significantly hamper the efficiency of converting available sugars into bioethanol. This study investigated the potential for screening formic acid tolerance in non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains, which could be used for the development of advanced generation bioethanol processes. Spot plate and phenotypic microarray methods were used to screen the formic acid tolerance of 7 non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts. S. kudriavzeii IFO1802 and S. arboricolus 2.3319 displayed a higher formic acid tolerance when compared to other strains in the study. Strain S. arboricolus 2.3319 was selected for further investigation due to its genetic variability among the Saccharomyces species as related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and availability of two sibling strains: S. arboricolus 2.3317 and 2.3318 in the lab. The tolerance of S. arboricolus strains (2.3317, 2.3318 and 2.3319) to formic acid was further investigated by lab-scale fermentation analysis, and compared with S. cerevisiae NCYC2592. S. arboricolus 2.3319 demonstrated improved formic acid tolerance and a similar bioethanol synthesis capacity to S. cerevisiae NCYC2592, while S. arboricolus 2.3317 and 2.3318 exhibited an overall inferior performance. Metabolite analysis indicated that S. arboricolus strain 2.3319 accumulated comparatively high concentrations of glycerol and glycogen, which may have contributed to its ability to tolerate high levels of formic acid.

  8. Screening of Non- Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains for Tolerance to Formic Acid in Bioethanol Fermentation

    PubMed Central

    Oshoma, Cyprian E.; Greetham, Darren; Louis, Edward J.; Smart, Katherine A.; Phister, Trevor G.; Powell, Chris; Du, Chenyu

    2015-01-01

    Formic acid is one of the major inhibitory compounds present in hydrolysates derived from lignocellulosic materials, the presence of which can significantly hamper the efficiency of converting available sugars into bioethanol. This study investigated the potential for screening formic acid tolerance in non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains, which could be used for the development of advanced generation bioethanol processes. Spot plate and phenotypic microarray methods were used to screen the formic acid tolerance of 7 non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts. S. kudriavzeii IFO1802 and S. arboricolus 2.3319 displayed a higher formic acid tolerance when compared to other strains in the study. Strain S. arboricolus 2.3319 was selected for further investigation due to its genetic variability among the Saccharomyces species as related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and availability of two sibling strains: S. arboricolus 2.3317 and 2.3318 in the lab. The tolerance of S. arboricolus strains (2.3317, 2.3318 and 2.3319) to formic acid was further investigated by lab-scale fermentation analysis, and compared with S. cerevisiae NCYC2592. S. arboricolus 2.3319 demonstrated improved formic acid tolerance and a similar bioethanol synthesis capacity to S. cerevisiae NCYC2592, while S. arboricolus 2.3317 and 2.3318 exhibited an overall inferior performance. Metabolite analysis indicated that S. arboricolus strain 2.3319 accumulated comparatively high concentrations of glycerol and glycogen, which may have contributed to its ability to tolerate high levels of formic acid. PMID:26284784

  9. Nuclear Mitochondrial DNA Activates Replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Chatre, Laurent; Ricchetti, Miria

    2011-01-01

    The nuclear genome of eukaryotes is colonized by DNA fragments of mitochondrial origin, called NUMTs. These insertions have been associated with a variety of germ-line diseases in humans. The significance of this uptake of potentially dangerous sequences into the nuclear genome is unclear. Here we provide functional evidence that sequences of mitochondrial origin promote nuclear DNA replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that NUMTs are rich in key autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) consensus motifs, whose mutation results in the reduction or loss of DNA replication activity. Furthermore, 2D-gel analysis of the mrc1 mutant exposed to hydroxyurea shows that several NUMTs function as late chromosomal origins. We also show that NUMTs located close to or within ARS provide key sequence elements for replication. Thus NUMTs can act as independent origins, when inserted in an appropriate genomic context or affect the efficiency of pre-existing origins. These findings show that migratory mitochondrial DNAs can impact on the replication of the nuclear region they are inserted in. PMID:21408151

  10. Nuclear mitochondrial DNA activates replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Chatre, Laurent; Ricchetti, Miria

    2011-03-08

    The nuclear genome of eukaryotes is colonized by DNA fragments of mitochondrial origin, called NUMTs. These insertions have been associated with a variety of germ-line diseases in humans. The significance of this uptake of potentially dangerous sequences into the nuclear genome is unclear. Here we provide functional evidence that sequences of mitochondrial origin promote nuclear DNA replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that NUMTs are rich in key autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) consensus motifs, whose mutation results in the reduction or loss of DNA replication activity. Furthermore, 2D-gel analysis of the mrc1 mutant exposed to hydroxyurea shows that several NUMTs function as late chromosomal origins. We also show that NUMTs located close to or within ARS provide key sequence elements for replication. Thus NUMTs can act as independent origins, when inserted in an appropriate genomic context or affect the efficiency of pre-existing origins. These findings show that migratory mitochondrial DNAs can impact on the replication of the nuclear region they are inserted in.

  11. Targeted proteome analysis of single-gene deletion strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking enzymes in the central carbon metabolism.

    PubMed

    Matsuda, Fumio; Kinoshita, Syohei; Nishino, Shunsuke; Tomita, Atsumi; Shimizu, Hiroshi

    2017-01-01

    Central carbon metabolism is controlled by modulating the protein abundance profiles of enzymes that maintain the essential systems in living organisms. In this study, metabolic adaptation mechanisms in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated by direct determination of enzyme abundance levels in 30 wild type and mutant strains. We performed a targeted proteome analysis using S. cerevisiae strains that lack genes encoding the enzymes responsible for central carbon metabolism. Our analysis revealed that at least 30% of the observed variations in enzyme abundance levels could be explained by global regulatory mechanisms. A enzyme-enzyme co-abundance analysis revealed that the abundances of enzyme proteins involved in the trehalose metabolism and glycolysis changed in a coordinated manner under the control of the transcription factors for global regulation. The remaining variations were derived from local mechanisms such as a mutant-specific increase in the abundances of remote enzymes. The proteome data also suggested that, although the functional compensation of the deficient enzyme was attained by using more resources for protein biosynthesis, available resources for the biosynthesis of the enzymes responsible for central metabolism were not abundant in S. cerevisiae cells. These results showed that global and local regulation of enzyme abundance levels shape central carbon metabolism in S. cerevisiae by using a limited resource for protein biosynthesis.

  12. Introducing a New Breed of Wine Yeast: Interspecific Hybridisation between a Commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae Wine Yeast and Saccharomyces mikatae

    PubMed Central

    Bellon, Jennifer R.; Schmid, Frank; Capone, Dimitra L.; Dunn, Barbara L.; Chambers, Paul J.

    2013-01-01

    Interspecific hybrids are commonplace in agriculture and horticulture; bread wheat and grapefruit are but two examples. The benefits derived from interspecific hybridisation include the potential of generating advantageous transgressive phenotypes. This paper describes the generation of a new breed of wine yeast by interspecific hybridisation between a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast strain and Saccharomyces mikatae, a species hitherto not associated with industrial fermentation environs. While commercially available wine yeast strains provide consistent and reliable fermentations, wines produced using single inocula are thought to lack the sensory complexity and rounded palate structure obtained from spontaneous fermentations. In contrast, interspecific yeast hybrids have the potential to deliver increased complexity to wine sensory properties and alternative wine styles through the formation of novel, and wider ranging, yeast volatile fermentation metabolite profiles, whilst maintaining the robustness of the wine yeast parent. Screening of newly generated hybrids from a cross between a S. cerevisiae wine yeast and S. mikatae (closely-related but ecologically distant members of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto clade), has identified progeny with robust fermentation properties and winemaking potential. Chemical analysis showed that, relative to the S. cerevisiae wine yeast parent, hybrids produced wines with different concentrations of volatile metabolites that are known to contribute to wine flavour and aroma, including flavour compounds associated with non-Saccharomyces species. The new S. cerevisiae x S. mikatae hybrids have the potential to produce complex wines akin to products of spontaneous fermentation while giving winemakers the safeguard of an inoculated ferment. PMID:23614011

  13. Repeated-batch fermentations of xylose and glucose-xylose mixtures using a respiration-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered for xylose metabolism.

    PubMed

    Kim, Soo Rin; Lee, Ki-Sung; Choi, Jin-Ho; Ha, Suk-Jin; Kweon, Dae-Hyuk; Seo, Jin-Ho; Jin, Yong-Su

    2010-11-01

    Xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces strains are needed for commercialization of ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains expressing XYL1, XYL2 and XYL3 from Pichia stipitis, however, utilize xylose in an oxidative manner, which results in significantly lower ethanol yields from xylose as compared to glucose. As such, we hypothesized that reconfiguration of xylose metabolism from oxidative into fermentative manner might lead to efficient ethanol production from xylose. To this end, we generated a respiration-deficient (RD) mutant in order to enforce engineered S. cerevisiae to utilize xylose only through fermentative metabolic routes. Three different repeated-batch fermentations were performed to characterize characteristics of the respiration-deficient mutant. When fermenting glucose as a sole carbon source, the RD mutant exhibited near theoretical ethanol yields (0.46 g g(-1)) during repeated-batch fermentations by recycling the cells. As the repeated-batch fermentation progressed, the volumetric ethanol productivity increased (from 7.5 to 8.3 g L(-1)h(-1)) because of the increased biomass from previous cultures. On the contrary, the mutant showed decreasing volumetric ethanol productivities during the repeated-batch fermentations using xylose as sole carbon source (from 0.4 to 0.3 g L(-1)h(-1)). The mutant did not grow on xylose and lost fermenting ability gradually, indicating that the RD mutant cannot maintain a good fermenting ability on xylose as a sole carbon source. However, the RD mutant was capable of fermenting a mixture of glucose and xylose with stable yields (0.35 g g(-1)) and productivities (0.52 g L(-1)h(-1)) during the repeated-batch fermentation. In addition, ethanol yields from xylose during the mixed sugar fermentation (0.30 g g(-1)) were higher than ethanol yields from xylose as a sole carbon source (0.21 g g(-1)). These results suggest that a strategy for increasing ethanol yield through

  14. Prevalence and susceptibility of Saccharomyces cerevisiae causing vaginitis in Greek women.

    PubMed

    Papaemmanouil, V; Georgogiannis, N; Plega, M; Lalaki, J; Lydakis, D; Dimitriou, M; Papadimitriou, A

    2011-12-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ascomycetous yeast, that is traditionally used in wine bread and beer production. Vaginitis caused by S. cerevisiae is rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of S. cerevisiae isolation from the vagina in two groups of women and determined the in vitro susceptibility of this fungus. Vaginal samples were collected from a total of 262 (asymptomatic and symptomatic) women with vaginitis attending the centre of family planning of General hospital of Piraeus. All blastomycetes that isolated from the vaginal samples were examined for microscopic morphological tests and identified by conventional methods: By API 20 C AUX and ID 32 C (Biomerieux). Antifungal susceptibility testing for amphotericin B,fluconazole itraconazole,voriconazole, posaconazole and caspofungin was performed by E -test (Ab BIODIKS SWEDEN) against S. cerevisiae. A total of 16 isolates of S. cerevisiae derived from vaginal sample of the referred women, average 6.10%. Susceptibility of 16 isolates of S. cerevisiae to a variety of antimycotic agents were obtained. So all isolates of S. cerevisiae were resistant to fluconazole, posaconazole and intraconazole, but they were sensitive to voriconazole caspofungin and Amphotericin B which were found sensitive (except 1/16 strains). None of the 16 patients had a history of occupational domestic use of baker's yeast. Vaginitis caused by S. cerevisiae occur, is rising and cannot be ignored. Treatment of Saccharomyces vaginitis constitutes a major challenge and may require selected and often prolonged therapy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Therapeutic activity of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based probiotic and inactivated whole yeast on vaginal candidiasis

    PubMed Central

    Pericolini, Eva; Gabrielli, Elena; Ballet, Nathalie; Sabbatini, Samuele; Roselletti, Elena; Cayzeele Decherf, Amélie; Pélerin, Fanny; Luciano, Eugenio; Perito, Stefano; Jüsten, Peter; Vecchiarelli, Anna

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Vulvovaginal candidiasis is the most prevalent vaginal infection worldwide and Candida albicans is its major agent. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is characterized by disruption of the vaginal microbiota composition, as happens following large spectrum antibiotic usage. Recent studies support the effectiveness of oral and local probiotic treatment for prevention of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a safe yeast used as, or for, the production of ingredients for human nutrition and health. Here, we demonstrate that vaginal administration of probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae live yeast (GI) and, in part, inactivated whole yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (IY), used as post-challenge therapeutics, was able to positively influence the course of vaginal candidiasis by accelerating the clearance of the fungus. This effect was likely due to multiple interactions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with Candida albicans. Both live and inactivated yeasts induced coaggregation of Candida and consequently inhibited its adherence to epithelial cells. However, only the probiotic yeast was able to suppress some major virulence factors of Candida albicans such as the ability to switch from yeast to mycelial form and the capacity to express several aspartyl proteases. The effectiveness of live yeast was higher than that of inactivated whole yeast suggesting that the synergy between mechanical effects and biological effects were dominant over purely mechanical effects. The protection of epithelial cells to Candida-induced damage was also observed. Overall, our data show for the first time that Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based ingredients, particularly the living cells, can exert beneficial therapeutic effects on a widespread vaginal mucosal infection. PMID:27435998

  16. Therapeutic activity of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based probiotic and inactivated whole yeast on vaginal candidiasis.

    PubMed

    Pericolini, Eva; Gabrielli, Elena; Ballet, Nathalie; Sabbatini, Samuele; Roselletti, Elena; Cayzeele Decherf, Amélie; Pélerin, Fanny; Luciano, Eugenio; Perito, Stefano; Jüsten, Peter; Vecchiarelli, Anna

    2017-01-02

    Vulvovaginal candidiasis is the most prevalent vaginal infection worldwide and Candida albicans is its major agent. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is characterized by disruption of the vaginal microbiota composition, as happens following large spectrum antibiotic usage. Recent studies support the effectiveness of oral and local probiotic treatment for prevention of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a safe yeast used as, or for, the production of ingredients for human nutrition and health. Here, we demonstrate that vaginal administration of probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae live yeast (GI) and, in part, inactivated whole yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (IY), used as post-challenge therapeutics, was able to positively influence the course of vaginal candidiasis by accelerating the clearance of the fungus. This effect was likely due to multiple interactions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with Candida albicans. Both live and inactivated yeasts induced coaggregation of Candida and consequently inhibited its adherence to epithelial cells. However, only the probiotic yeast was able to suppress some major virulence factors of Candida albicans such as the ability to switch from yeast to mycelial form and the capacity to express several aspartyl proteases. The effectiveness of live yeast was higher than that of inactivated whole yeast suggesting that the synergy between mechanical effects and biological effects were dominant over purely mechanical effects. The protection of epithelial cells to Candida-induced damage was also observed. Overall, our data show for the first time that Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based ingredients, particularly the living cells, can exert beneficial therapeutic effects on a widespread vaginal mucosal infection.

  17. Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a nomadic yeast with no niche?

    PubMed

    Goddard, Matthew R; Greig, Duncan

    2015-05-01

    Different species are usually thought to have specific adaptations, which allow them to occupy different ecological niches. But recent neutral ecology theory suggests that species diversity can simply be the result of random sampling, due to finite population sizes and limited dispersal. Neutral models predict that species are not necessarily adapted to specific niches, but are functionally equivalent across a range of habitats. Here, we evaluate the ecology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the most important microbial species in human history. The artificial collection, concentration and fermentation of large volumes of fruit for alcohol production produce an environment in which S. cerevisiae thrives, and therefore it is assumed that fruit is the ecological niche that S. cerevisiae inhabits and has adapted to. We find very little direct evidence that S. cerevisiae is adapted to fruit, or indeed to any other specific niche. We propose instead a neutral nomad model for S. cerevisiae, which we believe should be used as the starting hypothesis in attempting to unravel the ecology of this important microbe. © FEMS 2015.

  18. Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a sexy yeast with a prion problem.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Amy C; Wickner, Reed B

    2013-01-01

    Yeast prions are infectious proteins that spread exclusively by mating. The frequency of prions in the wild therefore largely reflects the rate of spread by mating counterbalanced by prion growth slowing effects in the host. We recently showed that the frequency of outcross mating is about 1% of mitotic doublings with 23-46% of total matings being outcrosses. These findings imply that even the mildest forms of the [PSI+], [URE3] and [PIN+] prions impart > 1% growth/survival detriment on their hosts. Our estimate of outcrossing suggests that Saccharomyces cerevisiae is far more sexual than previously thought and would therefore be more responsive to the adaptive effects of natural selection compared with a strictly asexual yeast. Further, given its large effective population size, a growth/survival detriment of > 1% for yeast prions should strongly select against prion-infected strains in wild populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

  19. Synthetic organotelluride compounds induce the reversal of Pdr5p mediated fluconazole resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Reis de Sá, Leandro Figueira; Toledo, Fabiano Travanca; de Sousa, Bruno Artur; Gonçalves, Augusto César; Tessis, Ana Claudia; Wendler, Edison P; Comasseto, João V; Dos Santos, Alcindo A; Ferreira-Pereira, Antonio

    2014-07-26

    Resistance to fluconazole, a commonly used azole antifungal, is a challenge for the treatment of fungal infections. Resistance can be mediated by overexpression of ABC transporters, which promote drug efflux that requires ATP hydrolysis. The Pdr5p ABC transporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a well-known model used to study this mechanism of antifungal resistance. The present study investigated the effects of 13 synthetic compounds on Pdr5p. Among the tested compounds, four contained a tellurium-butane group and shared structural similarities that were absent in the other tested compounds: a lateral hydrocarbon chain and an amide group. These four compounds were capable of inhibiting Pdr5p ATPase activity by more than 90%, they demonstrated IC50 values less than 2 μM and had an uncompetitive pattern of Pdr5p ATPase activity inhibition. These organotellurides did not demonstrate cytotoxicity against human erythrocytes or S. cerevisiae mutant strains (a strain that overexpress Pdr5p and a null mutant strain) even in concentrations above 100 μM. When tested at 100 μM, they could reverse the fluconazole resistance expressed by both the S. cerevisiae mutant strain that overexpress Pdr5p and a clinical isolate of Candida albicans. We have identified four organotellurides that are promising candidates for the reversal of drug resistance mediated by drug efflux pumps. These molecules will act as scaffolds for the development of more efficient and effective efflux pump inhibitors that can be used in combination therapy with available antifungals.

  20. Synthetic organotelluride compounds induce the reversal of Pdr5p mediated fluconazole resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Resistance to fluconazole, a commonly used azole antifungal, is a challenge for the treatment of fungal infections. Resistance can be mediated by overexpression of ABC transporters, which promote drug efflux that requires ATP hydrolysis. The Pdr5p ABC transporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a well-known model used to study this mechanism of antifungal resistance. The present study investigated the effects of 13 synthetic compounds on Pdr5p. Results Among the tested compounds, four contained a tellurium-butane group and shared structural similarities that were absent in the other tested compounds: a lateral hydrocarbon chain and an amide group. These four compounds were capable of inhibiting Pdr5p ATPase activity by more than 90%, they demonstrated IC50 values less than 2 μM and had an uncompetitive pattern of Pdr5p ATPase activity inhibition. These organotellurides did not demonstrate cytotoxicity against human erythrocytes or S. cerevisiae mutant strains (a strain that overexpress Pdr5p and a null mutant strain) even in concentrations above 100 μM. When tested at 100 μM, they could reverse the fluconazole resistance expressed by both the S. cerevisiae mutant strain that overexpress Pdr5p and a clinical isolate of Candida albicans. Conclusions We have identified four organotellurides that are promising candidates for the reversal of drug resistance mediated by drug efflux pumps. These molecules will act as scaffolds for the development of more efficient and effective efflux pump inhibitors that can be used in combination therapy with available antifungals. PMID:25062749

  1. Replication protein A is required for meiotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Soustelle, Christine; Vedel, Michèle; Kolodner, Richard; Nicolas, Alain

    2002-01-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, meiotic recombination is initiated by transient DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs). These DSBs undergo a 5' --> 3' resection to produce 3' single-stranded DNA ends that serve to channel DSBs into the RAD52 recombinational repair pathway. In vitro studies strongly suggest that several proteins of this pathway--Rad51, Rad52, Rad54, Rad55, Rad57, and replication protein A (RPA)--play a role in the strand exchange reaction. Here, we report a study of the meiotic phenotypes conferred by two missense mutations affecting the largest subunit of RPA, which are localized in the protein interaction domain (rfa1-t11) and in the DNA-binding domain (rfa1-t48). We find that both mutant diploids exhibit reduced sporulation efficiency, very poor spore viability, and a 10- to 100-fold decrease in meiotic recombination. Physical analyses indicate that both mutants form normal levels of meiosis-specific DSBs and that the broken ends are processed into 3'-OH single-stranded tails, indicating that the RPA complex present in these rfa1 mutants is functional in the initial steps of meiotic recombination. However, the 5' ends of the broken fragments undergo extensive resection, similar to what is observed in rad51, rad52, rad55, and rad57 mutants, indicating that these RPA mutants are defective in the repair of the Spo11-dependent DSBs that initiate homologous recombination during meiosis. PMID:12072452

  2. A Computational Approach to Estimating Nondisjunction Frequency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Chu, Daniel B.; Burgess, Sean M.

    2016-01-01

    Errors segregating homologous chromosomes during meiosis result in aneuploid gametes and are the largest contributing factor to birth defects and spontaneous abortions in humans. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has long served as a model organism for studying the gene network supporting normal chromosome segregation. Measuring homolog nondisjunction frequencies is laborious, and involves dissecting thousands of tetrads to detect missegregation of individually marked chromosomes. Here we describe a computational method (TetFit) to estimate the relative contributions of meiosis I nondisjunction and random-spore death to spore inviability in wild type and mutant strains. These values are based on finding the best-fit distribution of 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 viable-spore tetrads to an observed distribution. Using TetFit, we found that meiosis I nondisjunction is an intrinsic component of spore inviability in wild-type strains. We show proof-of-principle that the calculated average meiosis I nondisjunction frequency determined by TetFit closely matches empirically determined values in mutant strains. Using these published data sets, TetFit uncovered two classes of mutants: Class A mutants skew toward increased nondisjunction death, and include those with known defects in establishing pairing, recombination, and/or synapsis of homologous chromosomes. Class B mutants skew toward random spore death, and include those with defects in sister-chromatid cohesion and centromere function. Epistasis analysis using TetFit is facilitated by the low numbers of tetrads (as few as 200) required to compare the contributions to spore death in different mutant backgrounds. TetFit analysis does not require any special strain construction, and can be applied to previously observed tetrad distributions. PMID:26747203

  3. Efficient screening of environmental isolates for Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that are suitable for brewing.

    PubMed

    Fujihara, Hidehiko; Hino, Mika; Takashita, Hideharu; Kajiwara, Yasuhiro; Okamoto, Keiko; Furukawa, Kensuke

    2014-01-01

    We developed an efficient screening method for Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from environmental isolates. MultiPlex PCR was performed targeting four brewing S. cerevisiae genes (SSU1, AWA1, BIO6, and FLO1). At least three genes among the four were amplified from all S. cerevisiae strains. The use of this method allowed us to successfully obtain S. cerevisiae strains.

  4. Improved xylose uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae due to directed evolution of galactose permease Gal2 for sugar co-consumption.

    PubMed

    Reznicek, O; Facey, S J; de Waal, P P; Teunissen, A W R H; de Bont, J A M; Nijland, J G; Driessen, A J M; Hauer, B

    2015-07-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae does not express any xylose-specific transporters. To enhance the xylose uptake of S. cerevisiae, directed evolution of the Gal2 transporter was performed. Three rounds of error-prone PCR were used to generate mutants with improved xylose-transport characteristics. After developing a fast and reliable high-throughput screening assay based on flow cytometry, eight mutants were obtained showing an improved uptake of xylose compared to wild-type Gal2 out of 41 200 single yeast cells. Gal2 variant 2·1 harbouring five amino acid substitutions showed an increased affinity towards xylose with a faster overall sugar metabolism of glucose and xylose. Another Gal2 variant 3·1 carrying an additional amino acid substitution revealed an impaired growth on glucose but not on xylose. Random mutagenesis of the S. cerevisiae Gal2 led to an increased xylose uptake capacity and decreased glucose affinity, allowing improved co-consumption. Random mutagenesis is a powerful tool to evolve sugar transporters like Gal2 towards co-consumption of new substrates. Using a high-throughput screening system based on flow-through cytometry, various mutants were identified with improved xylose-transport characteristics. The Gal2 variants in this work are a promising starting point for further engineering to improve xylose uptake from mixed sugars in biomass. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  5. Genetic control of enhanced mutability of mitochondrial DNA and gamma-ray sensitivity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Foury, F; Goffeau, A

    1979-01-01

    Five nuclear mutants enhancing the spontaneous mutation rate of mtDNA have been isolated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These mutators fall into five complementation groups and are located at five genetic loci different from rad50 to rad57 loci. Three mutants (gam1, gam2, and gam4), insensitive or weakly sensitive to gamma-rays, exhibit increased frequency of spontaneous production of mutants with large deletions of the mtDNA (p-) and of all tested mitochondrial drug-resistant mutants. Two other mutants (gam3 and gam5), highly sensitive to gamma-rays, increase only the mutation rate of particular alleles of the mtDNA. The mutant gam5 enhances only the production of p- and erythromycin-resistant clones. The mutant gam3 exhibits an enhanced rate of oligomycin-resistant clones as well as a collateral increase of nuclear mutability. The existence of gam3 and gam5 mutants indicates that at least two common steps control both nuclear DNA repair and the mutability of particular alleles of the mtDNA. However, the general spontaneous mutability of the mtDNA includes at least three steps not involved in the repair of nuclear DNA, as revealed by the gam1, gam2, and gam4 mutations. PMID:392521

  6. Selected non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts in controlled multistarter fermentations with Saccharomyces cerevisiae on alcoholic fermentation behaviour and wine aroma of cherry wines.

    PubMed

    Sun, Shu Yang; Gong, Han Sheng; Jiang, Xiao Man; Zhao, Yu Ping

    2014-12-01

    This study examined the effect of mixed fermentation of non-Saccharomyces (Torulaspora delbrueckii ZYMAFLORE Alpha(TD n. Sacch) and Metschnikowia pulcherrima JS22) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts (D254 and EC1118) on the production of cherry wines, in comparison with commonly used mono-culture. Results obtained during AF demonstrated that negligible inhibitory effect was observed in S. cerevisiae/Alpha pair, whereas a strong antagonistic effect was detected between MJS22 and S. cerevisiae strain, resulting in an early death of MJS22. For volatile components determined, S. cerevisiae/MJS22 couple was found to significantly boost the production of most detected compounds, more particularly in higher alcohols, esters, acids and terpenes; while the characteristic of S. cerevisiae/Alpha pair is an increase in fruity esters, higher alcohols and decrease in acid production. Sensory evaluation revealed that S. cerevisiae/MJS22 pair reinforced sweet, green and fatty notes to the cherry wines, and S. cerevisiae/Alpha trial enhanced the fruity odour and reduced green note. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Overproduction of geraniol by enhanced precursor supply in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jidong; Zhang, Weiping; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian; Zhou, Jingwen

    2013-12-01

    Monoterpene geraniol, a compound obtained from aromatic plants, has wide applications. In this study, geraniol was synthesized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through the introduction of geraniol synthase. To increase geraniol production, the mevalonate pathway in S. cerevisiae was genetically manipulated to enhance the supply of geranyl diphosphate, a substrate used for the biosynthesis of geraniol. Identification and optimization of the key regulatory points in the mevalonate pathway in S. cerevisiae increased geraniol production to 36.04 mg L(-1). The results obtained revealed that the IDI1-encoded isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase is a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of geraniol in S. cerevisiae, and overexpression of MAF1, a negative regulator in tRNA biosynthesis, is another effective method to increase geraniol production in S. cerevisiae. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Improvement of Lead Tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Random Mutagenesis of Transcription Regulator SPT3.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Liying; Gao, Shan; Zhang, Hongman; Huang, He; Jiang, Ling

    2018-01-01

    Bioremediation of heavy metal pollution with biomaterials such as bacteria and fungi usually suffer from limitations because of microbial sensitivity to high concentration of heavy metals. Herein, we adopted a novel random mutagenesis technique called RAISE to manipulate the transcription regulator SPT3 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to improve cell lead tolerance. The best strain Mutant VI was selected from the random mutagenesis libraries on account of the growth performance, with higher specific growth rate than the control strain (0.068 vs. 0.040 h -1 ) at lead concentration as high as 1.8 g/L. Combined with the transcriptome analysis of S. cerevisiae, expressing the SPT3 protein was performed to make better sense of the global regulatory effects of SPT3. The data analysis revealed that 57 of S. cerevisiae genes were induced and 113 genes were suppressed, ranging from those for trehalose synthesis, carbon metabolism, and nucleotide synthesis to lead resistance. Especially, the accumulation of intracellular trehalose in S. cerevisiae under certain conditions of stress is considered important to lead resistance. The above results represented that SPT3 was acted as global transcription regulator in the exponential phase of strain and accordingly improved heavy metal tolerance in the heterologous host S. cerevisiae. The present study provides a route to complex phenotypes that are not readily accessible by traditional methods.

  9. [Invertase Overproduction May Provide for Inulin Fermentation by Selection Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae].

    PubMed

    Naumov, G I; Naumova, E S

    2015-01-01

    In some recent publications, the ability of selection strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to ferment inulin was attributed to inulinase activity. The review summarizes the literature data indicating that overproduction of invertase, an enzyme common to S. cerevisiae, may be responsible for this phenomenon.

  10. Anethole induces apoptotic cell death accompanied by reactive oxygen species production and DNA fragmentation in Aspergillus fumigatus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Fujita, Ken-Ichi; Tatsumi, Miki; Ogita, Akira; Kubo, Isao; Tanaka, Toshio

    2014-02-01

    trans-Anethole (anethole), a major component of anise oil, has a broad antimicrobial spectrum, and antimicrobial activity that is weaker than that of other antibiotics on the market. When combined with polygodial, nagilactone E, and n-dodecanol, anethole has been shown to possess significant synergistic antifungal activity against a budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and a human opportunistic pathogenic yeast, Candida albicans. However, the antifungal mechanism of anethole has not been completely determined. We found that anethole stimulated cell death of a human opportunistic pathogenic fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus, in addition to S. cerevisiae. The anethole-induced cell death was accompanied by reactive oxygen species production, metacaspase activation, and DNA fragmentation. Several mutants of S. cerevisiae, in which genes related to the apoptosis-initiating execution signals from mitochondria were deleted, were resistant to anethole. These results suggest that anethole-induced cell death could be explained by oxidative stress-dependent apoptosis via typical mitochondrial death cascades in fungi, including A. fumigatus and S. cerevisiae. © 2014 FEBS.

  11. Acquisition of the Ability To Assimilate Mannitol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae through Dysfunction of the General Corepressor Tup1-Cyc8

    PubMed Central

    Chujo, Moeko; Yoshida, Shiori; Ota, Anri; Murata, Kousaku

    2014-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae normally cannot assimilate mannitol, a promising brown macroalgal carbon source for bioethanol production. The molecular basis of this inability remains unknown. We found that cells capable of assimilating mannitol arose spontaneously from wild-type S. cerevisiae during prolonged culture in mannitol-containing medium. Based on microarray data, complementation analysis, and cell growth data, we demonstrated that acquisition of mannitol-assimilating ability was due to spontaneous mutations in the genes encoding Tup1 or Cyc8, which constitute a general corepressor complex that regulates many kinds of genes. We also showed that an S. cerevisiae strain carrying a mutant allele of CYC8 exhibited superior salt tolerance relative to other ethanologenic microorganisms; this characteristic would be highly beneficial for the production of bioethanol from marine biomass. Thus, we succeeded in conferring the ability to assimilate mannitol on S. cerevisiae through dysfunction of Tup1-Cyc8, facilitating production of ethanol from mannitol. PMID:25304510

  12. Potential immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae as heavy metal removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raffar, Nur Izzati Abdul; Rahman, Nadhratul Nur Ain Abdul; Alrozi, Rasyidah; Senusi, Faraziehan; Chang, Siu Hua

    2015-05-01

    Biosorption of copper ion using treated and untreated immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae from aqueous solution was investigate in this study. S.cerevisiae has been choosing as biosorbent due to low cost, easy and continuously available from various industries. In this study, the ability of treated and untreated immobilized S.cerevisiae in removing copper ion influence by the effect of pH solution, and initial concentration of copper ion with contact time. Besides, adsorption isotherm and kinetic model also studied. The result indicated that the copper ion uptake on treated and untreated immobilized S.cerevisiae was increased with increasing of contact time and initial concentration of copper ion. The optimum pH for copper ion uptake on untreated and treated immobilized S.cerevisiae at 4 and 6. From the data obtained of copper ion uptake, the adsorption isotherm was fitted well by Freundlich model for treated immobilized S.cerevisiae and Langmuir model for untreated immobilized S.cerevisiae according to high correlation coefficient. Meanwhile, the pseudo second order was described as suitable model present according to high correlation coefficient. Since the application of biosorption process has been received more attention from numerous researchers as a potential process to be applied in the industry, future study will be conducted to investigate the potential of immobilized S.cerevisiae in continuous process.

  13. Ultraviolet mutagenesis studies of [psi], a cytoplasmic determinant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tuite, M F; Cox, B S

    1980-07-01

    UV mutagenesis was used to probe the molecular nature of [psi], a nonmitochondrial cytoplasmic determinant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae involved in the control of nonsense suppression. The UV-induced mutation from [psi+] to [psi-] showed characteristics of forward nuclear gene mutation in terms of frequency, induction kinetics, occurrence of whole and sectored mutant clones and the effect of the stage in the growth cycle on mutation frequency. The involvement of pyrimidine dimers in the premutational lesion giving the [psi-] mutation was demonstrated by photoreactivation. UV-induced damage to the [psi] genetic determinant was shown to be repaired by nuclear-coded repair enzymes that are responsible for the repair of nuclear DNA damage. UV-induced damage to mitochondrial DNA appeared to be, at least partly, under the control of different repair processes. The evidence obtained suggests that the [psi] determinant is DNA.

  14. IMP2, a nuclear gene controlling the mitochondrial dependence of galactose, maltose and raffinose utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Donnini, C; Lodi, T; Ferrero, I; Puglisi, P P

    1992-02-01

    The IMP2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is involved in the nucleo-mitochondrial control of maltose, galactose and raffinose utilization as shown by the inability of imp2 mutants to grow on these carbon sources in respiratory-deficient conditions or in the presence of ethidium bromide and erythromycin. The negative phenotype cannot be scored in the presence of inhibitors of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation, indicating that the role of the mitochondria in the utilization of the above-mentioned carbon sources in imp2 mutants is not at the energetical level. Mutations in the IMP2 gene also confer many phenotypic alterations in respiratory-sufficient conditions, e.g. leaky phenotype on oxidizable carbon sources, sensitivity to heat shock and sporulation deficiency. The IMP2 gene has been cloned, sequenced and disrupted. The phenotype of null imp2 mutants is indistinguishable from that of the originally isolated mutant.

  15. [Mutants of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae characterized by enhanced induced mutagenesis. III. Effect of the him mutation on the effectiveness and specificity of UF-induced mutagenesis].

    PubMed

    Ivanov, E L; Koval'tsova, S V; Korolev, V G

    1987-09-01

    We have studied the influence of him1-1, him2-1, him3-1 and himX mutations on induction frequency and specificity of UV-induced adenine-dependent mutations in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Him mutations do not render haploid cells more sensitive to the lethal action of UV-light; however, in him strains adenine-dependent mutations (ade1, ade2) were induced more frequently (1.5--2-fold), as compared to the HIM strain. An analysis of the molecular nature of ade2 mutants revealed that him1-1, him2-1 and himX mutations increase specifically the yield of transitions (AT----GC and GC----AT), whereas in the him3-1 strain the yield of transversions was enhanced as well. We suggest him mutations analysed to affect specific repair pathway for mismatch correction.

  16. Progress in Metabolic Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Nevoigt, Elke

    2008-01-01

    Summary: The traditional use of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in alcoholic fermentation has, over time, resulted in substantial accumulated knowledge concerning genetics, physiology, and biochemistry as well as genetic engineering and fermentation technologies. S. cerevisiae has become a platform organism for developing metabolic engineering strategies, methods, and tools. The current review discusses the relevance of several engineering strategies, such as rational and inverse metabolic engineering, evolutionary engineering, and global transcription machinery engineering, in yeast strain improvement. It also summarizes existing tools for fine-tuning and regulating enzyme activities and thus metabolic pathways. Recent examples of yeast metabolic engineering for food, beverage, and industrial biotechnology (bioethanol and bulk and fine chemicals) follow. S. cerevisiae currently enjoys increasing popularity as a production organism in industrial (“white”) biotechnology due to its inherent tolerance of low pH values and high ethanol and inhibitor concentrations and its ability to grow anaerobically. Attention is paid to utilizing lignocellulosic biomass as a potential substrate. PMID:18772282

  17. 2μ plasmid in Saccharomyces species and in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Strope, Pooja K; Kozmin, Stanislav G; Skelly, Daniel A; Magwene, Paul M; Dietrich, Fred S; McCusker, John H

    2015-12-01

    We determined that extrachromosomal 2μ plasmid was present in 67 of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 100-genome strains; in addition to variation in the size and copy number of 2μ, we identified three distinct classes of 2μ. We identified 2μ presence/absence and class associations with populations, clinical origin and nuclear genotypes. We also screened genome sequences of S. paradoxus, S. kudriavzevii, S. uvarum, S. eubayanus, S. mikatae, S. arboricolus and S. bayanus strains for both integrated and extrachromosomal 2μ. Similar to S. cerevisiae, we found no integrated 2μ sequences in any S. paradoxus strains. However, we identified part of 2μ integrated into the genomes of some S. uvarum, S. kudriavzevii, S. mikatae and S. bayanus strains, which were distinct from each other and from all extrachromosomal 2μ. We identified extrachromosomal 2μ in one S. paradoxus, one S. eubayanus, two S. bayanus and 13 S. uvarum strains. The extrachromosomal 2μ in S. paradoxus, S. eubayanus and S. cerevisiae were distinct from each other. In contrast, the extrachromosomal 2μ in S. bayanus and S. uvarum strains were identical with each other and with one of the three classes of S. cerevisiae 2μ, consistent with interspecific transfer. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Antioxidant properties and global metabolite screening of the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii.

    PubMed

    Datta, Suprama; Timson, David J; Annapure, Uday S

    2017-07-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii is the only yeast species with probiotic properties. It is considered to have therapeutic significance in gastrointestinal disorders. In the present study, a comparative physiological study between this yeast and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (BY4742) was performed by evaluating two prominent traits of probiotic species, responses to different stress conditions and antioxidant capacity. A global metabolite profile was also developed aiming to identify which therapeutically important secondary metabolites are produced. Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii showed no significant difference in growth patterns but greater stress tolerance compared to S. cerevisiae. It also demonstrated a six- to 10-fold greater antioxidant potential (judged by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay), with a 70-fold higher total phenolic content and a 20-fold higher total flavonoid content in the extracellular fraction. These features were clearly differentiated by principal component analysis and further indicated by metabolite profiling. The extracellular fraction of the S. cerevisiae var. boulardii cultures was found to be rich in polyphenolic metabolites: vanillic acid, cinnamic acid, phenyl ethyl alcohol (rose oil), erythromycin, amphetamine and vitamin B 6 , which results in the antioxidant capacity of this strain. The present study presents a new perspective for differentiating the two genetically related strains of yeast, S. cerevisiae and S. cerevisiae var. boulardii by assessing their metabolome fingerprints. In addition to the correlation of the phenotypic properties with the secretory metabolites of these two yeasts, the present study also emphasizes the potential to exploit S. cerevisiae var. boulardii in the industrial production of these metabolites. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  19. Construction of lycopene-overproducing Saccharomyces cerevisiae by combining directed evolution and metabolic engineering.

    PubMed

    Xie, Wenping; Lv, Xiaomei; Ye, Lidan; Zhou, Pingping; Yu, Hongwei

    2015-07-01

    Improved supply of farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) is often considered as a typical strategy for engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae towards efficient terpenoid production. However, in the engineered strains with enhanced precursor supply, the production of the target metabolite is often impeded by insufficient capacity of the heterologous terpenoid pathways, which limits further conversion of FPP. Here, we tried to assemble an unimpeded biosynthesis pathway by combining directed evolution and metabolic engineering in S. cerevisiae for lycopene-overproduction. First, the catalytic ability of phytoene syntheses from different sources was investigated based on lycopene accumulation. Particularly, the lycopene cyclase function of the bifunctional enzyme CrtYB from Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous was inactivated by deletion of functional domain and directed evolution to obtain mutants with solely phytoene synthase function. Coexpression of the resulting CrtYB11M mutant along with the CrtE and CrtI genes from X. dendrorhous, and the tHMG1 gene from S. cerevisiae led to production of 4.47 mg/g DCW (Dry cell weight) of lycopene and 25.66 mg/g DCW of the by-product squalene. To further increase the FPP competitiveness of the lycopene synthesis pathway, we tried to enhance the catalytic performance of CrtE by directed evolution and created a series of pathway variants by varying the copy number of Crt genes. Finally, fed-batch fermentation was conducted for the diploid strain YXWPD-14 resulting in accumulation of 1.61 g/L (24.41 mg/g DCW) of lycopene, meanwhile, the by-production of squalene was reduced to below 1 mg/g DCW. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. [Cloning of cDNA for RNA polymerase subunit from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe by heterospecific complementation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae].

    PubMed

    Shpakovskiĭ, G V; Lebedenko, E N; Thuriaux, P

    1997-02-01

    The rpb10 cDNA of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, encoding one of the five small subunits common to all three nuclear DNA-dependent RNA polymerases, was isolated from an expression cDNA library by two independent approaches: PCR-based screening and direct suppression by means of heterospecific complementation of a temperature-sensitive mutant defective in the corresponding gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The cloned Sz. pombe cDNA encodes a protein Rpb10 of 71 amino acids with an M of 8,275 Da, sharing 51 amino acids (71% identity) with the subunit ABC10 beta of RNA polymerases I-III from S. cerevisiae. All eukaryotic members of this protein family have the same general organization featuring two highly conserved motifs (RCFT/SCGK and RYCCRRM) around an atypical zinc finger and an additional invariant HVDLIEK motif toward the C-terminal end. The last motif is only characteristics for homologs from eukaryotes. In keeping with this remarkable structural conservation, the Sz. pombe cDNA also fully complemented a S. cerevisiae deletion mutant lacking subunit ABC10 beta (null allele rpb10-delta 1::HIS3).

  1. Microbially induced separation of quartz from calcite using Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Padukone, S Usha; Natarajan, K A

    2011-11-01

    Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and their metabolites were successfully utilized to achieve selective separation of quartz and calcite through microbially induced flotation and flocculation. S. cerevisiae was adapted to calcite and quartz minerals. Adsorption studies and electrokinetic investigations were carried out to understand the changes in the surface chemistry of yeast cells and the minerals after mutual interaction. Possible mechanisms in microbially induced flotation and flocculation are outlined. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. The Reference Genome Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Then and Now

    PubMed Central

    Engel, Stacia R.; Dietrich, Fred S.; Fisk, Dianna G.; Binkley, Gail; Balakrishnan, Rama; Costanzo, Maria C.; Dwight, Selina S.; Hitz, Benjamin C.; Karra, Kalpana; Nash, Robert S.; Weng, Shuai; Wong, Edith D.; Lloyd, Paul; Skrzypek, Marek S.; Miyasato, Stuart R.; Simison, Matt; Cherry, J. Michael

    2014-01-01

    The genome of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the first completely sequenced from a eukaryote. It was released in 1996 as the work of a worldwide effort of hundreds of researchers. In the time since, the yeast genome has been intensively studied by geneticists, molecular biologists, and computational scientists all over the world. Maintenance and annotation of the genome sequence have long been provided by the Saccharomyces Genome Database, one of the original model organism databases. To deepen our understanding of the eukaryotic genome, the S. cerevisiae strain S288C reference genome sequence was updated recently in its first major update since 1996. The new version, called “S288C 2010,” was determined from a single yeast colony using modern sequencing technologies and serves as the anchor for further innovations in yeast genomic science. PMID:24374639

  3. Genetic engineering of industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Le Borgne, Sylvie

    2012-01-01

    Genetic engineering has been successfully applied to Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains for different purposes: extension of substrate range, improvement of productivity and yield, elimination of by-products, improvement of process performance and cellular properties, and extension of product range. The potential of genetically engineered yeasts for the massive production of biofuels as bioethanol and other nonfuel products from renewable resources as lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates has been recognized. For such applications, robust industrial strains of S. cerevisiae have to be used. Here, some relevant genetic and genomic characteristics of industrial strains are discussed in relation to the problematic of the genetic engineering of such strains. General molecular tools applicable to the manipulation of S. cerevisiae industrial strains are presented and examples of genetically engineered industrial strains developed for the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass are given.

  4. Metabolic Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Caffeine and Theobromine Production

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Lu; Bhuiya, Mohammad Wadud; Li, Mengmeng; Liu, XiangQi; Han, Jixiang; Deng, WeiWei; Wang, Min; Yu, Oliver; Zhang, Zhengzhu

    2014-01-01

    Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine) and theobromine (3, 7-dimethylxanthine) are the major purine alkaloids in plants, e.g. tea (Camellia sinensis) and coffee (Coffea arabica). Caffeine is a major component of coffee and is used widely in food and beverage industries. Most of the enzymes involved in the caffeine biosynthetic pathway have been reported previously. Here, we demonstrated the biosynthesis of caffeine (0.38 mg/L) by co-expression of Coffea arabica xanthosine methyltransferase (CaXMT) and Camellia sinensis caffeine synthase (TCS) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Furthermore, we endeavored to develop this production platform for making other purine-based alkaloids. To increase the catalytic activity of TCS in an effort to increase theobromine production, we identified four amino acid residues based on structural analyses of 3D-model of TCS. Two TCS1 mutants (Val317Met and Phe217Trp) slightly increased in theobromine accumulation and simultaneously decreased in caffeine production. The application and further optimization of this biosynthetic platform are discussed. PMID:25133732

  5. MLH1 mutations differentially affect meiotic functions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Hoffmann, Eva R; Shcherbakova, Polina V; Kunkel, Thomas A; Borts, Rhona H

    2003-01-01

    To test whether missense mutations in the cancer susceptibility gene MLH1 adversely affect meiosis, we examined 14 yeast MLH1 mutations for effects on meiotic DNA transactions and gamete viability in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mutations analogous to those associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) or those that reduce Mlh1p interactions with ATP or DNA all impair replicative mismatch repair as measured by increased mutation rates. However, their effects on meiotic heteroduplex repair, crossing over, chromosome segregation, and gametogenesis vary from complete loss of meiotic functions to no meiotic defect, and mutants defective in one meiotic process are not necessarily defective in others. DNA binding and ATP binding but not ATP hydrolysis are required for meiotic crossing over. The results reveal clear separation of different Mlh1p functions in mitosis and meiosis, and they suggest that some, but not all, MLH1 mutations may be a source of human infertility. PMID:12618391

  6. Evolutionary engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for enhanced tolerance to hydrolysates of lignocellulosic biomass.

    PubMed

    Almario, María P; Reyes, Luis H; Kao, Katy C

    2013-10-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass has become an important feedstock to mitigate current ethical and economical concerns related to the bio-based production of fuels and chemicals. During the pre-treatment and hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic biomass, a complex mixture of sugars and inhibitors are formed. The inhibitors interfere with microbial growth and product yields. This study uses an adaptive laboratory evolution method called visualizing evolution in real-time (VERT) to uncover the molecular mechanisms associated with tolerance to hydrolysates of lignocellulosic biomass in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. VERT enables a more rational scheme for isolating adaptive mutants for characterization and molecular analyses. Subsequent growth kinetic analyses of the mutants in individual and combinations of common inhibitors present in hydrolysates (acetic acid, furfural, and hydroxymethylfurfural) showed differential levels of resistance to different inhibitors, with enhanced growth rates up to 57%, 12%, 22%, and 24% in hydrolysates, acetic acid, HMF and furfural, respectively. Interestingly, some of the adaptive mutants exhibited reduced fitness in the presence of individual inhibitors, but showed enhanced fitness in the presence of combinations of inhibitors compared to the parental strains. Transcriptomic analysis revealed different mechanisms for resistance to hydrolysates and a potential cross adaptation between oxidative stress and hydrolysates tolerance in several of the mutants. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Complete Sequence of the Intronless Mitochondrial Genome of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain CW252

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT The mitochondrial genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains contain up to 13 introns. An intronless recombinant genome introduced into the nuclear background of S. cerevisiae strain W303 gave the S. cerevisiae CW252 strain, which is used to model mitochondrial respiratory pathologies. The complete sequence of this mitochondrial genome was obtained using a hybrid assembling methodology. PMID:29700138

  8. Kinetics and thermodynamics of ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae MLD10 using molasses.

    PubMed

    Arshad, Muhammad; Ahmed, Sibtain; Zia, Muhammad Anjum; Rajoka, Muhammad Ibrahim

    2014-03-01

    In this study, we have used ultraviolet (UV) and γ-ray induction to get a catabolite repression resistant and thermotolerant mutant with enhanced ethanol production along with optimization of sugar concentration and temperature of fermentation. Classical mutagenesis in two consecutive cycles of UV- and γ-ray-induced mutations evolved one best catabolite-resistant and thermotolerant mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae MLD10 which showed improved ethanol yield (0.48 ± 0.02 g g(-1)), theoretical yield (93 ± 3%), and extracellular invertase productivity (1,430 ± 50 IU l(-1) h(-1)), respectively, when fermenting 180 g sugars l(-1) in molasses medium at 43 °C in 300 m(3) working volume fermenter. Ethanol production was highly dependent on invertase production. Enthalpy (ΔH*) (32.27 kJ M(-1)) and entropy (ΔS*) (-202.88 J M(-1) K(-1)) values at 43 °C by the mutant MLD10 were significantly lower than those of β-glucosidase production by a thermophilic mutant derivative of Thermomyces lanuginosus. These results confirmed the enhanced production of ethanol and invertase by this mutant derivative. These studies proved that mutant was significantly improved for ethanol production and was thermostable in nature. Lower fermentation time for ethanol production and maintenance of ethanol production rates (3.1 g l(-1) h(-1)) at higher temperature (43 °C) by this mutant could decrease the overall cost of fermentation process and increase the quality of ethanol production.

  9. Deletion of acetate transporter gene ADY2 improved tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae against multiple stresses and enhanced ethanol production in the presence of acetic acid.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Mingming; Zhang, Keyu; Mehmood, Muhammad Aamer; Zhao, Zongbao Kent; Bai, Fengwu; Zhao, Xinqing

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this work was to study the effects of deleting acetate transporter gene ADY2 on growth and fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of inhibitors. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that three genes encoding plasma membrane carboxylic acid transporters, especially ADY2, were significantly downregulated under the zinc sulfate addition condition in the presence of acetic acid stress, and the deletion of ADY2 improved growth of S. cerevisiae under acetic acid, ethanol and hydrogen peroxide stresses. Consistently, a concomitant increase in ethanol production by 14.7% in the presence of 3.6g/L acetic acid was observed in the ADY2 deletion mutant of S. cerevisiae BY4741. Decreased intracellular acetic acid, ROS accumulation, and plasma membrane permeability were observed in the ADY2 deletion mutant. These findings would be useful for developing robust yeast strains for efficient ethanol production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Signature pathway expression of xylose utilization in the genetically engineered industrial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Background: The limited xylose utilizing ability of native Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been a major obstacle for efficient cellulosic ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials. Haploid laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae are commonly used for genetic engineering to enable its xylose utiliza...

  11. Old yellow enzymes protect against acrolein toxicity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Trotter, Eleanor W; Collinson, Emma J; Dawes, Ian W; Grant, Chris M

    2006-07-01

    Acrolein is a ubiquitous reactive aldehyde which is formed as a product of lipid peroxidation in biological systems. In this present study, we screened the complete set of viable deletion strains in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for sensitivity to acrolein to identify cell functions involved in resistance to reactive aldehydes. We identified 128 mutants whose gene products are localized throughout the cell. Acrolein-sensitive mutants were distributed among most major biological processes but particularly affected gene expression, metabolism, and cellular signaling. Surprisingly, the screen did not identify any antioxidants or similar stress-protective molecules, indicating that acrolein toxicity may not be mediated via reactive oxygen species. Most strikingly, a mutant lacking an old yellow enzyme (OYE2) was identified as being acrolein sensitive. Old yellow enzymes are known to reduce alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in vitro, but their physiological roles have remained uncertain. We show that mutants lacking OYE2, but not OYE3, are sensitive to acrolein, and overexpression of both isoenzymes increases acrolein tolerance. Our data indicate that OYE2 is required for basal levels of tolerance, whereas OYE3 expression is particularly induced following acrolein stress. Despite the range of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds that have been identified as substrates of old yellow enzymes in vitro, we show that old yellow enzymes specifically mediate resistance to small alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, such as acrolein, in vivo.

  12. Monitoring the Formation of Autophagosomal Precursor Structures in Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Gómez-Sánchez, R; Sánchez-Wandelmer, J; Reggiori, F

    2017-01-01

    The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a powerful and versatile model organism for studying multiple aspects of the biology of eukaryotic cells, including the molecular principles underlying autophagy. One of the unique advantages of this unicellular system is its amenability to genetic and biochemical approaches, which had a pivotal role in the discovery and characterization of most of the autophagy-related (Atg) proteins, the central players of autophagy. The relevance of investigating autophagy in this cell model lies in the high conservation of this pathway among eukaryotes, i.e., most of the yeast Atg proteins possess one or more mammalian orthologs. In addition to the experimental advantages, a very large collection of reagents keeps S. cerevisiae in a leading position for the study of the molecular mechanism and regulation of autophagy. In this chapter, we describe fluorescence microscopy and biochemical methods that allow to monitor in vivo the assembly the of Atg machinery, a key step of autophagy. These approaches can be very useful to those researchers that would like to assess the progression of the autophagosomal precursor structure formation under various conditions, in the presence of specific Atg protein mutants or in the absence of other factors. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Flux control-based design of furfural-resistance strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for lignocellulosic biorefinery.

    PubMed

    Unrean, Pornkamol

    2017-04-01

    We have previously developed a dynamic flux balance analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for elucidation of genome-wide flux response to furfural perturbation (Unrean and Franzen, Biotechnol J 10(8):1248-1258, 2015). Herein, the dynamic flux distributions were analyzed by flux control analysis to identify target overexpressed genes for improved yeast robustness against furfural. The flux control coefficient (FCC) identified overexpressing isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1), a rate-controlling flux for ethanol fermentation, and dicarboxylate carrier (DIC1), a limiting flux for cell growth, as keys of furfural-resistance phenotype. Consistent with the model prediction, strain characterization showed 1.2- and 2.0-fold improvement in ethanol synthesis and furfural detoxification rates, respectively, by IDH1 overexpressed mutant compared to the control. DIC1 overexpressed mutant grew at 1.3-fold faster and reduced furfural at 1.4-fold faster than the control under the furfural challenge. This study hence demonstrated the FCC-based approach as an effective tool for guiding the design of robust yeast strains.

  14. Drug resistance marker-aided genome shuffling to improve acetic acid tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Dao-Qiong; Wu, Xue-Chang; Wang, Pin-Mei; Chi, Xiao-Qin; Tao, Xiang-Lin; Li, Ping; Jiang, Xin-Hang; Zhao, Yu-Hua

    2011-03-01

    Acetic acid existing in a culture medium is one of the most limiting constraints in yeast growth and viability during ethanol fermentation. To improve acetic acid tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, a drug resistance marker-aided genome shuffling approach with higher screen efficiency of shuffled mutants was developed in this work. Through two rounds of genome shuffling of ultraviolet mutants derived from the original strain 308, we obtained a shuffled strain YZ2, which shows significantly faster growth and higher cell viability under acetic acid stress. Ethanol production of YZ2 (within 60 h) was 21.6% higher than that of 308 when 0.5% (v/v) acetic acid was added to fermentation medium. Membrane integrity, higher in vivo activity of the H+-ATPase, and lower oxidative damage after acetic acid treatment are the possible reasons for the acetic acid-tolerance phenotype of YZ2. These results indicated that this novel genome shuffling approach is powerful to rapidly improve the complex traits of industrial yeast strains.

  15. Over-expression of COQ10 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae inhibits mitochondrial respiration.

    PubMed

    Zampol, Mariana A; Busso, Cleverson; Gomes, Fernando; Ferreira-Junior, Jose Ribamar; Tzagoloff, Alexander; Barros, Mario H

    2010-11-05

    COQ10 deletion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae elicits a defect in mitochondrial respiration correctable by addition of coenzyme Q(2). Rescue of respiration by Q(2) is a characteristic of mutants blocked in coenzyme Q(6) synthesis. Unlike Q(6) deficient mutants, mitochondria of the coq10 null mutant have wild-type concentrations of Q(6). The physiological significance of earlier observations that purified Coq10p contains bound Q(6) was examined in the present study by testing the in vivo effect of over-expression of Coq10p on respiration. Mitochondria with elevated levels of Coq10p display reduced respiration in the bc1 span of the electron transport chain, which can be restored with exogenous Q(2). This suggests that in vivo binding of Q(6) by excess Coq10p reduces the pool of this redox carrier available for its normal function in providing electrons to the bc1 complex. This is confirmed by observing that extra Coq8p relieves the inhibitory effect of excess Coq10p. Coq8p is a putative kinase, and a high-copy suppressor of the coq10 null mutant. As shown here, when over-produced in coq mutants, Coq8p counteracts turnover of Coq3p and Coq4p subunits of the Q-biosynthetic complex. This can account for the observed rescue by COQ8 of the respiratory defect in strains over-producing Coq10p. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Genetic Manipulation of Palmitoylethanolamide Production and Inactivation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Muccioli, Giulio G.; Sia, Angela; Muchowski, Paul J.; Stella, Nephi

    2009-01-01

    Background Lipids can act as signaling molecules, activating intracellular and membrane-associated receptors to regulate physiological functions. To understand how a newly discovered signaling lipid functions, it is necessary to identify and characterize the enzymes involved in their production and inactivation. The signaling lipid N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA) is known to activate intracellular and membrane-associated receptors and regulate physiological functions, but little is known about the enzymes involved in its production and inactivation. Principal Findings Here we show that Saccharomyces cerevisiae produce and inactivate PEA, suggesting that genetic manipulations of this lower eukaryote may be used to identify the enzymes involved in PEA metabolism. Accordingly, using single gene deletion mutants, we identified yeast genes that control PEA metabolism, including SPO14 (a yeast homologue of the mammalian phospholipase D) that controls PEA production and YJU3 (a yeast homologue of the mammalian monoacylglycerol lipase) that controls PEA inactivation. We also found that PEA metabolism is affected by heterologous expression of two mammalian proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases, namely huntingtin and α-synuclein. Significance Together these findings show that forward and reverse genetics in S. cerevisiae can be used to identify proteins involved in PEA production and inactivation, and suggest that mutated proteins causing neurodegenerative diseases might affect the metabolism of this important signaling lipid. PMID:19529773

  17. The histidine permease gene (HIP1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tanaka, J; Fink, G R

    1985-01-01

    The histidine-specific permease gene (HIP1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been mapped, cloned, and sequenced. The HIP1 gene maps to the right arm of chromosome VII, approx. 11 cM distal to the ADE3 gene. The gene was isolated as an 8.6-kb BamHI-Sau3A fragment by complementation of the histidine-specific permease deficiency in recipient yeast cells. We sequenced a 2.4-kb subfragment of this BamHI-Sau3A fragment containing the HIP1 gene and identified a 1596-bp open reading frame (ORF). We confirmed the assignment of the 1596-bp ORF as the HIP1 coding sequence by sequencing a hip1 nonsense mutation. Analysis of the amino acid (aa) sequence of the HIP1 gene reveals several hydrophobic stretches, but shows no obvious N-terminal signal peptide. We have constructed a deletion of the HIP1 gene in vitro and replaced the wild-type copy of the gene with this deletion. The hip1 deletion mutant can grow when it is supplemented with 30 mM histidine, 50 times the amount required for the growth of HIP1 cells. Revertants of this deletion mutant able to grow on a normal level of histidine arise by mutation in unlinked genes. Both these observations suggest that there are additional, low-affinity pathways for histidine uptake.

  18. Evolved hexose transporter enhances xylose uptake and glucose/xylose co-utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reider Apel, Amanda; Ouellet, Mario; Szmidt-Middleton, Heather

    Enhancing xylose utilization has been a major focus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain-engineering efforts. The incentive for these studies arises from the need to use all sugars in the typical carbon mixtures that comprise standard renewable plant-biomass-based carbon sources. While major advances have been made in developing utilization pathways, the efficient import of five carbon sugars into the cell remains an important bottleneck in this endeavor. Here we use an engineered S. cerevisiae BY4742 strain, containing an established heterologous xylose utilization pathway, and imposed a laboratory evolution regime with xylose as the sole carbon source. We obtained several evolved strains withmore » improved growth phenotypes and evaluated the best candidate using genome resequencing. We observed remarkably few single nucleotide polymorphisms in the evolved strain, among which we confirmed a single amino acid change in the hexose transporter HXT7 coding sequence to be responsible for the evolved phenotype. Lastly, the mutant HXT7(F79S) shows improved xylose uptake rates (Vmax = 186.4 ± 20.1 nmol•min -1•mg -1) that allows the S. cerevisiae strain to show significant growth with xylose as the sole carbon source, as well as partial co-utilization of glucose and xylose in a mixed sugar cultivation.« less

  19. Evolved hexose transporter enhances xylose uptake and glucose/xylose co-utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DOE PAGES

    Reider Apel, Amanda; Ouellet, Mario; Szmidt-Middleton, Heather; ...

    2016-01-19

    Enhancing xylose utilization has been a major focus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain-engineering efforts. The incentive for these studies arises from the need to use all sugars in the typical carbon mixtures that comprise standard renewable plant-biomass-based carbon sources. While major advances have been made in developing utilization pathways, the efficient import of five carbon sugars into the cell remains an important bottleneck in this endeavor. Here we use an engineered S. cerevisiae BY4742 strain, containing an established heterologous xylose utilization pathway, and imposed a laboratory evolution regime with xylose as the sole carbon source. We obtained several evolved strains withmore » improved growth phenotypes and evaluated the best candidate using genome resequencing. We observed remarkably few single nucleotide polymorphisms in the evolved strain, among which we confirmed a single amino acid change in the hexose transporter HXT7 coding sequence to be responsible for the evolved phenotype. Lastly, the mutant HXT7(F79S) shows improved xylose uptake rates (Vmax = 186.4 ± 20.1 nmol•min -1•mg -1) that allows the S. cerevisiae strain to show significant growth with xylose as the sole carbon source, as well as partial co-utilization of glucose and xylose in a mixed sugar cultivation.« less

  20. High-affinity copper transport and Snq2 export permease of saccharomyces cerevisiae modulate cytotoxicity of PR-10 from Theobroma cacao.

    PubMed

    Pungartnik, Cristina; da Silva, Aline Clara; de Melo, Sarah Alves; Gramacho, Karina Peres; de Mattos Cascardo, Júlio Cézar; Brendel, Martin; Micheli, Fabienne; da Silva Gesteira, Abelmon

    2009-01-01

    A pathogenesis-related (PR) protein from Theobroma cacao (TcPR-10) was identified from a cacao-Moniliophthora perniciosa interaction cDNA library. Nucleotide and amino acid sequences showed homology with other PR-10 proteins having P loop motif and Betv1 domain. Recombinant TcPR-10 showed in vitro and in vivo ribonuclease activity, and antifungal activity against the basidiomycete cacao pathogen M. perniciosa and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled TcPR-10 was internalized by M. perniciosa hyphae and S. cerevisiae cells and inhibited growth of both fungi. Energy and temperature-dependent internalization of the TcPR-10 suggested an active importation into the fungal cells. Chronical exposure to TcPR-10 of 29 yeast mutants with single gene defects in DNA repair, general membrane transport, metal transport, and antioxidant defenses was tested. Two yeast mutants were hyperresistant compared with their respective isogenic wild type: ctr3Delta mutant, lacking the high-affinity plasma membrane copper transporter and mac1Delta, the copper-sensing transcription factor involved in regulation of high-affinity copper transport. Acute exposure of exponentially growing yeast cells revealed that TcPR-10 resistance is also enhanced in the Snq2 export permease-lacking mutant which has reduced intracellular presence of TcPR-10.

  1. GDH3 encodes a glutamate dehydrogenase isozyme, a previously unrecognized route for glutamate biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Avendaño, A; Deluna, A; Olivera, H; Valenzuela, L; Gonzalez, A

    1997-01-01

    It has been considered that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, like many other microorganisms, synthesizes glutamate through the action of NADP+-glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP+-GDH), encoded by GDH1, or through the combined action of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase (GOGAT), encoded by GLN1 and GLT1, respectively. A double mutant of S. cerevisiae lacking NADP+-GDH and GOGAT activities was constructed. This strain was able to grow on ammonium as the sole nitrogen source and thus to synthesize glutamate through an alternative pathway. A computer search for similarities between the GDH1 nucleotide sequence and the complete yeast genome was carried out. In addition to identifying its cognate sequence at chromosome XIV, the search found that GDH1 showed high identity with a previously recognized open reading frame (GDH3) of chromosome I. Triple mutants impaired in GDH1, GLT1, and GDH3 were obtained. These were strict glutamate auxotrophs. Our results indicate that GDH3 plays a significant physiological role, providing glutamate when GDH1 and GLT1 are impaired. This is the first example of a microorganism possessing three pathways for glutamate biosynthesis. PMID:9287019

  2. Ribosome Biogenesis Modulates Ty1 Copy Number Control in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Ahn, Hyo Won; Tucker, Jessica M.; Arribere, Joshua A.; Garfinkel, David J.

    2017-01-01

    Transposons can impact the host genome by altering gene expression and participating in chromosome rearrangements. Therefore, organisms evolved different ways to minimize the level of transposition. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its close relative S. paradoxus, Ty1 copy number control (CNC) is mediated by the self-encoded restriction factor p22, which is derived from the GAG capsid gene and inhibits virus-like particle (VLP) assembly and function. Based on secondary screens of Ty1 cofactors, we identified LOC1, a RNA localization/ribosome biogenesis gene that affects Ty1 mobility predominantly in strains harboring Ty1 elements. Ribosomal protein mutants rps0bΔ and rpl7aΔ displayed similar CNC-specific phenotypes as loc1Δ, suggesting that ribosome biogenesis is critical for CNC. The level of Ty1 mRNA and Ty1 internal (Ty1i) transcripts encoding p22 was altered in these mutants, and displayed a trend where the level of Ty1i RNA increased relative to full-length Ty1 mRNA. The level of p22 increased in these mutants, and the half-life of p22 also increased in a loc1Δ mutant. Transcriptomic analyses revealed small changes in the level of Ty1 transcripts or efficiency of translation initiation in a loc1Δ mutant. Importantly, a loc1Δ mutant had defects in assembly of Gag complexes and packaging Ty1 RNA. Our results indicate that defective ribosome biogenesis enhances CNC by increasing the level of p22, and raise the possibility for versatile links between VLP assembly, its cytoplasmic environment, and a novel stress response. PMID:29046400

  3. Inorganic polyphosphate in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a mutation disturbing the function of vacuolar ATPase.

    PubMed

    Tomaschevsky, A A; Ryasanova, L P; Kulakovskaya, T V; Kulaev, I S

    2010-08-01

    A mutation in the vma2 gene disturbing V-ATPase function in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in a five- and threefold decrease in inorganic polyphosphate content in the stationary and active phases of growth on glucose, respectively. The average polyphosphate chain length in the mutant cells is decreased. The mutation does not prevent polyphosphate utilization during cultivation in a phosphate-deficient medium and recovery of its level on reinoculation in complete medium after phosphate deficiency. The content of short chain acid-soluble polyphosphates is recovered first. It is supposed that these polyphosphates are less dependent on the electrochemical gradient on the vacuolar membrane.

  4. Secondary metabolites of the grapevine pathogen Eutypa lata inhibit mitochondrial respiration, based on a model bioassay using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jong H; Mahoney, Noreen; Chan, Kathleen L; Molyneux, Russell J; Campbell, Bruce C

    2004-10-01

    Acetylenic phenols and a chromene isolated from the grapevine fungal pathogen Eutypa lata were examined for mode of toxicity. The compounds included eutypine (4-hydroxy-3-[3-methyl-3-butene-1-ynyl] benzyl aldehyde), eutypinol (4-hydroxy-3-[3-methyl-3-butene-1-ynyl] benzyl alcohol), eulatachromene, 2- isoprenyl-5-formyl-benzofuran, siccayne, and eulatinol. A bioassay using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed that all compounds were either lethal or inhibited growth. A respiratory assay using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium (TTC) indicated that eutypinol and eulatachromene inhibited mitochondrial respiration in wild-type yeast. Bioassays also showed that 2- isoprenyl-5-formyl-benzofuran and siccayne inhibited mitochondrial respiration in the S. cerevisiae deletion mutant vph2Delta, lacking a vacuolar type H (+) ATPase (V-ATPase) assembly protein. Cell growth of tsa1Delta, a deletion mutant of S. cerevisiae lacking a thioredoxin peroxidase (cTPx I), was greatly reduced when grown on media containing eutypinol or eulatachromene and exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) as an oxidative stress. This reduction in growth establishes the toxic mode of action of these compounds through inhibition of mitochondrial respiration.

  5. Evolutionary engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for efficient conversion of red algal biosugars to bioethanol.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hye-Jin; Kim, Soo-Jung; Yoon, Jeong-Jun; Kim, Kyoung Heon; Seo, Jin-Ho; Park, Yong-Cheol

    2015-09-01

    The aim of this work was to apply the evolutionary engineering to construct a mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae HJ7-14 resistant on 2-deoxy-D-glucose and with an enhanced ability of bioethanol production from galactose, a mono-sugar in red algae. In batch and repeated-batch fermentations, HJ7-14 metabolized 5-fold more galactose and produced ethanol 2.1-fold faster than the parental D452-2 strain. Transcriptional analysis of genes involved in the galactose metabolism revealed that moderate relief from the glucose-mediated repression of the transcription of the GAL genes might enable HJ7-14 to metabolize galactose rapidly. HJ7-14 produced 7.4 g/L ethanol from hydrolysates of the red alga Gelidium amansii within 12 h, which was 1.5-times faster than that observed with D452-2. We demonstrate conclusively that evolutionary engineering is a promising tool to manipulate the complex galactose metabolism in S. cerevisiae to produce bioethanol from red alga. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Nup100 regulates Saccharomyces cerevisiae replicative life span by mediating the nuclear export of specific tRNAs

    PubMed Central

    Lord, Christopher L.; Ospovat, Ophir; Wente, Susan R.

    2017-01-01

    Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are composed of nucleoporins (Nups) and regulate transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm, significantly impact the replicative life span (RLS) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We previously reported that deletion of the nonessential gene NUP100 increases RLS, although the molecular basis for this effect was unknown. In this study, we find that nuclear tRNA accumulation contributes to increased longevity in nup100Δ cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments demonstrate that several specific tRNAs accumulate in the nuclei of nup100Δ mutants. Protein levels of the transcription factor Gcn4 are increased when NUP100 is deleted, and GCN4 is required for the elevated life spans of nup100Δ mutants, similar to other previously described tRNA export and ribosomal mutants. Northern blots indicate that tRNA splicing and aminoacylation are not significantly affected in nup100Δ cells, suggesting that Nup100 is largely required for nuclear export of mature, processed tRNAs. Distinct tRNAs accumulate in the nuclei of nup100Δ and msn5Δ mutants, while Los1-GFP nucleocytoplasmic shuttling is unaffected by Nup100. Thus, we conclude that Nup100 regulates tRNA export in a manner distinct from Los1 or Msn5. Together, these experiments reveal a novel Nup100 role in the tRNA life cycle that impacts the S. cerevisiae life span. PMID:27932586

  7. Study on DNA Damage Induced by Neon Beam Irradiation in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Dong; Li, Wenjian; Wu, Xin; Wang, Jufang; Ma, Shuang; Liu, Qingfang; He, Jinyu; Jing, Xigang; Ding, Nan; Dai, Zhongying; Zhou, Jianping

    2010-12-01

    Yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae was irradiated with different doses of 85 MeV/u 20Ne10+ to investigate DNA damage induced by heavy ion beam in eukaryotic microorganism. The survival rate, DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) and DNA polymorphic were tested after irradiation. The results showed that there were substantial differences in DNA between the control and irradiated samples. At the dose of 40 Gy, the yeast cell survival rate approached 50%, DNA double-strand breaks were barely detectable, and significant DNA polymorphism was observed. The alcohol dehydrogenase II gene was amplified and sequenced. It was observed that base changes in the mutant were mainly transversions of T→G and T→C. It can be concluded that heavy ion beam irradiation can lead to change in single gene and may be an effective way to induce mutation.

  8. Improvement of Nitrogen Assimilation and Fermentation Kinetics under Enological Conditions by Derepression of Alternative Nitrogen-Assimilatory Pathways in an Industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain

    PubMed Central

    Salmon, Jean-Michel; Barre, Pierre

    1998-01-01

    Metabolism of nitrogen compounds by yeasts affects the efficiency of wine fermentation. Ammonium ions, normally present in grape musts, reduce catabolic enzyme levels and transport activities for nonpreferred nitrogen sources. This nitrogen catabolite repression severely impairs the utilization of proline and arginine, both common nitrogen sources in grape juice that require the proline utilization pathway for their assimilation. We attempted to improve fermentation performance by genetic alteration of the regulation of nitrogen-assimilatory pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One mutant carrying a recessive allele of ure2 was isolated from an industrial S. cerevisiae strain. This mutation strongly deregulated the proline utilization pathway. Fermentation kinetics of this mutant were studied under enological conditions on simulated standard grape juices with various nitrogen levels. Mutant strains produced more biomass and exhibited a higher maximum CO2 production rate than the wild type. These differences were primarily due to the derepression of amino acid utilization pathways. When low amounts of dissolved oxygen were added, the mutants could assimilate proline. Biomass yield and fermentation rate were consequently increased, and the duration of the fermentation was substantially shortened. S. cerevisiae strains lacking URE2 function could improve alcoholic fermentation of natural media where proline and other poorly assimilated amino acids are the major potential nitrogen source, as is the case for most fruit juices and grape musts. PMID:9758807

  9. Study of the plant COPII vesicle coat subunits by functional complementation of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants.

    PubMed

    De Craene, Johan-Owen; Courte, Fanny; Rinaldi, Bruno; Fitterer, Chantal; Herranz, Mari Carmen; Schmitt-Keichinger, Corinne; Ritzenthaler, Christophe; Friant, Sylvie

    2014-01-01

    The formation and budding of endoplasmic reticulum ER-derived vesicles depends on the COPII coat protein complex that was first identified in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The ER-associated Sec12 and the Sar1 GTPase initiate the COPII coat formation by recruiting the Sec23-Sec24 heterodimer following the subsequent recruitment of the Sec13-Sec31 heterotetramer. In yeast, there is usually one gene encoding each COPII protein and these proteins are essential for yeast viability, whereas the plant genome encodes multiple isoforms of all COPII subunits. Here, we used a systematic yeast complementation assay to assess the functionality of Arabidopsis thaliana COPII proteins. In this study, the different plant COPII subunits were expressed in their corresponding temperature-sensitive yeast mutant strain to complement their thermosensitivity and secretion phenotypes. Secretion was assessed using two different yeast cargos: the soluble α-factor pheromone and the membranous v-SNARE (vesicle-soluble NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor) attachment protein receptor) Snc1 involved in the fusion of the secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane. This complementation study allowed the identification of functional A. thaliana COPII proteins for the Sec12, Sar1, Sec24 and Sec13 subunits that could represent an active COPII complex in plant cells. Moreover, we found that AtSec12 and AtSec23 were co-immunoprecipitated with AtSar1 in total cell extract of 15 day-old seedlings of A. thaliana. This demonstrates that AtSar1, AtSec12 and AtSec23 can form a protein complex that might represent an active COPII complex in plant cells.

  10. A temperature-sensitive dcw1 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is cell cycle arrested with small buds which have aberrant cell walls.

    PubMed

    Kitagaki, Hiroshi; Ito, Kiyoshi; Shimoi, Hitoshi

    2004-10-01

    Dcw1p and Dfg5p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are homologous proteins that were previously shown to be involved in cell wall biogenesis and to be essential for growth. Dcw1p was found to be a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane protein. To investigate the roles of these proteins in cell wall biogenesis and cell growth, we constructed mutant alleles of DCW1 by random mutagenesis, introduced them into a Deltadcw1 Deltadfg5 background, and isolated a temperature-sensitive mutant, DC61 (dcw1-3 Deltadfg5). When DC61 cells were incubated at 37 degrees C, most cells had small buds, with areas less than 20% of those of the mother cells. This result indicates that DC61 cells arrest growth with small buds at 37 degrees C. At 37 degrees C, fewer DC61 cells had 1N DNA content and most of them still had a single nucleus located apart from the bud neck. In addition, in DC61 cells incubated at 37 degrees C, bipolar spindles were not formed. These results indicate that DC61 cells, when incubated at 37 degrees C, are cell cycle arrested after DNA replication and prior to the separation of spindle pole bodies. The small buds of DC61 accumulated chitin in the bud cortex, and some of them were lysed, which indicates that they had aberrant cell walls. A temperature-sensitive dfg5 mutant, DF66 (Deltadcw1 dfg5-29), showed similar phenotypes. DCW1 and DFG5 mRNA levels peaked in the G1 and S phases, respectively. These results indicate that Dcw1p and Dfg5p are involved in bud formation through their involvement in biogenesis of the bud cell wall.

  11. The alpha subunit of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae oligosaccharyltransferase complex is essential for vegetative growth of yeast and is homologous to mammalian ribophorin I

    PubMed Central

    1995-01-01

    Oligosaccharyltransferase mediates the transfer of a preassembled high mannose oligosaccharide from a lipid-linked oligosaccharide donor to consensus glycosylation acceptor sites in newly synthesized proteins in the lumen of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae oligosaccharyltransferase is an oligomeric complex composed of six nonidentical subunits (alpha-zeta), two of which are glycoproteins (alpha and beta). The beta and delta subunits of the oligosaccharyltransferase are encoded by the WBP1 and SWP1 genes. Here we describe the functional characterization of the OST1 gene that encodes the alpha subunit of the oligosaccharyltransferase. Protein sequence analysis revealed a significant sequence identity between the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ost1 protein and ribophorin I, a previously identified subunit of the mammalian oligosaccharyltransferase. A disruption of the OST1 locus was not tolerated in haploid yeast showing that expression of the Ost1 protein is essential for vegetative growth of yeast. An analysis of a series of conditional ost1 mutants demonstrated that defects in the Ost1 protein cause pleiotropic underglycosylation of soluble and membrane-bound glycoproteins at both the permissive and restrictive growth temperatures. Microsomal membranes isolated from ost1 mutant yeast showed marked reductions in the in vitro transfer of high mannose oligosaccharide from exogenous lipid-linked oligosaccharide to a glycosylation site acceptor tripeptide. Microsomal membranes isolated from the ost1 mutants contained elevated amounts of the Kar2 stress-response protein. PMID:7860628

  12. Invertase SUC2 Is the key hydrolase for inulin degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Wang, Shi-An; Li, Fu-Li

    2013-01-01

    Specific Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were recently found to be capable of efficiently utilizing inulin, but genetic mechanisms of inulin hydrolysis in yeast remain unknown. Here we report functional characteristics of invertase SUC2 from strain JZ1C and demonstrate that SUC2 is the key enzyme responsible for inulin metabolism in S. cerevisiae.

  13. Glucose-free fructose production from Jerusalem artichoke using a recombinant inulinase-secreting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain.

    PubMed

    Yu, Jing; Jiang, Jiaxi; Ji, Wangming; Li, Yuyang; Liu, Jianping

    2011-01-01

    Using inulin (polyfructose) obtained from Jerusalen artichokes, we have produced fructose free of residual glucose using a recombinant inulinase-secreting strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a one-step fermentation of Jerusalem artichoke tubers. For producing fructose from inulin, a recombinant inulinase-producing Saccharomyce cerevisiae strain was constructed with a deficiency in fructose uptake by disruption of two hexokinase genes hxk1 and hxk2. The inulinase gene introduced into S. cerevisiae was cloned from Kluyveromyces cicerisporus. Extracellular inulinase activity of the recombinant hxk-mutated S. cerevisiae strain reached 31 U ml(-1) after 96 h growth. When grown in a medium containing Jerusalem artichoke tubers as the sole component without any additives, the recombinant yeast accumulated fructose up to 9.2% (w/v) in the fermentation broth with only 0.1% (w/v) glucose left after 24 h.

  14. Transposon Mutagenesis To Improve the Growth of Recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae on d-Xylose▿

    PubMed Central

    Ni, Haiying; Laplaza, José M.; Jeffries, Thomas W.

    2007-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae L2612 transformed with genes for xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase (XYL1 and XYL2) grows well on glucose but very poorly on d-xylose. When a gene for d-xylulokinase (XYL3 or XKS1) is overexpressed, growth on glucose is unaffected, but growth on xylose is blocked. Spontaneous or chemically induced mutants of this engineered yeast that would grow on xylose could, however, be obtained. We therefore used insertional transposon mutagenesis to identify two loci that can relieve this xylose-specific growth inhibition. One is within the open reading frame (ORF) of PHO13, and the other is approximately 500 bp upstream from the TAL1 ORF. Deletion of PHO13 or overexpression of TAL1 resulted in a phenotype similar to the insertional mutation events. Quantitative PCR showed that deletion of PHO13 increased transcripts for TAL1, indicating that the growth inhibition imposed by the overexpression of XYL3 on xylose can be relieved by an overexpression of transcripts for downstream enzymes. These results may be useful in constructing better xylose-fermenting S. cerevisiae strains. PMID:17277207

  15. New Saccharomyces cerevisiae baker's yeast displaying enhanced resistance to freezing.

    PubMed

    Codón, Antonio C; Rincón, Ana M; Moreno-Mateos, Miguel A; Delgado-Jarana, Jesús; Rey, Manuel; Limón, Carmen; Rosado, Ivan V; Cubero, Beatriz; Peñate, Xenia; Castrejón, Francisco; Benítez, Tahía

    2003-01-15

    Three procedures were used to obtain new Saccharomyces cerevisiae baker's yeasts with increased storage stability at -20, 4, 22, and 30 degrees C. The first used mitochondria from highly ethanol-tolerant wine yeast, which were transferred to baker's strains. Viability of the heteroplasmons was improved shortly after freezing. However, after prolonged storage, viability dramatically decreased and was accompanied by an increase in the frequency of respiratory-deficient (petite) mutant formation. This indicated that mitochondria were not stable and were incompatible with the nucleus. The strains tested regained their original resistance to freezing after recovering their own mitochondria. The second procedure used hybrid formation after protoplast fusion and isolation on selective media of fusants from baker's yeast meiotic products resistant to parafluorphenylalanine and cycloheximide, respectively. No hybrids were obtained when using the parentals, probably due to the high ploidy of the baker's strains. Hybrids obtained from nonisogenic strains manifested in all cases a resistance to freezing intermediate between those of their parental strains. Hybrids from crosses between meiotic products of the same strain were always more sensitive than their parentals. The third method was used to develop baker's yeast mutants resistant to 2-deoxy-d-glucose (DOG) and deregulated for maltose and sucrose metabolism. Mutant DOG21 displayed a slight increase in trehalose content and viability both in frozen doughs and during storage at 4 and 22 degrees C. This mutant also displayed a capacity to ferment, under laboratory conditions, both lean and sweet fresh and frozen doughs. For industrial uses, fermented lean and sweet bakery products, both from fresh and frozen doughs obtained with mutant DOG21, were of better quality with regard to volume, texture, and organoleptic properties than those produced by the wild type.

  16. Loss of lager specific genes and subtelomeric regions define two different Saccharomyces cerevisiae lineages for Saccharomyces pastorianus Group I and II strains.

    PubMed

    Monerawela, Chandre; James, Tharappel C; Wolfe, Kenneth H; Bond, Ursula

    2015-03-01

    Lager yeasts, Saccharomyces pastorianus, are interspecies hybrids between S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus and are classified into Group I and Group II clades. The genome of the Group II strain, Weihenstephan 34/70, contains eight so-called 'lager-specific' genes that are located in subtelomeric regions. We evaluated the origins of these genes through bioinformatic and PCR analyses of Saccharomyces genomes. We determined that four are of cerevisiae origin while four originate from S. eubayanus. The Group I yeasts contain all four S. eubayanus genes but individual strains contain only a subset of the cerevisiae genes. We identified S. cerevisiae strains that contain all four cerevisiae 'lager-specific' genes, and distinct patterns of loss of these genes in other strains. Analysis of the subtelomeric regions uncovered patterns of loss in different S. cerevisiae strains. We identify two classes of S. cerevisiae strains: ale yeasts (Foster O) and stout yeasts with patterns of 'lager-specific' genes and subtelomeric regions identical to Group I and II S. pastorianus yeasts, respectively. These findings lead us to propose that Group I and II S. pastorianus strains originate from separate hybridization events involving different S. cerevisiae lineages. Using the combined bioinformatic and PCR data, we describe a potential classification map for industrial yeasts. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permission@oup.com.

  17. Glucose repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Kayikci, Ömur; Nielsen, Jens

    2015-09-01

    Glucose is the primary source of energy for the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although yeast cells can utilize a wide range of carbon sources, presence of glucose suppresses molecular activities involved in the use of alternate carbon sources as well as it represses respiration and gluconeogenesis. This dominant effect of glucose on yeast carbon metabolism is coordinated by several signaling and metabolic interactions that mainly regulate transcriptional activity but are also effective at post-transcriptional and post-translational levels. This review describes effects of glucose repression on yeast carbon metabolism with a focus on roles of the Snf3/Rgt2 glucose-sensing pathway and Snf1 signal transduction in establishment and relief of glucose repression. © FEMS 2015.

  18. Complementation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutations in genes involved in translation and protein folding (EFB1 and SSB1) with Candida albicans cloned genes.

    PubMed

    Maneu, V; Roig, P; Gozalbo, D

    2000-11-01

    We have demonstrated that the expression of Candida albicans genes involved in translation and protein folding (EFB1 and SSB1) complements the phenotype of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants. The elongation factor 1beta (EF-1beta) is essential for growth and efb1 S. cerevisiae null mutant cells are not viable; however, viable haploid cells, carrying the disrupted chromosomal allele of the S. cerevisiae EFB1 gene and pEFB1, were isolated upon sporulation of a diploid strain which was heterozygous at the EFB1 locus and transformed with pEFB1 (a pEMBLYe23 derivative plasmid containing an 8-kb DNA fragment from the C. albicans genome which contains the EFB1 gene). This indicates that the C. albicans EFB1 gene encodes a functional EF-1beta. Expression of the SSB1 gene from C. albicans, which codes for a member of the 70-kDa heat shock protein family, in S. cerevisiae ssb1 ssb2 double mutant complements the mutant phenotype (poor growth particularly at low temperature, and sensitivity to certain protein synthesis inhibitors, such as paromomycin). This complementation indicates that C. albicans Ssbl may function as a molecular chaperone on the translating ribosomes, as described in S. cerevisiae. Northern blot analysis showed that SSB mRNA levels increased after mild cold shift (28 degrees C to 23 degrees C) and rapidly decreased after mild heat shift (from 28 degrees C to 37 degrees C, and particularly to 42 degrees C), indicating that SSB1 expression is regulated by temperature. Therefore, Ssb1 may be considered as a molecular chaperone whose pattern of expression is similar to that found in ribosomal proteins, according to its common role in translation.

  19. [Thermoresistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts].

    PubMed

    Kaliuzhin, V A

    2011-01-01

    Under natural conditions, yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae reproduce, as a rule, on the surface of solid or liquid medium. Thus, life cycle of yeast populations is substantially influenced by diurnal changes in ambient temperature. The pattern in the response of unrestricted yeast S. cerevisiae culture to changes in the temperature of cultivation is revealed experimentally. Yeast population, in the absence of environmental constraints on the functioning of cell chemosmotic bioenergetic system, demonstrates the ability of thermoresistance when the temperature of cultivation switches from the range of 12-36 degrees C to 37.5-40 degrees C. During the transient period that is associated with the temperature switching and lasts from 1 to 4 turnover cycles, yeast reproduction rate remains 1.5-2 times higher than under stationary conditions. This is due to evolutionary acquired adaptive activity of cell chemosmotic system. After the adaptive resources exhausting, yeast thermoresistance fully recovers at the temperature range of 12-36 degrees C within one generation time under conditions of both restricted and unrestricted nourishment. Adaptive significance of such thermoresistance seems obvious enough--it allows maintaining high reproduction rate in yeast when ambient temperature is reaching a brief maximum shortly after noon.

  20. p53 death signal is mainly mediated by Nuc1(EndoG) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Palermo, Vanessa; Mangiapelo, Eleonora; Piloto, Cristina; Pieri, Luisa; Muscolini, Michela; Tuosto, Loretta; Mazzoni, Cristina

    2013-11-01

    The tumor suppressor p53 plays a central role in the regulation of cellular growth and apoptosis. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the overexpression of the human p53 leads to growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death on minimal medium. In the present work, we show that p53-expressing cells are more susceptible to cell death after an apoptotic stimulus such as H2O2. The analysis of mutants involved in yeast apoptosis-like death suggests that the observed cell death is Yca1 independent and mainly mediated through Nuc1p. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Effect of Temperature on the Prevalence of Saccharomyces Non cerevisiae Species against a S. cerevisiae Wine Strain in Wine Fermentation: Competition, Physiological Fitness, and Influence in Final Wine Composition.

    PubMed

    Alonso-Del-Real, Javier; Lairón-Peris, María; Barrio, Eladio; Querol, Amparo

    2017-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main microorganism responsible for the fermentation of wine. Nevertheless, in the last years wineries are facing new challenges due to current market demands and climate change effects on the wine quality. New yeast starters formed by non-conventional Saccharomyces species (such as S. uvarum or S. kudriavzevii ) or their hybrids ( S. cerevisiae x S. uvarum and S. cerevisiae x S. kudriavzevii ) can contribute to solve some of these challenges. They exhibit good fermentative capabilities at low temperatures, producing wines with lower alcohol and higher glycerol amounts. However, S . cerevisiae can competitively displace other yeast species from wine fermentations, therefore the use of these new starters requires an analysis of their behavior during competition with S. cerevisiae during wine fermentation. In the present study we analyzed the survival capacity of non- cerevisiae strains in competition with S. cerevisiae during fermentation of synthetic wine must at different temperatures. First, we developed a new method, based on QPCR, to quantify the proportion of different Saccharomyces yeasts in mixed cultures. This method was used to assess the effect of competition on the growth fitness. In addition, fermentation kinetics parameters and final wine compositions were also analyzed. We observed that some cryotolerant Saccharomyces yeasts, particularly S. uvarum , seriously compromised S. cerevisiae fitness during competences at lower temperatures, which explains why S. uvarum can replace S. cerevisiae during wine fermentations in European regions with oceanic and continental climates. From an enological point of view, mixed co-cultures between S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus or S. eubayanus , deteriorated fermentation parameters and the final product composition compared to single S. cerevisiae inoculation. However, in co-inoculated synthetic must in which S. kudriavzevii or S. uvarum coexisted with S. cerevisiae , there were

  2. Effect of Temperature on the Prevalence of Saccharomyces Non cerevisiae Species against a S. cerevisiae Wine Strain in Wine Fermentation: Competition, Physiological Fitness, and Influence in Final Wine Composition

    PubMed Central

    Alonso-del-Real, Javier; Lairón-Peris, María; Barrio, Eladio; Querol, Amparo

    2017-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main microorganism responsible for the fermentation of wine. Nevertheless, in the last years wineries are facing new challenges due to current market demands and climate change effects on the wine quality. New yeast starters formed by non-conventional Saccharomyces species (such as S. uvarum or S. kudriavzevii) or their hybrids (S. cerevisiae x S. uvarum and S. cerevisiae x S. kudriavzevii) can contribute to solve some of these challenges. They exhibit good fermentative capabilities at low temperatures, producing wines with lower alcohol and higher glycerol amounts. However, S. cerevisiae can competitively displace other yeast species from wine fermentations, therefore the use of these new starters requires an analysis of their behavior during competition with S. cerevisiae during wine fermentation. In the present study we analyzed the survival capacity of non-cerevisiae strains in competition with S. cerevisiae during fermentation of synthetic wine must at different temperatures. First, we developed a new method, based on QPCR, to quantify the proportion of different Saccharomyces yeasts in mixed cultures. This method was used to assess the effect of competition on the growth fitness. In addition, fermentation kinetics parameters and final wine compositions were also analyzed. We observed that some cryotolerant Saccharomyces yeasts, particularly S. uvarum, seriously compromised S. cerevisiae fitness during competences at lower temperatures, which explains why S. uvarum can replace S. cerevisiae during wine fermentations in European regions with oceanic and continental climates. From an enological point of view, mixed co-cultures between S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus or S. eubayanus, deteriorated fermentation parameters and the final product composition compared to single S. cerevisiae inoculation. However, in co-inoculated synthetic must in which S. kudriavzevii or S. uvarum coexisted with S. cerevisiae, there were fermentation

  3. Enhancement of ethanol fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake yeast by disrupting mitophagy function.

    PubMed

    Shiroma, Shodai; Jayakody, Lahiru Niroshan; Horie, Kenta; Okamoto, Koji; Kitagaki, Hiroshi

    2014-02-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake yeast strain Kyokai no. 7 has one of the highest fermentation rates among brewery yeasts used worldwide; therefore, it is assumed that it is not possible to enhance its fermentation rate. However, in this study, we found that fermentation by sake yeast can be enhanced by inhibiting mitophagy. We observed mitophagy in wild-type sake yeast during the brewing of Ginjo sake, but not when the mitophagy gene (ATG32) was disrupted. During sake brewing, the maximum rate of CO2 production and final ethanol concentration generated by the atg32Δ laboratory yeast mutant were 7.50% and 2.12% higher than those of the parent strain, respectively. This mutant exhibited an improved fermentation profile when cultured under limiting nutrient concentrations such as those used during Ginjo sake brewing as well as in minimal synthetic medium. The mutant produced ethanol at a concentration that was 2.76% higher than the parent strain, which has significant implications for industrial bioethanol production. The ethanol yield of the atg32Δ mutant was increased, and its biomass yield was decreased relative to the parent sake yeast strain, indicating that the atg32Δ mutant has acquired a high fermentation capability at the cost of decreasing biomass. Because natural biomass resources often lack sufficient nutrient levels for optimal fermentation, mitophagy may serve as an important target for improving the fermentative capacity of brewery yeasts.

  4. Enhancement of Ethanol Fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sake Yeast by Disrupting Mitophagy Function

    PubMed Central

    Shiroma, Shodai; Jayakody, Lahiru Niroshan; Horie, Kenta; Okamoto, Koji

    2014-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake yeast strain Kyokai no. 7 has one of the highest fermentation rates among brewery yeasts used worldwide; therefore, it is assumed that it is not possible to enhance its fermentation rate. However, in this study, we found that fermentation by sake yeast can be enhanced by inhibiting mitophagy. We observed mitophagy in wild-type sake yeast during the brewing of Ginjo sake, but not when the mitophagy gene (ATG32) was disrupted. During sake brewing, the maximum rate of CO2 production and final ethanol concentration generated by the atg32Δ laboratory yeast mutant were 7.50% and 2.12% higher than those of the parent strain, respectively. This mutant exhibited an improved fermentation profile when cultured under limiting nutrient concentrations such as those used during Ginjo sake brewing as well as in minimal synthetic medium. The mutant produced ethanol at a concentration that was 2.76% higher than the parent strain, which has significant implications for industrial bioethanol production. The ethanol yield of the atg32Δ mutant was increased, and its biomass yield was decreased relative to the parent sake yeast strain, indicating that the atg32Δ mutant has acquired a high fermentation capability at the cost of decreasing biomass. Because natural biomass resources often lack sufficient nutrient levels for optimal fermentation, mitophagy may serve as an important target for improving the fermentative capacity of brewery yeasts. PMID:24271183

  5. Involvement of complex sphingolipids and phosphatidylserine in endosomal trafficking in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tani, Motohiro; Kuge, Osamu

    2012-12-01

    Sphingolipids play critical roles in many physiologically important events in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we found that csg2Δ mutant cells defective in the synthesis of mannosylinositol phosphorylceramide exhibited abnormal intracellular accumulation of an exocytic v-SNARE, Snc1, under phosphatidylserine synthase gene (PSS1)-repressive conditions, although in wild-type cells, Snc1 was known to cycle between plasma membranes and the late Golgi via post-Golgi endosomes. The mislocalized Snc1 was co-localized with an endocytic marker dye, FM4-64, upon labelling for a short time. The abnormal distribution of Snc1 was suppressed by deletion of GYP2 encoding a GTPase-activating protein that negatively regulates endosomal vesicular trafficking, or expression of GTP-restricted form of Ypt32 GTPase. Furthermore, an endocytosis-deficient mutant of Snc1 was localized to plasma membranes in PSS1-repressed csg2Δ mutant cells as well as wild-type cells. Thus, the PSS1-repressed csg2Δ mutant cells were indicated to be defective in the trafficking of Snc1 from post-Golgi endosomes to the late Golgi. In contrast, the vesicular trafficking pathways via pre-vacuolar endosomes in the PSS1-repressed csg2Δ mutant cells seemed to be normal. These results suggested that specific complex sphingolipids and phosphatidylserine are co-ordinately involved in specific vesicular trafficking pathway. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. Candida albicans CHT3 encodes the functional homolog of the Cts1 chitinase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Dünkler, Alexander; Walther, Andrea; Specht, Charles A; Wendland, Jürgen

    2005-11-01

    Chitin synthesis and chitin degradation play an important role in cellular morphogenesis and influence the cell shape of fungal organisms. The Candida albicans genome contains four chitinase genes, CHT1, CHT2, and CHT3, which are homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae CTS1 gene and C. albicans CHT4, which is homologous to S. cerevisiae CTS2. To determine which of the C. albicans CHT genes represents the functional homolog of the S. cerevisiae CTS1 gene we constructed mutants of these genes and characterized the resulting phenotypes using morphological assays such as in vivo time lapse microscopy and enzymatic assays to determine the chitinase activity. Deletion of CaCHT1 and CaCHT2 provided no phenotypic alterations in liquid culture but resulted in increased hyphal growth on solid media. Deletion of CaCHT3 generated chains of unseparated cells in the yeast growth phase strongly resembling the cts1 deletion phenotype of S. cerevisiae cells. Expression of CHT3 under control of the regulatable MAL2-promoter in C. albicans resulted in the reversion of the cell separation defect when cells were grown in maltose. Cht3, but not Cht2 when expressed in S. cerevisiae was also able to reverse the cell separation defect of the S. cerevisiae c ts1 deletion strain. Measurements of chitinase activity from yeast cells of C. albicans showed that Cht2 is bound to cells, consistent with it being GPI-anchored while Cht3 is secreted into growth medium; Cht3 is also the principal, observed activity.

  7. Genome-wide screen of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for killer toxin HM-1 resistance.

    PubMed

    Miyamoto, Masahiko; Furuichi, Yasuhiro; Komiyama, Tadazumi

    2011-01-01

    We screened a set of Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion mutants for resistance to killer toxin HM-1, which kills susceptible yeasts through inhibiting 1,3-beta-glucan synthase. By using HM-1 plate assay, we found that eight gene-deletion mutants had higher HM-1-resistance compared with the wild-type. Among these eight genes, five--ALG3, CAX4, MNS1, OST6 and YBL083C--were associated with N-glycan formation and maturation. The ALG3 gene has been shown before to be highly resistant to HM-1. The YBL083C gene may be a dubious open reading frame that overlaps partially the ALG3 gene. The deletion mutant of the MNS1 gene that encodes 1,2-alpha-mannosidase showed with a 13-fold higher HM-1 resistance compared with the wild-type. By HM-1 binding assay, the yeast plasma membrane fraction of alg3 and mns1 cells had less binding ability compared with wild-type cells. These results indicate that the presence of the terminal 1,3-alpha-linked mannose residue of the B-chain of the N-glycan structure is essential for interaction with HM-1. A deletion mutant of aquaglyceroporin Fps1p also showed increased HM-1 resistance. A deletion mutant of osmoregulatory mitogen-activated protein kinase Hog1p was more sensitive to HM-1, suggesting that high-osmolarity glycerol pathways plays an important role in the compensatory response to HM-1 action. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Identification and characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from West African sorghum beer.

    PubMed

    van der Aa Kühle, A; Jesperen, L; Glover, R L; Diawara, B; Jakobsen, M

    2001-08-01

    The occurrence and characterization of yeasts isolated from sorghum beer produced in Ghana and Burkina Faso, West Africa, were investigated. The yeasts involved in the fermentations were found to consist of Saccharomyces spp. almost exclusively. Of the isolates investigated, 45% were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whereas more than half of the isolates (53%) had physiological properties atypical of S. cerevisiae or any other member of the complex sensu strictu, as they were able to assimilate only glucose, maltose and ethanol as carbon sources. Both ITS-PCR RFLP and PFGE strongly indicated that these isolates were related to S. cerevisiae, regardless of their phenotypic characteristics. Sequencing of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rDNA confirmed the close relatedness to S. cerevisiae with 0.5% nucleotide differences. The MAL1 and MAL3 loci were found for all isolates as the only recognized MAL loci. Besides, for 40% of the isolates the MAL61 probe hybridized to a position of about 950 kbp, which has not formerly been described as a MAL locus. The results showed that the spontaneous fermentation of West African sorghum beer is dominated by a variety of strains of S.cerevisiae not previously described, among which starter cultures should be selected. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Elimination of the last reactions in ergosterol biosynthesis alters the resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to multiple stresses.

    PubMed

    Liu, Guodong; Chen, Yun; Færgeman, Nils J; Nielsen, Jens

    2017-09-01

    The sterol composition of membranes is known to influence many phenotypes of yeast. However, a systematic study of the relationship between sterol composition and stress resistances has not been conducted. Here, we therefore constructed single or double gene deletion mutants of the last four enzymes in ergosterol biosynthesis in a prototrophic genetic background of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Identification of the sterol composition of these mutants revealed a high flexibility of the sterol-processing steps instead of the previously proposed sequential conversion. Compared with the wild type, the mutants showed altered resistances to different exogenous stresses regarding the specific growth rate and duration of lag phase. The erg5 deletion mutant whose sterol has a saturated side chain exhibited overall robust growth under the tested stress conditions. The thermotolerant phenotype of erg5 deletion mutant was reproduced in filamentous fungus Penicillium oxalicum. These results highlight the important role of sterols in the response of yeast cells to environmental stresses, and suggest the possibility of improving the robustness of industrial yeast strains by engineering their sterol composition. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. Structural and functional analysis of 5S rRNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Kiparisov, S.; Sergiev, P. V.; Dontsova, O. A.; Petrov, A.; Meskauskas, A.; Dinman, J. D.

    2005-01-01

    5S rRNA extends from the central protuberance of the large ribosomal subunit, through the A-site finger, and down to the GTPase-associated center. Here, we present a structure-function analysis of seven 5S rRNA alleles which are sufficient for viability in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae when expressed in the absence of wild-type 5S rRNAs, and extend this analysis using a large bank of mutant alleles that show semidominant phenotypes in the presence of wild-type 5S rRNA. This analysis supports the hypothesis that 5S rRNA serves to link together several different functional centers of the ribosome. Data are also presented which suggest that in eukaryotic genomes selection has favored the maintenance of multiple alleles of 5S rRNA, and that these may provide cells with a mechanism to post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. PMID:16047201

  11. Rational Design of Glycomimetic Compounds Targeting the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Transglycosylase Gas2.

    PubMed

    Delso, Ignacio; Valero-González, Jessika; Marca, Eduardo; Tejero, Tomás; Hurtado-Guerrero, Ramón; Merino, Pedro

    2016-02-01

    The transglycosylase Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gas2 (ScGas2) belongs to a large family of enzymes that are key players in yeast cell wall remodeling. Despite its biologic importance, no studies on the synthesis of substrate-based compounds as potential inhibitors have been reported. We have synthesized a series of docking-guided glycomimetics that were evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy and saturation-transfer difference (STD) NMR experiments, revealing that a minimum of three glucose units linked via a β-(1,3) linkage are required for achieving molecular recognition at the binding donor site. The binding mode of our compounds is further supported by STD-NMR experiments using the active site-mutants Y107Q and Y244Q. Our results are important for both understanding of ScGas2-substrate interactions and setting up the basis for future design of glycomimetics as new antifungal agents. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  12. Aberrant Synthesis of Indole-3-Acetic Acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Triggers Morphogenic Transition, a Virulence Trait of Pathogenic Fungi

    PubMed Central

    Rao, Reeta Prusty; Hunter, Ally; Kashpur, Olga; Normanly, Jennifer

    2010-01-01

    Many plant-associated microbes synthesize the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and several IAA biosynthetic pathways have been identified in microbes and plants. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has previously been shown to respond to IAA by inducing pseudohyphal growth. We observed that IAA also induced hyphal growth in the human pathogen Candida albicans and thus may function as a secondary metabolite signal that regulates virulence traits such as hyphal transition in pathogenic fungi. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (Ald) is required for IAA synthesis from a tryptophan (Trp) precursor in Ustilago maydis. Mutant S. cerevisiae with deletions in two ALD genes are unable to convert radiolabeled Trp to IAA, yet produce IAA in the absence of exogenous Trp and at levels higher than wild type. These data suggest that yeast may have multiple pathways for IAA synthesis, one of which is not dependent on Trp. PMID:20233857

  13. Regulation of Telomere Length Requires a Conserved N-Terminal Domain of Rif2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Kaizer, Hannah; Connelly, Carla J.; Bettridge, Kelsey; Viggiani, Christopher; Greider, Carol W.

    2015-01-01

    The regulation of telomere length equilibrium is essential for cell growth and survival since critically short telomeres signal DNA damage and cell cycle arrest. While the broad principles of length regulation are well established, the molecular mechanism of how these steps occur is not fully understood. We mutagenized the RIF2 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to understand how this protein blocks excess telomere elongation. We identified an N-terminal domain in Rif2 that is essential for length regulation, which we have termed BAT domain for Blocks Addition of Telomeres. Tethering this BAT domain to Rap1 blocked telomere elongation not only in rif2Δ mutants but also in rif1Δ and rap1C-terminal deletion mutants. Mutation of a single amino acid in the BAT domain, phenylalanine at position 8 to alanine, recapitulated the rif2Δ mutant phenotype. Substitution of F8 with tryptophan mimicked the wild-type phenylalanine, suggesting the aromatic amino acid represents a protein interaction site that is essential for telomere length regulation. PMID:26294668

  14. COCOA (Theobroma cacao) Polyphenol-Rich Extract Increases the Chronological Lifespan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Baiges, I; Arola, L

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a model organism with conserved aging pathways. Yeast chronological lifespan experiments mimic the processes involved in human non-dividing tissues, such as the nervous system or skeletal muscle, and can speed up the search for biomolecules with potential anti-aging effects before proceeding to animal studies. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of a cocoa polyphenol-rich extract (CPE) in expanding the S. cerevisiae chronological lifespan in two conditions: in the stationary phase reached after glucose depletion and under severe caloric restriction. MEASUREMENTS: Using a high-throughput method, wild-type S. cerevisiae and its mitochondrial manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase null mutant (sod2Δ) were cultured in synthetic complete dextrose medium. After 2 days, 0, 5 and 20 mg/ml of CPE were added, and viability was measured throughout the stationary phase. The effects of the major components of CPE were also evaluated. To determine yeast lifespan under severe caloric restriction conditions, cultures were washed with water 24 h after the addition of 0 and 20 mg/ml of CPE, and viability was followed over time. RESULTS : CPE increased the chronological lifespan of S. cerevisiae during the stationary phase in a dose-dependent manner. A similar increase was also observed in (sod2Δ). None of the major CPE components (theobromine, caffeine, maltodextrin, (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin and procyanidin B2) was able to increase the yeast lifespan. CPE further increased the yeast lifespan under severe caloric restriction. CONCLUSION: CPE increases the chronological lifespan of S. cerevisiae through a SOD2-independent mechanism. The extract also extends yeast lifespan under severe caloric restriction conditions. The high-throughput assay used makes it possible to simply and rapidly test the efficacy of a large number of compounds on yeast aging, requiring only small amounts, and is thus a convenient screening assay to accelerate

  15. Transcriptional response to deletion of the phosphatidylserine decarboxylase Psd1p in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Gsell, Martina; Mascher, Gerald; Schuiki, Irmgard; Ploier, Birgit; Hrastnik, Claudia; Daum, Günther

    2013-01-01

    In the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the synthesis of the essential phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is accomplished by a network of reactions which comprises four different pathways. The enzyme contributing most to PE formation is the mitochondrial phosphatidylserine decarboxylase 1 (Psd1p) which catalyzes conversion of phosphatidylserine (PS) to PE. To study the genome wide effect of an unbalanced cellular and mitochondrial PE level and in particular the contribution of Psd1p to this depletion we performed a DNA microarray analysis with a ∆psd1 deletion mutant. This approach revealed that 54 yeast genes were significantly up-regulated in the absence of PSD1 compared to wild type. Surprisingly, marked down-regulation of genes was not observed. A number of different cellular processes in different subcellular compartments were affected in a ∆psd1 mutant. Deletion mutants bearing defects in all 54 candidate genes, respectively, were analyzed for their growth phenotype and their phospholipid profile. Only three mutants, namely ∆gpm2, ∆gph1 and ∆rsb1, were affected in one of these parameters. The possible link of these mutations to PE deficiency and PSD1 deletion is discussed.

  16. Degradation signals for ubiquitin system proteolysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Gilon, T; Chomsky, O; Kulka, R G

    1998-01-01

    Combinations of different ubiquitin-conjugating (Ubc) enzymes and other factors constitute subsidiary pathways of the ubiquitin system, each of which ubiquitinates a specific subset of proteins. There is evidence that certain sequence elements or structural motifs of target proteins are degradation signals which mark them for ubiquitination by a particular branch of the ubiquitin system and for subsequent degradation. Our aim was to devise a way of searching systematically for degradation signals and to determine to which ubiquitin system subpathways they direct the proteins. We have constructed two reporter gene libraries based on the lacZ or URA3 genes which, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, express fusion proteins with a wide variety of C-terminal extensions. From these, we have isolated clones producing unstable fusion proteins which are stabilized in various ubc mutants. Among these are 10 clones whose products are stabilized in ubc6, ubc7 or ubc6ubc7 double mutants. The C-terminal extensions of these clones, which vary in length from 16 to 50 amino acid residues, are presumed to contain degradation signals channeling proteins for degradation via the UBC6 and/or UBC7 subpathways of the ubiquitin system. Some of these C-terminal tails share similar sequence motifs, and a feature common to almost all of these sequences is a highly hydrophobic region such as is usually located inside globular proteins or inserted into membranes. PMID:9582269

  17. Mixing of vineyard and oak-tree ecotypes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in North American vineyards.

    PubMed

    Hyma, Katie E; Fay, Justin C

    2013-06-01

    Humans have had a significant impact on the distribution and abundance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae through its widespread use in beer, bread and wine production. Yet, similar to other Saccharomyces species, S. cerevisiae has also been isolated from habitats unrelated to fermentations. Strains of S. cerevisiae isolated from grapes, wine must and vineyards worldwide are genetically differentiated from strains isolated from oak-tree bark, exudate and associated soil in North America. However, the causes and consequences of this differentiation have not yet been resolved. Historical differentiation of these two groups may have been influenced by geographic, ecological or human-associated barriers to gene flow. Here, we make use of the relatively recent establishment of vineyards across North America to identify and characterize any active barriers to gene flow between these two groups. We examined S. cerevisiae strains isolated from grapes and oak trees within three North American vineyards and compared them to those isolated from oak trees outside of vineyards. Within vineyards, we found evidence of migration between grapes and oak trees and potential gene flow between the divergent oak-tree and vineyard groups. Yet, we found no vineyard genotypes on oak trees outside of vineyards. In contrast, Saccharomyces paradoxus isolated from the same sources showed population structure characterized by isolation by distance. The apparent absence of ecological or genetic barriers between sympatric vineyard and oak-tree populations of S. cerevisiae implies that vineyards play an important role in the mixing between these two groups. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. [Control levels of Sin3 histone deacetylase for spontaneous and UV-induced mutagenesis in yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae].

    PubMed

    Lebovka, I Iu; Kozhina, T N; Fedorova, I V; Peshekhonov, V T; Evstiukhina, T A; Chernenkov, A Iu; Korolev, V G

    2014-01-01

    SIN3 gene product operates as a repressor for a huge amount of genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sin3 protein with a mass of about 175 kDa is a member of the RPD3 protein complex with an assessed mass of greater than 2 million Da. It was previously shownthat RPD3 gene mutations influence recombination and repair processes in S. cerevisiae yeasts. We studied the impacts of the sin3 mutation on UV-light sensitivity and UV-induced mutagenesis in budding yeast cells. The deletion ofthe SIN3 gene causes weak UV-sensitivity of mutant budding cells as compared to the wild-type strain. These results show that the sin3 mutation decreases both spontaneous and UV-induced levels of levels. This fact is hypothetically related to themalfunction of ribonucleotide reductase activity regulation, which leads to a decrease in the dNTP pool and the inaccurate error-prone damage bypass postreplication repair pathway, which in turn provokes a reduction in the incidence of mutations.

  19. Nup100 regulates Saccharomyces cerevisiae replicative life span by mediating the nuclear export of specific tRNAs.

    PubMed

    Lord, Christopher L; Ospovat, Ophir; Wente, Susan R

    2017-03-01

    Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are composed of nucleoporins (Nups) and regulate transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm, significantly impact the replicative life span (RLS) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae We previously reported that deletion of the nonessential gene NUP100 increases RLS, although the molecular basis for this effect was unknown. In this study, we find that nuclear tRNA accumulation contributes to increased longevity in nup100 Δ cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments demonstrate that several specific tRNAs accumulate in the nuclei of nup100 Δ mutants. Protein levels of the transcription factor Gcn4 are increased when NUP100 is deleted, and GCN4 is required for the elevated life spans of nup100 Δ mutants, similar to other previously described tRNA export and ribosomal mutants. Northern blots indicate that tRNA splicing and aminoacylation are not significantly affected in nup100 Δ cells, suggesting that Nup100 is largely required for nuclear export of mature, processed tRNAs. Distinct tRNAs accumulate in the nuclei of nup100 Δ and msn5 Δ mutants, while Los1-GFP nucleocytoplasmic shuttling is unaffected by Nup100. Thus, we conclude that Nup100 regulates tRNA export in a manner distinct from Los1 or Msn5. Together, these experiments reveal a novel Nup100 role in the tRNA life cycle that impacts the S. cerevisiae life span. © 2017 Lord et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

  20. Identification and Characterization of Mutations Affecting Sporulation in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Smith, L. M.; Robbins, L. G.; Kennedy, A.; Magee, P. T.

    1988-01-01

    Mutations affecting the synthesis of the sporulation amyloglucosidase were isolated in a homothallic strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, SCMS7-1. Two were found, both of which were deficient in sporulation at 34°. One, SL484, sporulated to 50% normal levels at 30° but less than 5% at 34° or 22°. The other, SL641, failed to sporulate at any temperature. Both mutants were blocked before premeiotic DNA synthesis, and both complemented spo1, spo3, and spo7. Genetic analysis of the mutation in SL484 indicated linkage to TRP5 and placed the gene 10 map units from TRP5 on chromosome VII. A plasmid containing an insert which complements the mutation in SL484 fails to complement SL641. We therefore conclude that these two mutations are in separate genes and we propose to call these genes SPO17 and SPO18. These two genes are (with SPO7, SPO8, and SPO9) among the earliest identified in the sporulation pathway and may interact directly with the positive and negative regulators RME and IME. PMID:3147221

  1. Ribosomal protein methyltransferases in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Roles in ribosome biogenesis and translation.

    PubMed

    Al-Hadid, Qais; White, Jonelle; Clarke, Steven

    2016-02-12

    A significant percentage of the methyltransferasome in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and higher eukaryotes is devoted to methylation of the translational machinery. Methylation of the RNA components of the translational machinery has been studied extensively and is important for structure stability, ribosome biogenesis, and translational fidelity. However, the functional effects of ribosomal protein methylation by their cognate methyltransferases are still largely unknown. Previous work has shown that the ribosomal protein Rpl3 methyltransferase, histidine protein methyltransferase 1 (Hpm1), is important for ribosome biogenesis and translation elongation fidelity. In this study, yeast strains deficient in each of the ten ribosomal protein methyltransferases in S. cerevisiae were examined for potential defects in ribosome biogenesis and translation. Like Hpm1-deficient cells, loss of four of the nine other ribosomal protein methyltransferases resulted in defects in ribosomal subunit synthesis. All of the mutant strains exhibited resistance to the ribosome inhibitors anisomycin and/or cycloheximide in plate assays, but not in liquid culture. Translational fidelity assays measuring stop codon readthrough, amino acid misincorporation, and programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting, revealed that eight of the ten enzymes are important for translation elongation fidelity and the remaining two are necessary for translation termination efficiency. Altogether, these results demonstrate that ribosomal protein methyltransferases in S. cerevisiae play important roles in ribosome biogenesis and translation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Regulation of cation transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the salt tolerance gene HAL3.

    PubMed Central

    Ferrando, A; Kron, S J; Rios, G; Fink, G R; Serrano, R

    1995-01-01

    Dynamic regulation of ion transport is essential for homeostasis as cells confront changes in their environment. The gene HAL3 encodes a novel component of this regulatory circuit in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Overexpression of HAL3 improves growth of wild-type cells exposed to toxic concentrations of sodium and lithium and suppresses the salt sensitivity conferred by mutation of the calcium-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin. Null mutants of HAL3 display salt sensitivity. The sequence of HAL3 gives little clue to its function. However, alterations in intracellular cation concentrations associated with changes in HAL3 expression suggest that HAL3 activity may directly increase cytoplasmic K+ and decrease Na+ and Li+. Cation efflux in S. cerevisiae is mediated by the P-type ATPase encoded by the ENA1/PMR24 gene, a putative plasma membrane Na+ pump whose expression is salt induced. Acting in concert with calcineurin, HAL3 is necessary for full activation of ENA1 expression. This functional complementarity is also reflected in the participation of both proteins in recovery from alpha-factor-induced growth arrest. Recently, HAL3 was isolated as a gene (named SIS2) which when overexpressed partially relieves loss of transcription of G1 cyclins in mutants lacking the protein phosphatase Sit4p. Therefore, HAL3 influences cell cycle control and ion homeostasis, acting in parallel to the protein phosphatases Sit4p and calcineurin. PMID:7565698

  3. Expression of Human CTP Synthetase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Reveals Phosphorylation by Protein Kinase A*

    PubMed Central

    Han, Gil-Soo; Sreenivas, Avula; Choi, Mal-Gi; Chang, Yu-Fang; Martin, Shelley S.; Baldwin, Enoch P.; Carman, George M.

    2005-01-01

    CTP synthetase (EC 6.3.4.2, UTP: ammonia ligase (ADP-forming)) is an essential enzyme in all organisms; it generates the CTP required for the synthesis of nucleic acids and membrane phospholipids. In this work we showed that the human CTP synthetase genes, CTPS1 and CTPS2, were functional in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and complemented the lethal phenotype of the ura7Δ ura8Δ mutant lacking CTP synthetase activity. The expression of the CTPS1-and CTPS2-encoded human CTP synthetase enzymes in the ura7Δ ura8Δ mutant was shown by immunoblot analysis of CTP synthetase proteins, the measurement of CTP synthetase activity, and the synthesis of CTP in vivo. Phosphoamino acid and phosphopeptide mapping analyses of human CTP synthetase 1 isolated from 32Pi-labeled cells revealed that the enzyme was phosphorylated on multiple serine residues in vivo. Activation of protein kinase A activity in yeast resulted in transient increases (2-fold) in the phosphorylation of human CTP synthetase 1 and the cellular level of CTP. Human CTP synthetase 1 was also phosphorylated by mammalian protein kinase A in vitro. Using human CTP synthetase 1 purified from Escherichia coli as a substrate, protein kinase A activity was dose- and time-dependent, and dependent on the concentrations of CTP synthetase1 and ATP. These studies showed that S. cerevisiae was useful for the analysis of human CTP synthetase phosphorylation. PMID:16179339

  4. Functional equivalence of translation factor eIF5B from Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Jun, Kyung Ok; Yang, Eun Ji; Lee, Byeong Jeong; Park, Jeong Ro; Lee, Joon H; Choi, Sang Ki

    2008-04-30

    Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5B (eIF5B) plays a role in recognition of the AUG codon in conjunction with translation factor eIF2, and promotes joining of the 60S ribosomal subunit. To see whether the eIF5B proteins of other organisms function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we cloned the corresponding genes from Oryza sativa, Arabidopsis thaliana, Aspergillus nidulans and Candida albican and expressed them under the control of the galactose-inducible GAL promoter in the fun12Delta strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of Candida albicans eIF5B complemented the slow-growth phenotype of the fun12Delta strain, but that of Aspergillus nidulance did not, despite the fact that its protein was expressed better than that of Candida albicans. The Arabidopsis thaliana protein was also not functional in Saccharomyces. These results reveal that the eIF5B in Candida albicans has a close functional relationship with that of Sacharomyces cerevisiae, as also shown by a phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequences of the eIF5Bs.

  5. Analysis of the RNA Content of the Yeast "Saccharomyces Cerevisiae"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deutch, Charles E.; Marshall, Pamela A.

    2008-01-01

    In this article, the authors describe an interconnected set of relatively simple laboratory experiments in which students determine the RNA content of yeast cells and use agarose gel electrophoresis to separate and analyze the major species of cellular RNA. This set of experiments focuses on RNAs from the yeast "Saccharomyces cerevisiae", a…

  6. Enhanced expression of the DNA damage-inducible gene DIN7 results in increased mutagenesis of mitochondrial DNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Koprowski, P; Fikus, M U; Dzierzbicki, P; Mieczkowski, P; Lazowska, J; Ciesla, Z

    2003-08-01

    We reported previously that the product of DIN7, a DNA damage-inducible gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, belongs to the XPG family of proteins, which are involved in DNA repair and replication. This family includes the S. cerevisiae protein Rad2p and its human homolog XPGC, Rad27p and its mammalian homolog FEN-1, and Exonuclease I (Exo I). Interestingly, Din7p is the only member of the XPG family which specifically functions in mitochondria. We reported previously that overexpression of DIN7 results in a mitochondrial mutator phenotype. In the present study we wished to test the hypothesis that this phenotype is dependent on the nuclease activity of Din7p. For this purpose, we constructed two alleles, din7-D78A and din7-D173A, which encode proteins in which highly conserved aspartates important for the nuclease activity of the XPG proteins have been replaced by alanines. Here, we report that overexpression of the mutant alleles, in contrast to DIN7, fails to increase the frequency of mitochondrial petite mutants or erythromycin-resistant (Er) mutants. Also, overproduction of din7-D78Ap does not result in destabilization of poly GT tracts in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the phenotype observed in cells that overexpress Din7p. We also show that petite mutants induced by enhanced synthesis of wild-type Din7p exhibit gross rearrangements of mtDNA, and that this correlates with enhanced recombination within the mitochondrial cyt b gene. These results suggest that the stability of the mitochondrial genome of S. cerevisiae is modulated by the level of the nuclease Din7p.

  7. Response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to D-limonene-induced oxidative stress.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jidong; Zhu, Yibo; Du, Guocheng; Zhou, Jingwen; Chen, Jian

    2013-07-01

    In the present study, we investigated the mode of cell response induced by D-limonene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. D-limonene treatment was found to be accompanied by intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since ROS impair cell membranes, an engineered strain with enhanced membrane biosynthesis exhibited a higher tolerance to D-limonene. Subsequent addition of an ROS scavenger significantly reduced the ROS level and alleviated cell growth inhibition. Thus, D-limonene-induced ROS accumulation plays an important role in cell death in S. cerevisiae. In D-limonene-treated S. cerevisiae strains, higher levels of antioxidants, antioxidant enzymes, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) were synthesized. Quantitative real-time PCR results also verified that D-limonene treatment triggered upregulation of genes involved in the antioxidant system and the regeneration of NADPH at the transcription level in S. cerevisiae. These data indicate that D-limonene treatment results in intracellular ROS accumulation, an important factor in cell death, and several antioxidant mechanisms in S. cerevisiae were enhanced in response to D-limonene treatment.

  8. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Lipin Homolog is a Mg2+-dependent Phosphatidate Phosphatase Enzyme*

    PubMed Central

    Han, Gil-Soo; Wu, Wen-I; Carman, George M.

    2006-01-01

    Mg2+-dependent phosphatidate (PA) phosphatase (3-sn-phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.4) catalyzes the dephosphorylation of PA to yield diacylglycerol and Pi. In this work, we identified the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PAH1 (previously known as SMP2) gene that encodes Mg2+-dependent PA phosphatase using amino acid sequence information derived from a purified preparation of the enzyme (Lin, Y.-P., and Carman, G.M. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 8641–8645). Overexpression of PAH1 in S. cerevisiae directed elevated levels of Mg2+-dependent PA phosphatase activity, whereas the pah1Δ mutation caused reduced levels of enzyme activity. Heterologous expression of PAH1 in Escherichia coli confirmed that Pah1p is a Mg2+-dependent PA phosphatase enzyme, and showed that its enzymological properties were very similar to those of the enzyme purified from S. cerevisiae. The PAH1-encoded enzyme activity was associated with both the membrane and cytosolic fractions of the cell, and the membrane-bound form of the enzyme was salt-extractable. Lipid analysis showed that mutants lacking PAH1 accumulated PA, and had reduced amounts of diacylglycerol and its derivative triacylglycerol. The PAH1-encoded Mg2+-dependent PA phosphatase shows homology to mammalian lipin, a fat-regulating protein whose molecular function is unknown. Heterologous expression of human LPIN1 in E. coli showed that lipin 1 is also a Mg2+-dependent PA phosphatase enzyme. PMID:16467296

  9. Effect of l-Proline on Sake Brewing and Ethanol Stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Takagi, Hiroshi; Takaoka, Miki; Kawaguchi, Akari; Kubo, Yoshito

    2005-01-01

    During the fermentation of sake, cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are exposed to high concentrations of ethanol, thereby damaging the cell membrane and functional proteins. l-Proline protects yeast cells from damage caused by freezing or oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluated the role of intracellular l-proline in cells of S. cerevisiae grown under ethanol stress. An l-proline-accumulating laboratory strain carries a mutant allele of PRO1, pro1D154N, which encodes the Asp154Asn mutant γ-glutamyl kinase. This mutation increases the activity of γ-glutamyl kinase and γ-glutamyl phosphate reductase, which catalyze the first two steps of l-proline synthesis and which together may form a complex in vivo. When cultured in liquid medium in the presence of 9% and 18% ethanol under static conditions, the cell viability of the l-proline-accumulating laboratory strain is greater than the cell viability of the parent strain. This result suggests that intracellular accumulation of l-proline may confer tolerance to ethanol stress. We constructed a novel sake yeast strain by disrupting the PUT1 gene, which is required for l-proline utilization, and replacing the wild-type PRO1 allele with the pro1D154N allele. The resultant strain accumulated l-proline and was more tolerant to ethanol stress than was the control strain. We used the strain that could accumulate l-proline to brew sake containing five times more l-proline than what is found in sake brewed with the control strain, without affecting the fermentation profiles. PMID:16332860

  10. Evaluation of sterol transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria using mitochondrially targeted bacterial sterol acyltransferase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tian, Siqi; Ohta, Akinori; Horiuchi, Hiroyuki; Fukuda, Ryouichi

    2015-01-01

    To elucidate the mechanism of interorganelle sterol transport, a system to evaluate sterol transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the mitochondria was constructed. A bacterial glycerophospholipid: cholesterol acyltransferase fused with a mitochondria-targeting sequence and a membrane-spanning domain of the mitochondrial inner membrane protein Pet100 and enhanced green fluorescent protein was expressed in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant deleted for ARE1 and ARE2 encoding acyl-CoA:sterol acyltransferases. Microscopic observation and subcellular fractionation suggested that this fusion protein, which was named mito-SatA-EGFP, was localized in the mitochondria. Steryl esters were synthesized in the mutant expressing mito-SatA-EGFP. This system will be applicable for evaluations of sterol transport from the ER to the mitochondria in yeast by examining sterol esterification in the mitochondria.

  11. Omics analysis of acetic acid tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Geng, Peng; Zhang, Liang; Shi, Gui Yang

    2017-05-01

    Acetic acid is an inhibitor in industrial processes such as wine making and bioethanol production from cellulosic hydrolysate. It causes energy depletion, inhibition of metabolic enzyme activity, growth arrest and ethanol productivity losses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of the yeast responses to acetic acid stress is essential for improving acetic acid tolerance and ethanol production. Although 329 genes associated with acetic acid tolerance have been identified in the Saccharomyces genome and included in the database ( http://www.yeastgenome.org/observable/resistance_to_acetic_acid/overview ), the cellular mechanistic responses to acetic acid remain unclear in this organism. Post-genomic approaches such as transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and chemogenomics are being applied to yeast and are providing insight into the mechanisms and interactions of genes, proteins and other components that together determine complex quantitative phenotypic traits such as acetic acid tolerance. This review focuses on these omics approaches in the response to acetic acid in S. cerevisiae. Additionally, several novel strains with improved acetic acid tolerance have been engineered by modifying key genes, and the application of these strains and recently acquired knowledge to industrial processes is also discussed.

  12. Tanshinones extend chronological lifespan in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Wu, Ziyun; Song, Lixia; Liu, Shao Quan; Huang, Dejian

    2014-10-01

    Natural products with anti-aging property have drawn great attention recently but examples of such compounds are exceedingly scarce. By applying a high-throughput assay based on yeast chronological lifespan measurement, we screened the anti-aging activity of 144 botanical materials and found that dried roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge have significant anti-aging activity. Tanshinones isolated from the plant including cryptotanshione, tanshinone I, and tanshinone IIa, are the active components. Among them, cryptotanshinone can greatly extend the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae chronological lifespan (up to 2.5 times) in a dose- and the-time-of-addition-dependent manner at nanomolar concentrations without disruption of cell growth. We demonstrate that cryptotanshinone prolong chronological lifespan via a nutrient-dependent regime, especially essential amino acid sensing, and three conserved protein kinases Tor1, Sch9, and Gcn2 are required for cryptotanshinone-induced lifespan extension. In addition, cryptotanshinone significantly increases the lifespan of SOD2-deleted mutants. Altogether, those data suggest that cryptotanshinone might be involved in the regulation of, Tor1, Sch9, Gcn2, and Sod2, these highly conserved longevity proteins modulated by nutrients from yeast to humans.

  13. Genomic Analysis of ATP Efflux in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Peters, Theodore W.; Miller, Aaron W.; Tourette, Cendrine; Agren, Hannah; Hubbard, Alan; Hughes, Robert E.

    2015-01-01

    Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) plays an important role as a primary molecule for the transfer of chemical energy to drive biological processes. ATP also functions as an extracellular signaling molecule in a diverse array of eukaryotic taxa in a conserved process known as purinergic signaling. Given the important roles of extracellular ATP in cell signaling, we sought to comprehensively elucidate the pathways and mechanisms governing ATP efflux from eukaryotic cells. Here, we present results of a genomic analysis of ATP efflux from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by measuring extracellular ATP levels in cultures of 4609 deletion mutants. This screen revealed key cellular processes that regulate extracellular ATP levels, including mitochondrial translation and vesicle sorting in the late endosome, indicating that ATP production and transport through vesicles are required for efflux. We also observed evidence for altered ATP efflux in strains deleted for genes involved in amino acid signaling, and mitochondrial retrograde signaling. Based on these results, we propose a model in which the retrograde signaling pathway potentiates amino acid signaling to promote mitochondrial respiration. This study advances our understanding of the mechanism of ATP secretion in eukaryotes and implicates TOR complex 1 (TORC1) and nutrient signaling pathways in the regulation of ATP efflux. These results will facilitate analysis of ATP efflux mechanisms in higher eukaryotes. PMID:26585826

  14. Ecological Success of a Group of Saccharomyces cerevisiae/Saccharomyces kudriavzevii Hybrids in the Northern European Wine-Making Environment

    PubMed Central

    Erny, C.; Raoult, P.; Alais, A.; Butterlin, G.; Delobel, P.; Matei-Radoi, F.; Casaregola, S.

    2012-01-01

    The hybrid nature of lager-brewing yeast strains has been known for 25 years; however, yeast hybrids have only recently been described in cider and wine fermentations. In this study, we characterized the hybrid genomes and the relatedness of the Eg8 industrial yeast strain and of 24 Saccharomyces cerevisiae/Saccharomyces kudriavzevii hybrid yeast strains used for wine making in France (Alsace), Germany, Hungary, and the United States. An array-based comparative genome hybridization (aCGH) profile of the Eg8 genome revealed a typical chimeric profile. Measurement of hybrids DNA content per cell by flow cytometry revealed multiple ploidy levels (2n, 3n, or 4n), and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 22 genes indicated variable amounts of S. kudriavzevii genetic content in three representative strains. We developed microsatellite markers for S. kudriavzevii and used them to analyze the diversity of a population isolated from oaks in Ardèche (France). This analysis revealed new insights into the diversity of this species. We then analyzed the diversity of the wine hybrids for 12 S. cerevisiae and 7 S. kudriavzevii microsatellite loci and found that these strains are the products of multiple hybridization events between several S. cerevisiae wine yeast isolates and various S. kudriavzevii strains. The Eg8 lineage appeared remarkable, since it harbors strains found over a wide geographic area, and the interstrain divergence measured with a (δμ)2 genetic distance indicates an ancient origin. These findings reflect the specific adaptations made by S. cerevisiae/S. kudriavzevii cryophilic hybrids to winery environments in cool climates. PMID:22344648

  15. Effects of NADH-preferring xylose reductase expression on ethanol production from xylose in xylose-metabolizing recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sung-Haeng; Kodaki, Tsutomu; Park, Yong-Cheol; Seo, Jin-Ho

    2012-04-30

    Efficient conversion of xylose to ethanol is an essential factor for commercialization of lignocellulosic ethanol. To minimize production of xylitol, a major by-product in xylose metabolism and concomitantly improve ethanol production, Saccharomyces cerevisiae D452-2 was engineered to overexpress NADH-preferable xylose reductase mutant (XR(MUT)) and NAD⁺-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) from Pichia stipitis and endogenous xylulokinase (XK). In vitro enzyme assay confirmed the functional expression of XR(MUT), XDH and XK in recombinant S. cerevisiae strains. The change of wild type XR to XR(MUT) along with XK overexpression led to reduction of xylitol accumulation in microaerobic culture. More modulation of the xylose metabolism including overexpression of XR(MUT) and transaldolase, and disruption of the chromosomal ALD6 gene encoding aldehyde dehydrogenase (SX6(MUT)) improved the performance of ethanol production from xylose remarkably. Finally, oxygen-limited fermentation of S. cerevisiae SX6(MUT) resulted in 0.64 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ xylose consumption rate, 0.25 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ ethanol productivity and 39% ethanol yield based on the xylose consumed, which were 1.8, 4.2 and 2.2 times higher than the corresponding values of recombinant S. cerevisiae expressing XR(MUT), XDH and XK only. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Clinical Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates cannot cross the epithelial barrier in vitro.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Torrado, Roberto; Llopis, Silvia; Jespersen, Lene; Fernández-Espinar, Teresa; Querol, Amparo

    2012-06-15

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is generally considered to be a safe organism and is essential to produce many different kinds of foods as well as being widely used as a dietary supplement. However, several isolates, which are genetically related to brewing and baking yeasts, have shown virulent traits, being able to produce human infections in immunodeficient patients. Previously it has been shown that the administration of S. cerevisiae clinical isolates can lead to systemic infections, reaching several organs in murine systems. In this work, we studied S. cerevisiae clinical isolates in an in vitro intestinal epithelial barrier model, comparing their behaviour with that of several strains of the related pathogens Candida glabrata and Candida albicans. The results showed that, in contrast to C. glabrata and C. albicans, S. cerevisiae was not able to cross the intestinal barrier. We concluded that S. cerevisiae can only perform opportunistic or passive crossings when epithelial barrier integrity is previously compromised. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Oral administration of myostatin-specific recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae vaccine in rabbit.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zhongtian; Zhou, Gang; Ren, Chonghua; Xu, Kun; Yan, Qiang; Li, Xinyi; Zhang, Tingting; Zhang, Zhiying

    2016-04-29

    Yeast is considered as a simple and cost-effective host for protein expression, and our previous studies have proved that Saccharomyces cerevisiae can deliver recombinant protein and DNA into mouse dendritic cells and can further induce immune responses as novel vaccines. In order to know whether similar immune responses can be induced in rabbit by oral administration of such recombinant S. cerevisiae vaccine, we orally fed the rabbits with heat-inactivated myostatin-recombinant S. cerevisiae for 5 weeks, and then myostatin-specific antibody in serum was detected successfully by western blotting and ELISA assay. The rabbits treated with myostatin-recombinant S. cerevisiae vaccine grew faster and their muscles were much heavier than that of the control group. As a common experimental animal and a meat livestock with great economic value, rabbit was proved to be the second animal species that have been successfully orally immunized by recombinant S. cerevisiae vaccine after mice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Repurposing the Saccharomyces cerevisiae peroxisome for compartmentalizing multi-enzyme pathways

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    DeLoache, William; Russ, Zachary; Samson, Jennifer

    The peroxisome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was targeted for repurposing in order to create a synthetic organelle that provides a generalizable compartment for engineered metabolic pathways. Compartmentalization of enzymes into organelles is a promising strategy for limiting metabolic crosstalk, improving pathway efficiency, and ultimately modifying the chemical environment to be distinct from that of the cytoplasm. We focused on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae peroxisome, as this organelle is not required for viability when grown on conventional media. We identified an enhanced peroxisomal targeting signal type 1 (PTS1) for rapidly importing non-native cargo proteins. Additionally, we performed the first systematic in vivo measurementsmore » of nonspecific metabolite permeability across the peroxisomal membrane using a polymer exclusion assay and characterized the size dependency of metabolite trafficking. Finally, we applied these new insights to compartmentalize a two-enzyme pathway in the peroxisome and characterize the expression regimes where compartmentalization leads to improved product titer. This work builds a foundation for using the peroxisome as a synthetic organelle, highlighting both promise and future challenges on the way to realizing this goal.« less

  19. Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae autoantibodies in autoimmune diseases: from bread baking to autoimmunity.

    PubMed

    Rinaldi, Maurizio; Perricone, Roberto; Blank, Miri; Perricone, Carlo; Shoenfeld, Yehuda

    2013-10-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is best known as the baker's and brewer's yeast, but its residual traces are also frequent excipients in some vaccines. Although anti-S. cerevisiae autoantibodies (ASCAs) are considered specific for Crohn's disease, a growing number of studies have detected high levels of ASCAs in patients affected with autoimmune diseases as compared with healthy controls, including antiphospholipid syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Commensal microorganisms such as Saccharomyces are required for nutrition, proper development of Peyer's aggregated lymphoid tissue, and tissue healing. However, even the commensal nonclassically pathogenic microbiota can trigger autoimmunity when fine regulation of immune tolerance does not work properly. For our purposes, the protein database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) was consulted, comparing Saccharomyces mannan to several molecules with a pathogenetic role in autoimmune diseases. Thanks to the NCBI bioinformation technology tool, several overlaps in molecular structures (50-100 %) were identified when yeast mannan, and the most common autoantigens were compared. The autoantigen U2 snRNP B″ was found to conserve a superfamily protein domain that shares 83 % of the S. cerevisiae mannan sequence. Furthermore, ASCAs may be present years before the diagnosis of some associated autoimmune diseases as they were retrospectively found in the preserved blood samples of soldiers who became affected by Crohn's disease years later. Our results strongly suggest that ASCAs' role in clinical practice should be better addressed in order to evaluate their predictive or prognostic relevance.

  20. Sucrose and Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a relationship most sweet.

    PubMed

    Marques, Wesley Leoricy; Raghavendran, Vijayendran; Stambuk, Boris Ugarte; Gombert, Andreas Karoly

    2016-02-01

    Sucrose is an abundant, readily available and inexpensive substrate for industrial biotechnology processes and its use is demonstrated with much success in the production of fuel ethanol in Brazil. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which naturally evolved to efficiently consume sugars such as sucrose, is one of the most important cell factories due to its robustness, stress tolerance, genetic accessibility, simple nutrient requirements and long history as an industrial workhorse. This minireview is focused on sucrose metabolism in S. cerevisiae, a rather unexplored subject in the scientific literature. An analysis of sucrose availability in nature and yeast sugar metabolism was performed, in order to understand the molecular background that makes S. cerevisiae consume this sugar efficiently. A historical overview on the use of sucrose and S. cerevisiae by humans is also presented considering sugarcane and sugarbeet as the main sources of this carbohydrate. Physiological aspects of sucrose consumption are compared with those concerning other economically relevant sugars. Also, metabolic engineering efforts to alter sucrose catabolism are presented in a chronological manner. In spite of its extensive use in yeast-based industries, a lot of basic and applied research on sucrose metabolism is imperative, mainly in fields such as genetics, physiology and metabolic engineering. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. New phenotypes generated by the G57R mutation of BUD23 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Lin, Jyun-Liang; Yu, Hui-Chia; Chao, Ju-Lan; Wang, Chung; Cheng, Ming-Yuan

    2012-12-01

    BUD23 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes for a class I methyltransferase, and deletion of the gene results in slow growth and random budding phenotypes. Herein, two BUD23 mutants defective in methyltransferase activity were generated to investigate whether the phenotypes of the null mutant might be correlated with a loss in enzymatic activity. Expression at the physiological level of both D77A and G57R mutants was able to rescue the phenotypes of the bud23-null mutant. The result implied that the methyltransferase activity of the protein was not necessary for supporting normal growth and bud site selection of the cells. High-level expression of Bud23 (G57R), but not Bud23 or Bud23 (D77A), in BUD23 deletion cells failed to complement these phenotypes. However, just like Bud23, Bud23 (G57R) was localized in a DAPI-poor region in the nucleus. Distinct behaviour in Bud23 (G57R) could not be originated from a mislocalization of the protein. Over-expression of Bud23 (G57R) in null cells also produced changes in actin organization and additional septin mutant-like phenotypes. Therefore, the absence of Bud23, Bud23 (G57R) at a high level might affect the cell division of yeast cells through an as yet unidentified mechanism. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Role of Nitrogen and Carbon Transport, Regulation, and Metabolism Genes for Saccharomyces cerevisiae Survival In Vivo†

    PubMed Central

    Kingsbury, Joanne M.; Goldstein, Alan L.; McCusker, John H.

    2006-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is both an emerging opportunistic pathogen and a close relative of pathogenic Candida species. To better understand the ecology of fungal infection, we investigated the importance of pathways involved in uptake, metabolism, and biosynthesis of nitrogen and carbon compounds for survival of a clinical S. cerevisiae strain in a murine host. Potential nitrogen sources in vivo include ammonium, urea, and amino acids, while potential carbon sources include glucose, lactate, pyruvate, and fatty acids. Using mutants unable to either transport or utilize these compounds, we demonstrated that no individual nitrogen source was essential, while glucose was the most significant primary carbon source for yeast survival in vivo. Hydrolysis of the storage carbohydrate glycogen made a slight contribution for in vivo survival compared with a substantial requirement for trehalose hydrolysis. The ability to sense and respond to low glucose concentrations was also important for survival. In contrast, there was little or no requirement in vivo in this assay for any of the nitrogen-sensing pathways, nitrogen catabolite repression, the ammonium- or amino acid-sensing pathways, or general control. By using auxotrophic mutants, we found that some nitrogenous compounds (polyamines, methionine, and lysine) can be acquired from the host, while others (threonine, aromatic amino acids, isoleucine, and valine) must be synthesized by the pathogen. Our studies provide insights into the yeast-host environment interaction and identify potential antifungal drug targets. PMID:16682459

  3. Diversification of Transcriptional Regulation Determines Subfunctionalization of Paralogous Branched Chain Aminotransferases in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    González, James; López, Geovani; Argueta, Stefany; Escalera-Fanjul, Ximena; El Hafidi, Mohammed; Campero-Basaldua, Carlos; Strauss, Joseph; Riego-Ruiz, Lina; González, Alicia

    2017-11-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae harbors BAT1 and BAT2 paralogous genes that encode branched chain aminotransferases and have opposed expression profiles and physiological roles . Accordingly, in primary nitrogen sources such as glutamine, BAT1 expression is induced, supporting Bat1-dependent valine-isoleucine-leucine (VIL) biosynthesis, while BAT2 expression is repressed. Conversely, in the presence of VIL as the sole nitrogen source, BAT1 expression is hindered while that of BAT2 is activated, resulting in Bat2-dependent VIL catabolism. The presented results confirm that BAT1 expression is determined by transcriptional activation through the action of the Leu3-α-isopropylmalate (α-IPM) active isoform, and uncovers the existence of a novel α-IPM biosynthetic pathway operating in a put3 Δ mutant grown on VIL, through Bat2-Leu2-Leu1 consecutive action. The classic α-IPM biosynthetic route operates in glutamine through the action of the leucine-sensitive α-IPM synthases. The presented results also show that BAT2 repression in glutamine can be alleviated in a ure2 Δ mutant or through Gcn4-dependent transcriptional activation. Thus, when S. cerevisiae is grown on glutamine, VIL biosynthesis is predominant and is preferentially achieved through BAT1 ; while on VIL as the sole nitrogen source, catabolism prevails and is mainly afforded by BAT2 . Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

  4. Directed evolution of xylose isomerase for improved xylose catabolism and fermentation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sun-Mi; Jellison, Taylor; Alper, Hal S

    2012-08-01

    The heterologous expression of a highly functional xylose isomerase pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae would have significant advantages for ethanol yield, since the pathway bypasses cofactor requirements found in the traditionally used oxidoreductase pathways. However, nearly all reported xylose isomerase-based pathways in S. cerevisiae suffer from poor ethanol productivity, low xylose consumption rates, and poor cell growth compared with an oxidoreductase pathway and, additionally, often require adaptive strain evolution. Here, we report on the directed evolution of the Piromyces sp. xylose isomerase (encoded by xylA) for use in yeast. After three rounds of mutagenesis and growth-based screening, we isolated a variant containing six mutations (E15D, E114G, E129D, T142S, A177T, and V433I) that exhibited a 77% increase in enzymatic activity. When expressed in a minimally engineered yeast host containing a gre3 knockout and tal1 and XKS1 overexpression, the strain expressing this mutant enzyme improved its aerobic growth rate by 61-fold and both ethanol production and xylose consumption rates by nearly 8-fold. Moreover, the mutant enzyme enabled ethanol production by these yeasts under oxygen-limited fermentation conditions, unlike the wild-type enzyme. Under microaerobic conditions, the ethanol production rates of the strain expressing the mutant xylose isomerase were considerably higher than previously reported values for yeast harboring a xylose isomerase pathway and were also comparable to those of the strains harboring an oxidoreductase pathway. Consequently, this study shows the potential to evolve a xylose isomerase pathway for more efficient xylose utilization.

  5. Sporulation in the Budding Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Neiman, Aaron M.

    2011-01-01

    In response to nitrogen starvation in the presence of a poor carbon source, diploid cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergo meiosis and package the haploid nuclei produced in meiosis into spores. The formation of spores requires an unusual cell division event in which daughter cells are formed within the cytoplasm of the mother cell. This process involves the de novo generation of two different cellular structures: novel membrane compartments within the cell cytoplasm that give rise to the spore plasma membrane and an extensive spore wall that protects the spore from environmental insults. This article summarizes what is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling spore assembly with particular attention to how constitutive cellular functions are modified to create novel behaviors during this developmental process. Key regulatory points on the sporulation pathway are also discussed as well as the possible role of sporulation in the natural ecology of S. cerevisiae. PMID:22084423

  6. Assembly of the mitochondrial membrane system: mutations in the pho2 locus of the mitochondrial genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Coruzzi, G; Trembath, M K; Tzagoloff, A

    1978-12-01

    Two mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which show a loss of mitochondrial rutamycin-sensitive ATPase activity are described. Although phenotypically similar to mutants of the mitochondrial locus pho1 [F. Foury and A. Tzagoloff (1976) Eur. J. Biochem. 68, 113-119], these mutants define a second ATPase locus on the mitochondrial DNA (designated pho2), which is genetically unlinked to pho1. Analysis of recombination in crosses involving multiple antibiotic resistance markers indicates that the locus is in the segment of the genome between ery1 and oli2, very close to oli1. In fact it is proposed that the oli1 and pho2 mutations are in the same gene. Supporting evidence for this proposal includes: 1. The analysis of marker retention in petite mutants shows that the oli1 and pho2 loci were either retained or lost together in all cases. 2. Recombination frequencies of 0.05% or less are observed in crosses between the oli1 and pho2 loci. 3. When rho+ revertants are isolated from the pho2 mutants they frequently are oligomycin resistant. 4. pho2 mutants have an altered subunit 9 of the ATPase complex.

  7. Apoptosis-inducing factor (Aif1) mediates anacardic acid-induced apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Muzaffar, Suhail; Chattoo, Bharat B

    2017-03-01

    Anacardic acid is a medicinal phytochemical that inhibits proliferation of fungal as well as several types of cancer cells. It induces apoptotic cell death in various cell types, but very little is known about the mechanism involved in the process. Here, we used budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model to study the involvement of some key elements of apoptosis in the anacardic acid-induced cell death. Plasma membrane constriction, chromatin condensation, DNA degradation, and externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS) indicated that anacardic acid induces apoptotic cell death in S. cerevisiae. However, the exogenous addition of broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK or deletion of the yeast caspase Yca1 showed that the anacardic acid-induced cell death is caspase independent. Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF1) deletion mutant was resistant to the anacardic acid-induced cell death, suggesting a key role of Aif1. Overexpression of Aif1 made cells highly susceptible to anacardic acid, further confirming that Aif1 mediates anacardic acid-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, instead of the increase in the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) normally observed during apoptosis, anacardic acid caused a decrease in the intracellular ROS levels. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed downregulation of the BIR1 survivin mRNA expression during the anacardic acid-induced apoptosis.

  8. Cell wall structure suitable for surface display of proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Matsuoka, Hiroyuki; Hashimoto, Kazuya; Saijo, Aki; Takada, Yuki; Kondo, Akihiko; Ueda, Mitsuyoshi; Ooshima, Hiroshi; Tachibana, Taro; Azuma, Masayuki

    2014-02-01

    A display system for adding new protein functions to the cell surfaces of microorganisms has been developed, and applications of the system to various fields have been proposed. With the aim of constructing a cell surface environment suitable for protein display in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cell surface structures of cell wall mutants were investigated. Four cell wall mutant strains were selected by analyses using a GFP display system via a GPI anchor. β-Glucosidase and endoglucanase II were displayed on the cell surface in the four mutants, and their activities were evaluated. mnn2 deletion strain exhibited the highest activity for both the enzymes. In particular, endoglucanase II activity using carboxymethylcellulose as a substrate in the mutant strain was 1.9-fold higher than that of the wild-type strain. In addition, the activity of endoglucanase II released from the mnn2 deletion strain by Zymolyase 20T treatment was higher than that from the wild-type strain. The results of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and endoglucanase displays suggest that the amounts of enzyme displayed on the cell surface were increased by the mnn2 deletion. The enzyme activity of the mnn2 deletion strain was compared with that of the wild-type strain. The relative value (mnn2 deletion mutant/wild-type strain) of endoglucanase II activity using carboxymethylcellulose as a substrate was higher than that of β-glucosidase activity using p-nitrophenyl-β-glucopyranoside as a substrate, suggesting that the cell surface environment of the mnn2 deletion strain facilitates the binding of high-molecular-weight substrates to the active sites of the displayed enzymes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. A mitochondrial locus is necessary for the synthesis of mitochondrial tRNA in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Martin, N C; Underbrink-Lyon, K

    1981-01-01

    We have used a cloned yeast mitochondrial tRNAUCNSer gene as a probe to detect RNA species that are transcripts from this gene in wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in petite deletion mutants. In RNA from wild-type cells, the tRNA is the most prominent transcript of the gene. In RNA from deletion mutants that retain this gene but have lost other regions of mtDNA, high molecular weight transcripts containing the tRNAUCNSer sequences accumulate but tRNAUCNSer is not made. tRNAUCNSer synthesis can be restored in these mutants when they are mated to other deletion mutants that retain a different portion of the mitochondrial genome. Protein synthesis is not necessary for the restoration, and the restoration is not due to a nuclear effect or to an effect of mating alone, because strains without mtDNA are not able to restore tRNA synthesis. These results definitively demonstrate the existence of a yeast mitochondrial locus that is necessary for tRNA synthesis and, because the restoration of tRNAUCNSer synthesis appears to result from intergenic complementation, not recombination, indicate that this locus acts in trans. Images PMID:6795621

  10. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Msh2-Msh3 acts in repair of base-base mispairs.

    PubMed

    Harrington, Jill M; Kolodner, Richard D

    2007-09-01

    DNA mismatch repair is thought to act through two subpathways involving the recognition of base-base and insertion/deletion mispairs by the Msh2-Msh6 heterodimer and the recognition of insertion/deletion mispairs by the Msh2-Msh3 heterodimer. Here, through genetic and biochemical approaches, we describe a previously unidentified role of the Msh2-Msh3 heterodimer in the recognition of base-base mispairs and the suppression of homology-mediated duplication and deletion mutations. Saccharomyces cerevisiae msh3 mutants did not show an increase in the rate of base substitution mutations by the CAN1 forward mutation assay compared to the rate for the wild type but did show an altered spectrum of base substitution mutations, including an increased accumulation of base pair changes from GC to CG and from AT to TA; msh3 mutants also accumulated homology-mediated duplication and deletion mutations. The mutation spectrum of mlh3 mutants paralleled that of msh3 mutants, suggesting that the Mlh1-Mlh3 heterodimer may also play a role in the repair of base-base mispairs and in the suppression of homology-mediated duplication and deletion mutations. Mispair binding analysis with purified Msh2-Msh3 and DNA substrates derived from CAN1 sequences found to be mutated in vivo demonstrated that Msh2-Msh3 exhibited robust binding to specific base-base mispairs that was consistent with functional mispair binding.

  11. Ethanol production from xylose by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing protein-engineered NADH-preferring xylose reductase from Pichia stipitis.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Seiya; Abu Saleh, Ahmed; Pack, Seung Pil; Annaluru, Narayana; Kodaki, Tsutomu; Makino, Keisuke

    2007-09-01

    A recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain transformed with xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) genes from Pichia stipitis (PsXR and PsXDH, respectively) has the ability to convert xylose to ethanol together with the unfavourable excretion of xylitol, which may be due to intercellular redox imbalance caused by the different coenzyme specificity between NADPH-preferring XR and NAD(+)-dependent XDH. In this study, we focused on the effect(s) of mutated NADH-preferring PsXR in fermentation. The R276H and K270R/N272D mutants were improved 52- and 146-fold, respectively, in the ratio of NADH/NADPH in catalytic efficiency [(k(cat)/K(m) with NADH)/(k(cat)/K(m) with NADPH)] compared with the wild-type (WT), which was due to decrease of k(cat) with NADPH in the R276H mutant and increase of K(m) with NADPH in the K270R/N272D mutant. Furthermore, R276H mutation led to significant thermostabilization in PsXR. The most positive effect on xylose fermentation to ethanol was found by using the Y-R276H strain, expressing PsXR R276H mutant and PsXDH WT: 20 % increase of ethanol production and 52 % decrease of xylitol excretion, compared with the Y-WT strain expressing PsXR WT and PsXDH WT. Measurement of intracellular coenzyme concentrations suggested that maintenance of the of NADPH/NADP(+) and NADH/NAD(+) ratios is important for efficient ethanol fermentation from xylose by recombinant S. cerevisiae.

  12. The neglected nano-specific toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Weicheng; Bao, Shaopan; Fang, Tao

    2016-01-01

    Nanoparticles (NPs) with unique physicochemical properties induce nano-specific (excess) toxicity in organisms compared with their bulk counterparts. Evaluation and consideration of nano-specific toxicity are meaningful for the safe design and environmental risk assessment of NPs. However, ZnO NPs have been reported to lack excess toxicity for diverse organisms. In the present study, the nano-specific toxicity of ZnO NPs was evaluated in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nano-specific toxicity of ZnO NPs was not observed in the wild type yeast. However, the ZnO NPs induced very similar nano-specific toxicities in the three mutants with comparable log Te (particle) values (0.64 vs 0.65 vs 0.62), suggesting that the mutants were more sensitive and specific for the NPs’ nano-specific toxicity. The toxic effects in the yeast were slightly attributable to dissolved zinc ions from the ZnO (nano or bulk) particles. Oxidative damage and mechanical damage contributed to the toxic effect of the ZnO particles. The mechanism of mechanical damage is proposed to be an inherent characteristic underlying the nano-specific toxicity in the mutants. The log Te (particle) was a useful parameter for evaluation of NPs nano-specific toxicity, whereas log Te (ion) efficiently determined the NPs toxicity associated with released ions. PMID:27094203

  13. The neglected nano-specific toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Weicheng; Bao, Shaopan; Fang, Tao

    2016-04-01

    Nanoparticles (NPs) with unique physicochemical properties induce nano-specific (excess) toxicity in organisms compared with their bulk counterparts. Evaluation and consideration of nano-specific toxicity are meaningful for the safe design and environmental risk assessment of NPs. However, ZnO NPs have been reported to lack excess toxicity for diverse organisms. In the present study, the nano-specific toxicity of ZnO NPs was evaluated in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nano-specific toxicity of ZnO NPs was not observed in the wild type yeast. However, the ZnO NPs induced very similar nano-specific toxicities in the three mutants with comparable log Te (particle) values (0.64 vs 0.65 vs 0.62), suggesting that the mutants were more sensitive and specific for the NPs’ nano-specific toxicity. The toxic effects in the yeast were slightly attributable to dissolved zinc ions from the ZnO (nano or bulk) particles. Oxidative damage and mechanical damage contributed to the toxic effect of the ZnO particles. The mechanism of mechanical damage is proposed to be an inherent characteristic underlying the nano-specific toxicity in the mutants. The log Te (particle) was a useful parameter for evaluation of NPs nano-specific toxicity, whereas log Te (ion) efficiently determined the NPs toxicity associated with released ions.

  14. The neglected nano-specific toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Weicheng; Bao, Shaopan; Fang, Tao

    2016-04-20

    Nanoparticles (NPs) with unique physicochemical properties induce nano-specific (excess) toxicity in organisms compared with their bulk counterparts. Evaluation and consideration of nano-specific toxicity are meaningful for the safe design and environmental risk assessment of NPs. However, ZnO NPs have been reported to lack excess toxicity for diverse organisms. In the present study, the nano-specific toxicity of ZnO NPs was evaluated in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nano-specific toxicity of ZnO NPs was not observed in the wild type yeast. However, the ZnO NPs induced very similar nano-specific toxicities in the three mutants with comparable log Te ((particle)) values (0.64 vs 0.65 vs 0.62), suggesting that the mutants were more sensitive and specific for the NPs' nano-specific toxicity. The toxic effects in the yeast were slightly attributable to dissolved zinc ions from the ZnO (nano or bulk) particles. Oxidative damage and mechanical damage contributed to the toxic effect of the ZnO particles. The mechanism of mechanical damage is proposed to be an inherent characteristic underlying the nano-specific toxicity in the mutants. The log Te ((particle)) was a useful parameter for evaluation of NPs nano-specific toxicity, whereas log Te ((ion)) efficiently determined the NPs toxicity associated with released ions.

  15. Internalization of Heterologous Sugar Transporters by Endogenous α-Arrestins in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Sen, Arpita; Acosta-Sampson, Ligia; Alvaro, Christopher G; Ahn, Jonathan S; Cate, Jamie H D; Thorner, Jeremy

    2016-12-15

    When expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using either of two constitutive yeast promoters (PGK1 prom and CCW12 prom ), the transporters CDT-1 and CDT-2 from the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa are able to catalyze, respectively, active transport and facilitated diffusion of cellobiose (and, for CDT-2, also xylan and its derivatives). In S. cerevisiae, endogenous permeases are removed from the plasma membrane by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and are marked for internalization through ubiquitinylation catalyzed by Rsp5, a HECT class ubiquitin:protein ligase (E3). Recruitment of Rsp5 to specific targets is mediated by a 14-member family of endocytic adaptor proteins, termed α-arrestins. Here we demonstrate that CDT-1 and CDT-2 are subject to α-arrestin-mediated endocytosis, that four α-arrestins (Rod1, Rog3, Aly1, and Aly2) are primarily responsible for this internalization, that the presence of the transport substrate promotes transporter endocytosis, and that, at least for CDT-2, residues located in its C-terminal cytosolic domain are necessary for its efficient endocytosis. Both α-arrestin-deficient cells expressing CDT-2 and otherwise wild-type cells expressing CDT-2 mutants unresponsive to α-arrestin-driven internalization exhibit an increased level of plasma membrane-localized transporter compared to that of wild-type cells, and they grow, utilize the transport substrate, and generate ethanol anaerobically better than control cells. Ethanolic fermentation of the breakdown products of plant biomass by budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae remains an attractive biofuel source. To achieve this end, genes for heterologous sugar transporters and the requisite enzyme(s) for subsequent metabolism have been successfully expressed in this yeast. For one of the heterologous transporters examined in this study, we found that the amount of this protein residing in the plasma membrane was the rate-limiting factor for utilization of the cognate carbon source

  16. Impact of Homologous Resistance Mutations from Pathogenic Yeast on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Lanosterol 14α-Demethylase.

    PubMed

    Sagatova, Alia A; Keniya, Mikhail V; Tyndall, Joel D A; Monk, Brian C

    2018-03-01

    Fungal infections frequently affect immunodeficient individuals and are estimated to kill 1.35 million people per annum. Azole antifungals target the membrane-bound cytochrome P450 monooxygenase lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51; Erg11p). Mutations in CYP51 can render the widely used triazole drugs less effective. The Candida albicans CYP51 mutation G464S and the double mutation Y132F G464S (Y140F and G464S by Saccharomyces cerevisiae numbering) as well as the CYP51A G54E/R/W mutations of Aspergillus fumigatus (G73E/R/W by S. cerevisiae numbering) have been reproduced in a recombinant C-terminal hexahistidine-tagged version of S. cerevisiae CYP51 (ScErg11p6×His). Phenotypes and X-ray crystal structures were determined for the mutant enzymes. Liquid microdilution assays showed that the G464S mutation in ScErg11p6×His conferred no difference in the susceptibility of yeast to triazole drugs but in combination with the Y140F mutation gave a 4-fold reduction in susceptibility to the short-tailed triazole fluconazole. The ScErg11p6×His Y140F G464S mutant was unstable during purification and was not crystallized. The ScErg11p6×His G73E/R/W mutations conferred increased susceptibly to all triazoles tested in liquid microdilution assays. High-resolution X-ray crystal structures reveal two different conformations of the ligand itraconazole, including a previously unseen conformation, as well as interactions between the tail of this triazole and the E/W73 residue. This study shows that S. cerevisiae CYP51 adequately represents some but not all mutations in CYP51s of pathogenic fungi. Insight into the molecular mechanisms of resistance mutations in CYP51 will assist the development of inhibitors that will overcome antifungal resistance. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  17. A Member of the Sugar Transporter Family, Stl1p Is the Glycerol/H+ Symporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Ferreira, Célia; van Voorst, Frank; Martins, António; Neves, Luisa; Oliveira, Rui; Kielland-Brandt, Morten C.; Lucas, Cândida; Brandt, Anders

    2005-01-01

    Glycerol and other polyols are used as osmoprotectants by many organisms. Several yeasts and other fungi can take up glycerol by proton symport. To identify genes involved in active glycerol uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae we screened a deletion mutant collection comprising 321 genes encoding proteins with 6 or more predicted transmembrane domains for impaired growth on glycerol medium. Deletion of STL1, which encodes a member of the sugar transporter family, eliminates active glycerol transport. Stl1p is present in the plasma membrane in S. cerevisiae during conditions where glycerol symport is functional. Both the Stl1 protein and the active glycerol transport are subject to glucose-induced inactivation, following identical patterns. Furthermore, the Stl1 protein and the glycerol symporter activity are strongly but transiently induced when cells are subjected to osmotic shock. STL1 was heterologously expressed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a yeast that does not contain its own active glycerol transport system. In S. pombe, STL1 conferred the ability to take up glycerol against a concentration gradient in a proton motive force-dependent manner. We conclude that the glycerol proton symporter in S. cerevisiae is encoded by STL1. PMID:15703210

  18. The resistance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the biocide polyhexamethylene biguanide: involvement of cell wall integrity pathway and emerging role for YAP1.

    PubMed

    Elsztein, Carolina; de Lucena, Rodrigo M; de Morais, Marcos A

    2011-08-19

    Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) is an antiseptic polymer that is mainly used for cleaning hospitals and pools and combating Acantamoeba infection. Its fungicide activity was recently shown by its lethal effect on yeasts that contaminate the industrial ethanol process, and on the PE-2 strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the main fermenting yeasts in Brazil. This pointed to the need to know the molecular mechanism that lay behind the cell resistance to this compound. In this study, we examined the factors involved in PHMB-cell interaction and the mechanisms that respond to the damage caused by this interaction. To achieve this, two research strategies were employed: the expression of some genes by RT-qPCR and the analysis of mutant strains. Cell Wall integrity (CWI) genes were induced in the PHMB-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain JP-1, although they are poorly expressed in the PHMB-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae PE2 strain. This suggested that PHMB damages the glucan structure on the yeast cell wall. It was also confirmed by the observed sensitivity of the yeast deletion strains, Δslg1, Δrom2, Δmkk2, Δslt2, Δknr4, Δswi4 and Δswi4, which showed that the protein kinase C (PKC) regulatory mechanism is involved in the response and resistance to PHMB. The sensitivity of the Δhog1 mutant was also observed. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity assay and gene expression analysis showed that the part played by YAP1 and CTT1 genes in cell resistance to PHMB is unrelated to oxidative stress response. Thus, we suggested that Yap1p can play a role in cell wall maintenance by controlling the expression of the CWI genes. The PHMB treatment of the yeast cells activates the PKC1/Slt2 (CWI) pathway. In addition, it is suggested that HOG1 and YAP1 can play a role in the regulation of CWI genes.

  19. The resistance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the biocide polyhexamethylene biguanide: involvement of cell wall integrity pathway and emerging role for YAP1

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) is an antiseptic polymer that is mainly used for cleaning hospitals and pools and combating Acantamoeba infection. Its fungicide activity was recently shown by its lethal effect on yeasts that contaminate the industrial ethanol process, and on the PE-2 strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the main fermenting yeasts in Brazil. This pointed to the need to know the molecular mechanism that lay behind the cell resistance to this compound. In this study, we examined the factors involved in PHMB-cell interaction and the mechanisms that respond to the damage caused by this interaction. To achieve this, two research strategies were employed: the expression of some genes by RT-qPCR and the analysis of mutant strains. Results Cell Wall integrity (CWI) genes were induced in the PHMB-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain JP-1, although they are poorly expressed in the PHMB-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae PE2 strain. This suggested that PHMB damages the glucan structure on the yeast cell wall. It was also confirmed by the observed sensitivity of the yeast deletion strains, Δslg1, Δrom2, Δmkk2, Δslt2, Δknr4, Δswi4 and Δswi4, which showed that the protein kinase C (PKC) regulatory mechanism is involved in the response and resistance to PHMB. The sensitivity of the Δhog1 mutant was also observed. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity assay and gene expression analysis showed that the part played by YAP1 and CTT1 genes in cell resistance to PHMB is unrelated to oxidative stress response. Thus, we suggested that Yap1p can play a role in cell wall maintenance by controlling the expression of the CWI genes. Conclusion The PHMB treatment of the yeast cells activates the PKC1/Slt2 (CWI) pathway. In addition, it is suggested that HOG1 and YAP1 can play a role in the regulation of CWI genes. PMID:21854579

  20. High hydrostatic pressure and the cell membrane: stress response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Bravim, Fernanda; de Freitas, Jéssica M; Fernandes, A Alberto R; Fernandes, Patricia M B

    2010-02-01

    The brewing and baking yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a useful eukaryotic model of stress response systems whose study could lead to the understanding of stress response mechanisms in other organisms. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) exerts broad effects upon yeast cells, interfering with cell membranes, cellular architecture, and the processes of polymerization and denaturation of proteins. In this review, we focus on the effect of HHP on the S. cerevisiae cell membrane and describe the main signaling pathways involved in the pressure response.

  1. Determination of antioxidant activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa and Croton caudatus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae model system.

    PubMed

    Subhaswaraj, Pattnaik; Sowmya, M; Bhavana, V; Dyavaiah, Madhu; Siddhardha, Busi

    2017-08-01

    From ancient times, plants and plant derived products are exploited as a prominent source of folkloric medicines with tremendous therapeutic potential for an array of health disorders. In the present study, ethanolic leaf extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa and Croton caudatus were evaluated for free radical scavenging activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae model system. H. sabdariffa and C. caudatus showed tremendous DPPH free radical scavenging potential with an IC 50 value of 184.88 and 305.39 µg/mL respectively at a concentration of 500 µg/mL. The ethanolic leaf extract of H. sabdariffa and C. caudatus also showed significant hydoxyl radical scavenging and total antioxidant activity. Ascorbic acid was used as positive control. The in vitro antioxidant activity was further supported by in vivo studies using radical scavenging mechanism in S. cerevisiae wild type and its isogenic deletion strains sod1∆ and tsa1∆ . The mutant yeast cells substantially scavenged the stress generated by H 2 O 2 when supplemented with ethanolic leaf extract of H. sabdariffa and C. caudatus as evident from spot assays followed by fluorescence assay (DCF-DA) using fluorescence microscopic and intensity studies. H. sabdariffa and C.caudatus significantly neutralize the ROS level in yeast mutants with concomitant decrease in fluorescence intensity as compared to the untreated yeast cells. The results suggested the efficacy of H. sabdariffa and C. caudatus as potent antioxidants in yeast system and thus their futuristic applications in therapeutics.

  2. [Saccharomyces cerevisiae invasive infection: The first reported case in Morocco].

    PubMed

    Maleb, A; Sebbar, E; Frikh, M; Boubker, S; Moussaoui, A; El Mekkaoui, A; Khannoussi, W; Kharrasse, G; Belefquih, B; Lemnouer, A; Ismaili, Z; Elouennass, M

    2017-06-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a cosmopolitan yeast, widely used in agro-alimentary and pharmaceutical industry. Its impact in human pathology is rare, but maybe still underestimated compared to the real situation. This yeast is currently considered as an emerging and opportunistic pathogen. Risk factors are immunosuppression and intravascular device carrying. Fungemias are the most frequent clinical forms. We report the first case of S. cerevisiae invasive infection described in Morocco, and to propose a review of the literature cases of S. cerevisiae infections described worldwide. A 77-year-old patient, with no notable medical history, who was hospitalized for a upper gastrointestinal stenosis secondary to impassable metastatic gastric tumor. Its history was marked by the onset of septic shock, with S. cerevisiae in his urine and in his blood, with arguments for confirmation of invasion: the presence of several risk factors in the patient, positive direct microbiological examination, abundant and exclusive culture of S. cerevisiae from clinical samples. Species identification was confirmed by the study of biochemical characteristics of the isolated yeast. Confirmation of S. cerevisiae infection requires a clinical suspicion in patients with risk factors, but also a correct microbiological diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  3. NuA4 Lysine Acetyltransferase Complex Contributes to Phospholipid Homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Dacquay, Louis; Flint, Annika; Butcher, James; Salem, Danny; Kennedy, Michael; Kaern, Mads; Stintzi, Alain; Baetz, Kristin

    2017-06-07

    Actively proliferating cells constantly monitor and readjust their metabolic pathways to ensure the replenishment of phospholipids necessary for membrane biogenesis and intracellular trafficking. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae , multiple studies have suggested that the lysine acetyltransferase complex NuA4 plays a role in phospholipid homeostasis. For one, NuA4 mutants induce the expression of the inositol-3-phosphate synthase gene, INO1 , which leads to excessive accumulation of inositol, a key metabolite used for phospholipid biosynthesis. Additionally, NuA4 mutants also display negative genetic interactions with sec14-1 ts , a mutant of a lipid-binding gene responsible for phospholipid remodeling of the Golgi. Here, using a combination of genetics and transcriptional profiling, we explore the connections between NuA4, inositol, and Sec14 Surprisingly, we found that NuA4 mutants did not suppress but rather exacerbated the growth defects of sec14-1 ts under inositol-depleted conditions. Transcriptome studies reveal that while loss of the NuA4 subunit EAF1 in sec14-1 ts does derepress INO1 expression, it does not derepress all inositol/choline-responsive phospholipid genes, suggesting that the impact of Eaf1 on phospholipid homeostasis extends beyond inositol biosynthesis. In fact, we find that NuA4 mutants have impaired lipid droplet levels and through genetic and chemical approaches, we determine that the genetic interaction between sec14-1 ts and NuA4 mutants potentially reflects a role for NuA4 in fatty acid biosynthesis. Altogether, our work identifies a new role for NuA4 in phospholipid homeostasis. Copyright © 2017 Dacquay et al.

  4. The Cytochrome b5 dependent C-5(6) sterol desaturase DES5A from the endoplasmic reticulum of Tetrahymena thermophila complements ergosterol biosynthesis mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Poklepovich, Tomas J.; Rinaldi, Mauro A.; Tomazic, Mariela L.; Favale, Nicolas O.; Turkewitz, Aaron P.; Nudel, Clara B.; Nusblat, Alejandro D.

    2012-01-01

    Tetrahymena thermophila is a free-living ciliate with no exogenous sterol requirement. However, it can perform several modifications on externally added sterols including desaturation at C5(6), C7(8), and C22(23). Sterol desaturases in Tetrahymena are microsomal enzymes that require Cyt b5, Cyt b5 reductase, oxygen, and reduced NAD(P)H for their activity, and some of the genes encoding these functions have recently been identified. The DES5A gene encodes a C-5(6) sterol desaturase, as shown by gene knockout in Tetrahymena. To confirm and extend that result, and to develop new approaches to gene characterization in Tetrahymena, we have now, expressed DES5A in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The DES5A gene was codon optimized and expressed in a yeast mutant, erg3Δ, which is disrupted for the gene encoding the S. cerevisiae C-5(6) sterol desaturase ERG3. The complemented strain was able to accumulate 74% of the wild type level of ergosterol, and also lost the hypersensitivity to cycloheximide associated with the lack of ERG3 function. C-5(6) sterol desaturases are expected to function at the endoplasmic reticulum. Consistent with this, a GFP-tagged copy of Des5Ap was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum in both Tetrahymena and yeast. This work shows for the first time that both function and localization are conserved for a microsomal enzyme between ciliates and fungi, notwithstanding the enormous evolutionary distance between these lineages. The results suggest that heterologous expression of ciliate genes in S. cerevisiae provides a useful tool for the characterization of genes in Tetrahymena, including genes encoding membrane protein complexes. PMID:22982564

  5. The N-terminal DNA-binding domain of Rad52 promotes RAD51-independent recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Tsukamoto, Mariko; Yamashita, Kentaro; Miyazaki, Toshiko; Shinohara, Miki; Shinohara, Akira

    2003-01-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Rad52 protein plays a role in both RAD51-dependent and RAD51-independent recombination pathways. We characterized a rad52 mutant, rad52-329, which lacks the C-terminal Rad51-interacting domain, and studied its role in RAD51-independent recombination. The rad52-329 mutant is completely defective in mating-type switching, but partially proficient in recombination between inverted repeats. We also analyzed the effect of the rad52-329 mutant on telomere recombination. Yeast cells lacking telomerase maintain telomere length by recombination. The rad52-329 mutant is deficient in RAD51-dependent telomere recombination, but is proficient in RAD51-independent telomere recombination. In addition, we examined the roles of other recombination genes in the telomere recombination. The RAD51-independent recombination in the rad52-329 mutant is promoted by a paralogue of Rad52, Rad59. All components of the Rad50-Mre11-Xrs2 complex are also important, but not essential, for RAD51-independent telomere recombination. Interestingly, RAD51 inhibits the RAD51-independent, RAD52-dependent telomere recombination. These findings indicate that Rad52 itself, and more precisely its N-terminal DNA-binding domain, promote an essential reaction in recombination in the absence of RAD51. PMID:14704160

  6. Enzymatic improvement of mitochondrial thiol oxidase Erv1 for oxidized glutathione fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Jyumpei; Sasaki, Daisuke; Hara, Kiyotaka Y; Hasunuma, Tomohisa; Kondo, Akihiko

    2017-03-15

    Oxidized glutathione (GSSG) is the preferred form for industrial mass production of glutathione due to its high stability compared with reduced glutathione (GSH). In our previous study, over-expression of the mitochondrial thiol oxidase ERV1 gene was the most effective for high GSSG production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells among three types of different thiol oxidase genes. We improved Erv1 enzyme activity for oxidation of GSH and revealed that S32 and N34 residues are critical for the oxidation. Five engineered Erv1 variant proteins containing S32 and/or N34 replacements exhibited 1.7- to 2.4-fold higher in vitro GSH oxidation activity than that of parental Erv1, whereas the oxidation activities of these variants for γ-glutamylcysteine were comparable. According to three-dimensional structures of Erv1 and protein stability assays, S32 and N34 residues interact with nearby residues through hydrogen bonding and greatly contribute to protein stability. These results suggest that increased flexibility by amino acid replacements around the active center decrease inhibitory effects on GSH oxidation. Over-expressions of mutant genes coding these Erv1 variants also increased GSSG and consequently total glutathione production in S. cerevisiae cells. Over-expression of the ERV1 S32A gene was the most effective for GSSG production in S. cerevisiae cells among the parent and other mutant genes, and it increased GSSG production about 1.5-fold compared to that of the parental ERV1 gene. This is the first study demonstrating the pivotal effects of S32 and N34 residues to high GSH oxidation activity of Erv1. Furthermore, in vivo validity of Erv1 variants containing these S32 and N34 replacements were also demonstrated. This study indicates potentials of Erv1 for high GSSG production.

  7. Transcriptional Regulatory Networks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Tong Ihn; Rinaldi, Nicola J.; Robert, François; Odom, Duncan T.; Bar-Joseph, Ziv; Gerber, Georg K.; Hannett, Nancy M.; Harbison, Christopher T.; Thompson, Craig M.; Simon, Itamar; Zeitlinger, Julia; Jennings, Ezra G.; Murray, Heather L.; Gordon, D. Benjamin; Ren, Bing; Wyrick, John J.; Tagne, Jean-Bosco; Volkert, Thomas L.; Fraenkel, Ernest; Gifford, David K.; Young, Richard A.

    2002-10-01

    We have determined how most of the transcriptional regulators encoded in the eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae associate with genes across the genome in living cells. Just as maps of metabolic networks describe the potential pathways that may be used by a cell to accomplish metabolic processes, this network of regulator-gene interactions describes potential pathways yeast cells can use to regulate global gene expression programs. We use this information to identify network motifs, the simplest units of network architecture, and demonstrate that an automated process can use motifs to assemble a transcriptional regulatory network structure. Our results reveal that eukaryotic cellular functions are highly connected through networks of transcriptional regulators that regulate other transcriptional regulators.

  8. Important role of catalase in the cellular response of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae exposed to ionizing radiation.

    PubMed

    Nishimoto, Takuto; Furuta, Masakazu; Kataoka, Michihiko; Kishida, Masao

    2015-03-01

    Ionizing radiation indirectly causes oxidative stress in cells via reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydroxyl radicals (OH(-)) generated by the radiolysis of water. We investigated how the catalase function was affected by ionizing radiation and analyzed the phenotype of mutants with a disrupted catalase gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae exposed to radiation. The wild-type yeast strain and isogenic mutants with disrupted catalase genes were exposed to various doses of (60)Co gamma-rays. There was no difference between the wild-type strain and the cta1 disruption mutant following exposure to gamma-ray irradiation. In contrast, there was a significant decrease in the ctt1 disruption mutant, suggesting that this strain exhibited decreased survival on gamma-ray exposure compared with other strains. In all three strains, stationary phase cells were more tolerant to the exposure of gamma-rays than exponential phase cells, whereas the catalase activity in the wild-type strain and cta1 disruption mutant was higher in the stationary phase than in the exponential phase. These data suggest a correlation between catalase activity and survival following gamma-ray exposure. However, this correlation was not clear in the ctt1 disruption mutant, suggesting that other factors are involved in the tolerance to ROS induced by irradiation.

  9. Bioconversion of lignocellulose-derived sugars to ethanol by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Madhavan, Anjali; Srivastava, Aradhana; Kondo, Akihiko; Bisaria, Virendra S

    2012-03-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural and agro-industrial residues represents one of the most important renewable resources that can be utilized for the biological production of ethanol. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used for the commercial production of bioethanol from sucrose or starch-derived glucose. While glucose and other hexose sugars like galactose and mannose can be fermented to ethanol by S. cerevisiae, the major pentose sugars D-xylose and L-arabinose remain unutilized. Nevertheless, D-xylulose, the keto isomer of xylose, can be fermented slowly by the yeast and thus, the incorporation of functional routes for the conversion of xylose and arabinose to xylulose or xylulose-5-phosphate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can help to improve the ethanol productivity and make the fermentation process more cost-effective. Other crucial bottlenecks in pentose fermentation include low activity of the pentose phosphate pathway enzymes and competitive inhibition of xylose and arabinose transport into the cell cytoplasm by glucose and other hexose sugars. Along with a brief introduction of the pretreatment of lignocellulose and detoxification of the hydrolysate, this review provides an updated overview of (a) the key steps involved in the uptake and metabolism of the hexose sugars: glucose, galactose, and mannose, together with the pentose sugars: xylose and arabinose, (b) various factors that play a major role in the efficient fermentation of pentose sugars along with hexose sugars, and (c) the approaches used to overcome the metabolic constraints in the production of bioethanol from lignocellulose-derived sugars by developing recombinant S. cerevisiae strains.

  10. Nuclear and mitochondrial genome instability induced by senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) aqueous extract in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

    PubMed

    Silva, C R; Caldeira-de-Araújo, A; Leitão, A C; Pádula, M

    2014-11-27

    Cassia angustifolia Vahl. (senna) is commonly used in self-medication and is frequently used to treat intestine constipation. A previous study involving bacteria and plasmid DNA suggested the possible toxicity of the aqueous extract of senna (SAE). The aim of this study was to extend the knowledge concerning SAE genotoxicity mechanisms because of its widespread use and its risks to human health. We investigated the impact of SAE on nuclear DNA and on the stability of mitochondrial DNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (wt, ogg1, msh6, and ogg1msh6) strains, monitoring the formation of petite mutants. Our results demonstrated that SAE specifically increased Can(R) mutagenesis only in the msh6 mutant, supporting the view that SAE can induce misincorporation errors in DNA. We observed a significant increase in the frequency of petite colonies in all studied strains. Our data indicate that SAE has genotoxic activity towards both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA.

  11. A genetic overhaul of Saccharomyces cerevisiae 424A(LNH-ST) to improve xylose fermentation.

    PubMed

    Bera, Aloke K; Ho, Nancy W Y; Khan, Aftab; Sedlak, Miroslav

    2011-05-01

    Robust microorganisms are necessary for economical bioethanol production. However, such organisms must be able to effectively ferment both hexose and pentose sugars present in lignocellulosic hydrolysate to ethanol. Wild type Saccharomyces cerevisiae can rapidly ferment hexose, but cannot ferment pentose sugars. Considerable efforts were made to genetically engineer S. cerevisiae to ferment xylose. Our genetically engineered S cerevisiae yeast, 424A(LNH-ST), expresses NADPH/NADH xylose reductase (XR) that prefer NADPH and NAD(+)-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase (XD) from Pichia stipitis, and overexpresses endogenous xylulokinase (XK). This strain is able to ferment glucose and xylose, as well as other hexose sugars, to ethanol. However, the preference for different cofactors by XR and XD might lead to redox imbalance, xylitol excretion, and thus might reduce ethanol yield and productivity. In the present study, genes responsible for the conversion of xylose to xylulose with different cofactor specificity (1) XR from N. crassa (NADPH-dependent) and C. parapsilosis (NADH-dependent), and (2) mutant XD from P. stipitis (containing three mutations D207A/I208R/F209S) were overexpressed in wild type yeast. To increase the NADPH pool, the fungal GAPDH enzyme from Kluyveromyces lactis was overexpressed in the 424A(LNH-ST) strain. Four pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) genes, TKL1, TAL1, RKI1 and RPE1 from S. cerevisiae, were also overexpressed in 424A(LNH-ST). Overexpression of GAPDH lowered xylitol production by more than 40%. However, other strains carrying different combinations of XR and XD, as well as new strains containing the overexpressed PPP genes, did not yield any significant improvement in xylose fermentation.

  12. The uptake of different iron salts by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Gaensly, Fernanda; Picheth, Geraldo; Brand, Debora; Bonfim, Tania M.B.

    2014-01-01

    Yeasts can be enriched with microelements, including iron; however, special physicochemical conditions are required to formulate a culture media that promotes both yeast growth and iron uptake. Different iron sources do not affect biomass formation; however, considering efficacy, cost, stability, and compatibility with Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism, ferrous sulphate is recommended. PMID:25242932

  13. PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF THE P450 LANOSTEROL DEMETHYLASE GENE FROM SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

    EPA Science Inventory

    We have sequenced the structural gene and flanking regions for lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase (14DM) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An open reading frame of 530 codons encodes a 60.7-kDa protein. When this gene is disrupted by integrative transformation, the resulting strain req...

  14. New mutations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that partially relieve both glucose and galactose repression activate the protein kinase Snf1.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez, Cristina; Sanz, Pascual; Gancedo, Carlos

    2003-03-01

    We isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae two mutants, esc1-1 and ESC3-1, in which genes FBP1, ICL1 or GDH2 were partially derepressed during growth in glucose or galactose. The isolation was done starting with a triple mutant pyc1 pyc2 mth1 unable to grow in glucose-ammonium medium and selecting for mutants able to grow in the non-permissive medium. HXT1 and HXT2 which encode glucose transporters were expressed at high glucose concentrations in both esc1-1 and ESC3-1 mutants, while derepression of invertase at low glucose concentrations was impaired. REG1, cloned as a suppressor of ESC3-1, was not allelic to ESC3-1. Two-hybrid analysis showed an increased interaction of the protein kinase Snf1 with Snf4 in the ESC3-1 mutant; this was not due to mutations in SNF1 or SNF4. ESC3-1 did not bypass the requirement of Snf1 for derepression. We hypothesize that ESC3-1 either facilitates activation of Snf1 or interferes with its glucose-dependent inactivation.

  15. Enological characterization of Spanish Saccharomyces kudriavzevii strains, one of the closest relatives to parental strains of winemaking and brewing Saccharomyces cerevisiae × S. kudriavzevii hybrids.

    PubMed

    Peris, D; Pérez-Través, L; Belloch, C; Querol, A

    2016-02-01

    Wine fermentation and innovation have focused mostly on Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. However, recent studies have shown that other Saccharomyces species can also be involved in wine fermentation or are useful for wine bouquet, such as Saccharomyces uvarum and Saccharomyces paradoxus. Many interspecies hybrids have also been isolated from wine fermentation, such as S. cerevisiae × Saccharomyces kudriavzevii hybrids. In this study, we explored the genetic diversity and fermentation performance of Spanish S. kudriavzevii strains, which we compared to other S. kudriavzevii strains. Fermentations of red and white grape musts were performed, and the phenotypic differences between Spanish S. kudriavzevii strains under different temperature conditions were examined. An ANOVA analysis suggested striking similarity between strains for glycerol and ethanol production, although a high diversity of aromatic profiles among fermentations was found. The sources of these phenotypic differences are not well understood and require further investigation. Although the Spanish S. kudriavzevii strains showed desirable properties, particularly must fermentations, the quality of their wines was no better than those produced with a commercial S. cerevisiae. We suggest hybridization or directed evolution as methods to improve and innovate wine. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Mutagenesis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by sodium azide activated in barley.

    PubMed

    Velemínský, J; Silhánková, L; Smiovská, V; Gichner, T

    1979-07-01

    Concentrated dialysate of the extract prepared from barley seeds treated with sodium azide increased up to 100--200 times the frequency of forward mutations to cycloheximide resistance in the excision-deficient UV-sensitive heploid strain rad2-5 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, when applied to growing cells in complete medium at pH 4.2. Only a slight increase of mutation frequency (less than 4 times) was found in the haploid RAD+ strain treated in the same way as well as in haploid RAD+ and rad2-5 strains treated directly by sodium azide. In contrast with the barley-activated sodium azide, UV irradiation was more effective in the induction of cycloheximide resistance in the RAD+ strain than in the RAD2-5 mutant. The dialysate from azide-treated barley seeds, applied at both pH 4.2 and pH 9, also significantly increased the frequency of locus-specific suppressor mutations to isoleucine independence and -- to a lesser extent -- reversions and/or gene conversions in the trp5 locus in growing cells of the diploid strain D7. The dialysate was also mutagenic in resting cells of strains D7 and rad2-5 but with lower effectiveness.

  17. Four subunits that are shared by the three classes of RNA polymerase are functionally interchangeable between Homo sapiens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Shpakovski, G V; Acker, J; Wintzerith, M; Lacroix, J F; Thuriaux, P; Vigneron, M

    1995-01-01

    Four cDNAs encoding human polypeptides hRPB7.0, hRPB7.6, hRPB17, and hRPB14.4 (referred to as Hs10 alpha, Hs10 beta, Hs8, and Hs6, respectively), homologous to the ABC10 alpha, ABC10 beta, ABC14.5, and ABC23 RNA polymerase subunits (referred to as Sc10 alpha, Sc10 beta, Sc8, and Sc6, respectively) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were cloned and characterized for their ability to complement defective yeast mutants. Hs10 alpha and the corresponding Sp10 alpha of Schizosaccharomyces pombe can complement an S. cerevisiae mutant (rpc10-delta::HIS3) defective in Sc10 alpha. The peptide sequences are highly conserved in their carboxy-terminal halves, with an invariant motif CX2CX12RCX2CGXR corresponding to a canonical zinc-binding domain. Hs10 beta, Sc10 beta, and the N subunit of archaeal RNA polymerase are homologous. An invariant CX2CGXnCCR motif presumably forms an atypical zinc-binding domain. Hs10 beta, but not the archaeal subunit, complemented an S. cerevisiae mutant (rpb10-delta 1::HIS3) lacking Sc10 beta. Hs8 complemented a yeast mutant (rpb8-delta 1::LYS2) defective in the corresponding Sc8 subunit, although with a strong thermosensitive phenotype. Interspecific complementation also occurred with Hs6 and with the corresponding Dm6 cDNA of Drosophila melanogaster. Hs6 cDNA and the Sp6 cDNA of S. pombe are dosage-dependent suppressors of rpo21-4, a mutation generating a slowly growing yeast defective in the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. Finally, a doubly chimeric S. cerevisiae strain bearing the Sp6 cDNA and the human Hs10 beta cDNA was also viable. No interspecific complementation was observed for the human hRPB25 (Hs5) homolog of the yeast ABC27 (Sc5) subunit. PMID:7651387

  18. Overexpression of the active diacylglycerol acyltransferase variant transforms Saccharomyces cerevisiae into an oleaginous yeast.

    PubMed

    Kamisaka, Yasushi; Kimura, Kazuyoshi; Uemura, Hiroshi; Yamaoka, Masakazu

    2013-08-01

    Lipid production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae was improved by overexpression of the yeast diacylglycerol acyltransferase Dga1p lacking the N-terminal 29 amino acids (Dga1∆Np), which was previously found to be an active form in the ∆snf2 mutant. Overexpression of Dga1∆Np in the ∆snf2 mutant, however, did not increase lipid content as expected, which prompted us to search for a more suitable strain in which to study the role of Dga1∆Np in lipid accumulation. We found that the overexpression of Dga1∆Np in the ∆dga1 mutant effectively increased the lipid content up to about 45 % in the medium containing 10 % glucose. The high lipid content of the transformant was dependent on glucose concentration, nitrogen limitation, and active leucine biosynthesis. To better understand the effect of dga1 disruption on the ability of Dga1∆Np to stimulate lipid accumulation, the ∆dga1-1 mutant, in which the 3'-terminal 36 bp of the dga1 open reading frame (ORF) remained, and the ∆dga1-2 mutant, in which the 3'-terminal 36 bp were also deleted, were prepared with URA3 disruption cassettes. Surprisingly, the overexpression of Dga1∆Np in the ∆dga1-1 mutant had a lower lipid content than the original ∆dga1 mutant, whereas overexpression in the ∆dga1-2 mutant led to a high lipid content of about 45 %. These results indicated that deletion of the 3' terminal region of the dga1 ORF, rather than abrogation of genomic Dga1p expression, was crucial for the effect of Dga1∆Np on lipid accumulation. To investigate whether dga1 disruption affected gene expression adjacent to DGA1, we found that the overexpression of Esa1p together with Dga1∆Np in the ∆dga1 mutant reverted the lipid content to the level of the wild-type strain overexpressing Dga1∆Np. In addition, RT-qPCR analysis revealed that ESA1 mRNA expression in the ∆dga1 mutant was decreased compared to the wild-type strain at the early stages of culture, suggesting that lowered Esa1p expression is

  19. Investigation of the Best Saccharomyces cerevisiae Growth Condition.

    PubMed

    Salari, Roshanak; Salari, Rosita

    2017-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known as one of the useful yeasts which are utilized in baking and other industries. It can be easily cultured at an economic price. Today the introduction of safe and efficient carriers is being considered. Due to its generally round shape, and the volume that is enclosed by its membrane and cell wall, it is used to encapsulate active materials to protect them from degradation or to introduce a sustained release drug delivery system. Providing the best conditions in order to achieve the best morphological properties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a carrier. In this research, the most suitable growth condition of yeast cells which provides the best size for use as drug carriers was found by a bioreactor in a synthetic culture medium. Yeast cell reproduction and growth curves were obtained, based on pour plate colony counting data and UV/Visible sample absorption at 600 nm. Yeast cell growth patterns and growth rates were determined by Matlab mathematical software. Results showed that pH=4 and dissolving oxygen (DO) 5% was the best condition for yeast cells to grow and reproduce. This condition also provided the largest size (2 × 3 μ) yeast cells. Owing to the yeast cells' low-cost production and their structural characteristics, they could be used as potent drug carriers. This work was supported by a grant from the Vice Chancellor of Research of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

  20. PHO4 transcription factor regulates triacylglycerol metabolism under low-phosphate conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Kamlesh Kumar; Singh, Neelima; Rajasekharan, Ram

    2015-10-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, PHM8 encodes a phosphatase that catalyses the dephosphorylation of lysophosphatidic acids to monoacylglycerol and nucleotide monophosphate to nucleoside and releases free phosphate. In this report, we investigated the role of PHM8 in triacylglycerol metabolism and its transcriptional regulation by a phosphate responsive transcription factor Pho4p under low-phosphate conditions. We found that the wild-type (BY4741) cells accumulate triacylglycerol and the expression of PHM8 was high under low-phosphate conditions. Overexpression of PHM8 in the wild-type, phm8Δ and quadruple phosphatase mutant (pah1Δdpp1Δlpp1Δapp1Δ) caused an increase in the triacylglycerol levels. However, the introduction of the PHM8 deletion into the quadruple phosphatase mutant resulted in a reduction in triacylglycerol levels and LPA phosphatase activity. The transcriptional activator Pho4p binds to the PHM8 promoter under low-phosphate conditions, activating PHM8 expression, which leads to the formation of monoacylglycerol from LPA. The synthesized monoacylglycerol is acylated to diacylglycerol by Dga1p, which is further acylated to triacylglycerol by the same enzyme. © 2015 The Authors. Molecular Microbiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. A mutated ARO4 gene for feedback-resistant DAHP synthase which causes both o-fluoro-DL-phenylalanine resistance and beta-phenethyl-alcohol overproduction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Fukuda, K; Watanabe, M; Asano, K; Ouchi, K; Takasawa, S

    1991-12-01

    o-Fluoro-DL-phenylalanine (OFP)-resistant mutants which overproduce beta-phenethyl-alcohol were isolated from a laboratory strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cells of one of the mutants accumulated tyrosine and phenylalanine 1.5-3 fold more than did wild-type cells. Its 3-deoxy-D-arabino-hepturosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase (EC 4.1.2.15), encoded by ARO4, was free from feedback inhibition by tyrosine. Genetic analysis revealed that the mutation was controlled by a single dominant gene, ARO4-OFP, encoding feedback-resistant DAHP synthase by tyrosine, and that this gene caused both the OFP resistance and beta-phenethyl-alcohol overproduction. This was supported by molecular genetic studies using cloned ARO4 both from the wild-type and its mutant strain.

  2. Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals the Vacuolar pH-Stat of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Brett, Christopher L.; Kallay, Laura; Hua, Zhaolin; Green, Richard; Chyou, Anthony; Zhang, Yongqiang; Graham, Todd R.; Donowitz, Mark; Rao, Rajini

    2011-01-01

    Protons, the smallest and most ubiquitous of ions, are central to physiological processes. Transmembrane proton gradients drive ATP synthesis, metabolite transport, receptor recycling and vesicle trafficking, while compartmental pH controls enzyme function. Despite this fundamental importance, the mechanisms underlying pH homeostasis are not entirely accounted for in any organelle or organism. We undertook a genome-wide survey of vacuole pH (pHv) in 4,606 single-gene deletion mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under control, acid and alkali stress conditions to reveal the vacuolar pH-stat. Median pHv (5.27±0.13) was resistant to acid stress (5.28±0.14) but shifted significantly in response to alkali stress (5.83±0.13). Of 107 mutants that displayed aberrant pHv under more than one external pH condition, functional categories of transporters, membrane biogenesis and trafficking machinery were significantly enriched. Phospholipid flippases, encoded by the family of P4-type ATPases, emerged as pH regulators, as did the yeast ortholog of Niemann Pick Type C protein, implicated in sterol trafficking. An independent genetic screen revealed that correction of pHv dysregulation in a neo1ts mutant restored viability whereas cholesterol accumulation in human NPC1−/− fibroblasts diminished upon treatment with a proton ionophore. Furthermore, while it is established that lumenal pH affects trafficking, this study revealed a reciprocal link with many mutants defective in anterograde pathways being hyperacidic and retrograde pathway mutants with alkaline vacuoles. In these and other examples, pH perturbations emerge as a hitherto unrecognized phenotype that may contribute to the cellular basis of disease and offer potential therapeutic intervention through pH modulation. PMID:21423800

  3. Antioxidant Protection of Nobiletin, 5-Demethylnobiletin, Tangeretin, and 5-Demethyltangeretin from Citrus Peel in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Wang, Meiyan; Meng, Dan; Zhang, Peng; Wang, Xiangxing; Du, Gang; Brennan, Charles; Li, Shiming; Ho, Chi-Tang; Zhao, Hui

    2018-03-28

    Aging and oxidative-related events are closely associated with the oxidative damages induced by excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). The phytochemicals nobiletin (NBT) and tangeretin (TAN) and their 5-demethylated derivatives 5-demethylnobiletin (5-DN) and 5-demethyltangeretin (5-DT) are the representative polymethoxyflavone (PMF) compounds found in aged citrus peels. Although the health benefits from PMFs due to their antioxidant activities have been well documented, a systematic assessment regarding the antioxidation process of PMFs is still lacking attention. Herein, we investigated the effects of the four PMFs subjected to oxidative stress including hydrogen peroxide, carbon tetrachloride, and cadmium sulfate using an emerging model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As expected, all four of the PMFs exhibited improved cellular tolerance with decreasing lipid peroxidation and ROS. Furthermore, by using the mutant strains deficient in catalase, superoxide dismutase, or glutathione synthase, NBT, 5-DN, and TAN appear to contribute to the increased tolerance by activating cytosolic catalase under CCl 4 , while the antioxidant protection conferred by 5-DT against H 2 O 2 and CdSO 4 seems to require cytosolic catalase and glutathione, respectively. However, the involvement of Ctt1 and Sod1 is achieved neither by decreasing lipid peroxidation nor by scavenging intracellular ROS according to our results. In addition, a comparison of antioxidant capability of the four PMFs was conducted in this study. In general, this research tries to explore the antioxidant mechanism of PMFs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, hoping to provide an example for developing more efficacious dietary antioxidants to battle against oxidative- or age-related illness.

  4. Potassium supply and homeostasis in the osmotolerant non-conventional yeasts Zygosaccharomyces rouxii differ from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Stříbný, Jiří; Kinclová-Zimmermannová, Olga; Sychrová, Hana

    2012-12-01

    Three different transport systems exist to accumulate a sufficient amount of potassium cations in yeasts. The most common of these are Trk-type transporters, which are used by all yeast species. Though most yeast species employ two different types of transporters, we only identified one gene encoding a potassium uptake system (Trk-type) in the genome of the highly osmotolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, and our results showed that ZrTrk1 is its major (and probably only) specific potassium uptake system. When expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the product of the ZrTRK1 gene is localized to the plasma membrane and its presence efficiently complements the phenotypes of S. cerevisiae trk1∆ trk2∆ cells. Deletion of the ZrTRK1 gene resulted in Z. rouxii cells being almost incapable of growth at low K(+) concentrations and it changed some cell physiological parameters in a way that differs from S. cerevisiae. In contrast to S. cerevisiae, Z. rouxii cells without the TRK1 gene contained less potassium than the control cells and their plasma membrane was significantly hyperpolarized compared with those of the parental strain when grown in the presence of 100 mM KCl. On the other hand, subsequent potassium starvation led to a substantial depolarization which is again different from S. cerevisiae. Plasma-membrane hyperpolarization did not prevent the efflux of potassium from Z. rouxii trk1Δ cells during potassium starvation, and the activity of ZrPma1 is less affected by the absence of ZrTRK1 than in S. cerevisiae. The use of a newly constructed Z. rouxii-specific plasmid for the expression of pHluorin showed that the intracellular pH of the Z. rouxii wild type and the trk1∆ mutant is not significantly different. Together with the fact that Z. rouxii cells contain a significantly lower amount of intracellular potassium than identically grown S. cerevisiae cells, our results suggest that this highly osmotolerant yeast species maintain its intracellular pH and

  5. The anthracenedione compound bostrycin induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Xu, Chunling; Wang, Jiafeng; Gao, Ye; Lin, Huangyu; Du, Lin; Yang, Shanshan; Long, Simei; She, Zhigang; Cai, Xiaoling; Zhou, Shining; Lu, Yongjun

    2010-05-01

    Bostrycin is an anthracenedione with phytotoxic and antibacterial activity that belongs to the large family of quinones. We have isolated bostrycin from the secondary metabolites of a mangrove endophytic fungus, no. 1403, collected from the South China Sea. Using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, we show that bostrycin inhibits cell proliferation by blocking the cell cycle at G1 phase and ultimately leads to cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Bostrycin-induced lethal cytotoxicity is accompanied with increased levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and hallmarks of apoptosis such as chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation and externalization of phosphatidylserine. We further show that bostrycin decreases mitochondrial membrane electric potential and causes mitochondrial destruction during the progression of cell death. Bostrycin-induced cell death was promoted in YCA1 null yeast strain but was partially rescued in AIF1 null mutant both in fermentative and respiratory media, strongly indicating that bostrycin induces apoptosis in yeast cells through a mitochondria-mediated but caspase-independent pathway.

  6. The PGM3 gene encodes the major phosphoribomutase in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Walther, Thomas; Baylac, Audrey; Alkim, Ceren; Vax, Amélie; Cordier, Hélène; François, Jean Marie

    2012-11-30

    The phosphoglucomutases (PGM) Pgm1, Pgm2, and Pgm3 of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were tested for their ability to interconvert ribose-1-phosphate and ribose-5-phosphate. The purified proteins were studied in vitro with regard to their kinetic properties on glucose-1-phosphate and ribose-1-phosphate. All tested enzymes were active on both substrates with Pgm1 exhibiting only residual activity on ribose-1-phosphate. The Pgm2 and Pgm3 proteins had almost equal kinetic properties on ribose-1-phosphate, but Pgm2 had a 2000 times higher preference for glucose-1-phosphate when compared to Pgm3. The in vivo function of the PGMs was characterized by monitoring ribose-1-phosphate kinetics following a perturbation of the purine nucleotide balance. Only mutants with a deletion of PGM3 hyper-accumulated ribose-1-phosphate. We conclude that Pgm3 functions as the major phosphoribomutase in vivo. Copyright © 2012 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. The new modern era of yeast genomics: community sequencing and the resulting annotation of multiple Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains at the Saccharomyces Genome Database

    PubMed Central

    Engel, Stacia R.; Cherry, J. Michael

    2013-01-01

    The first completed eukaryotic genome sequence was that of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD; http://www.yeastgenome.org/) is the original model organism database. SGD remains the authoritative community resource for the S. cerevisiae reference genome sequence and its annotation, and continues to provide comprehensive biological information correlated with S. cerevisiae genes and their products. A diverse set of yeast strains have been sequenced to explore commercial and laboratory applications, and a brief history of those strains is provided. The publication of these new genomes has motivated the creation of new tools, and SGD will annotate and provide comparative analyses of these sequences, correlating changes with variations in strain phenotypes and protein function. We are entering a new era at SGD, as we incorporate these new sequences and make them accessible to the scientific community, all in an effort to continue in our mission of educating researchers and facilitating discovery. Database URL: http://www.yeastgenome.org/ PMID:23487186

  8. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Msh2-Msh3 Acts in Repair of Base-Base Mispairs▿ †

    PubMed Central

    Harrington, Jill M.; Kolodner, Richard D.

    2007-01-01

    DNA mismatch repair is thought to act through two subpathways involving the recognition of base-base and insertion/deletion mispairs by the Msh2-Msh6 heterodimer and the recognition of insertion/deletion mispairs by the Msh2-Msh3 heterodimer. Here, through genetic and biochemical approaches, we describe a previously unidentified role of the Msh2-Msh3 heterodimer in the recognition of base-base mispairs and the suppression of homology-mediated duplication and deletion mutations. Saccharomyces cerevisiae msh3 mutants did not show an increase in the rate of base substitution mutations by the CAN1 forward mutation assay compared to the rate for the wild type but did show an altered spectrum of base substitution mutations, including an increased accumulation of base pair changes from GC to CG and from AT to TA; msh3 mutants also accumulated homology-mediated duplication and deletion mutations. The mutation spectrum of mlh3 mutants paralleled that of msh3 mutants, suggesting that the Mlh1-Mlh3 heterodimer may also play a role in the repair of base-base mispairs and in the suppression of homology-mediated duplication and deletion mutations. Mispair binding analysis with purified Msh2-Msh3 and DNA substrates derived from CAN1 sequences found to be mutated in vivo demonstrated that Msh2-Msh3 exhibited robust binding to specific base-base mispairs that was consistent with functional mispair binding. PMID:17636021

  9. Improved ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in mixed cultures with Kluyveromyces lactis on high-sugar fermentation.

    PubMed

    Yamaoka, Chizuru; Kurita, Osamu; Kubo, Tomoko

    2014-12-01

    The influence of non-Saccharomyces yeast, Kluyveromyces lactis, on metabolite formation and the ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in mixed cultures was examined on synthetic minimal medium containing 20% glucose. In the late stage of fermentation after the complete death of K. lactis, S. cerevisiae in mixed cultures was more ethanol-tolerant than that in pure culture. The chronological life span of S. cerevisiae was shorter in pure culture than mixed cultures. The yeast cells of the late stationary phase both in pure and mixed cultures had a low buoyant density with no significant difference in the non-quiescence state between both cultures. In mixed cultures, the glycerol contents increased and the alanine contents decreased when compared with the pure culture of S. cerevisiae. The distinctive intracellular amino acid pool concerning its amino acid concentrations and its amino acid composition was observed in yeast cells with different ethanol tolerance in the death phase. Co-cultivation of K. lactis seems to prompt S. cerevisiae to be ethanol tolerant by forming opportune metabolites such as glycerol and alanine and/or changing the intracellular amino acid pool. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  10. Characterization of the hyperrecombination phenotype of the pol3-t mutation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Galli, Alvaro; Cervelli, Tiziana; Schiestl, Robert H

    2003-05-01

    The DNA polymerase delta (Pol3p/Cdc2p) allele pol3-t of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has previously been shown to increase the frequency of deletions between short repeats (several base pairs), between homologous DNA sequences separated by long inverted repeats, and between distant short repeats, increasing the frequency of genomic deletions. We found that the pol3-t mutation increased intrachromosomal recombination events between direct DNA repeats up to 36-fold and interchromosomal recombination 14-fold. The hyperrecombination phenotype of pol3-t was partially dependent on the Rad52p function but much more so on Rad1p. However, in the double-mutant rad1 Delta rad52 Delta, the pol3-t mutation still increased spontaneous intrachromosomal recombination frequencies, suggesting that a Rad1p Rad52p-independent single-strand annealing pathway is involved. UV and gamma-rays were less potent inducers of recombination in the pol3-t mutant, indicating that Pol3p is partly involved in DNA-damage-induced recombination. In contrast, while UV- and gamma-ray-induced intrachromosomal recombination was almost completely abolished in the rad52 or the rad1 rad52 mutant, there was still good induction in those mutants in the pol3-t background, indicating channeling of lesions into the above-mentioned Rad1p Rad52p-independent pathway. Finally, a heterozygous pol3-t/POL3 mutant also showed an increased frequency of deletions and MMS sensitivity at the restrictive temperature, indicating that even a heterozygous polymerase delta mutation might increase the frequency of genetic instability.

  11. Induction of homologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Simon, J R; Moore, P D

    1988-09-01

    We have investigated the effects of UV irradiation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in order to distinguish whether UV-induced recombination results from the induction of enzymes required for homologous recombination, or the production of substrate sites for recombination containing regions of DNA damage. We utilized split-dose experiments to investigate the induction of proteins required for survival, gene conversion, and mutation in a diploid strain of S. cerevisiae. We demonstrate that inducing doses of UV irradiation followed by a 6 h period of incubation render the cells resistant to challenge doses of UV irradiation. The effects of inducing and challenge doses of UV irradiation upon interchromosomal gene conversion and mutation are strictly additive. Using the yeast URA3 gene cloned in non-replicating single- and double-stranded plasmid vectors that integrate into chromosomal genes upon transformation, we show that UV irradiation of haploid yeast cells and homologous plasmid DNA sequences each stimulate homologous recombination approximately two-fold, and that these effects are additive. Non-specific DNA damage has little effect on the stimulation of homologous recombination, as shown by studies in which UV-irradiated heterologous DNA was included in transformation/recombination experiments. We further demonstrate that the effect of competing single- and double-stranded heterologous DNA sequences differs in UV-irradiated and unirradiated cells, suggesting an induction of recombinational machinery in UV-irradiated S. cerevisiae cells.

  12. Preparation of cell-free splicing extracts from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Ares, Manuel

    2013-10-01

    Much of our understanding of the mechanism of splicing comes from the analysis of cell extracts able to carry out splicing complex formation and splicing reactions in vitro using exogenously added synthetic model pre-mRNA transcripts. This protocol describes the preparation of whole-cell extracts from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These extracts can be used to dissect the biochemical steps of the splicing reaction and to determine the macromolecules, cofactors, and substrate features necessary for successful splicing.

  13. Influence of Ogg1 repair on the genetic stability of ccc2 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chemically challenged with 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO).

    PubMed

    da Silva, Claudia R; Almeida, Gabriella S; Caldeira-de-Araújo, Adriano; Leitão, Alvaro C; de Pádula, Marcelo

    2016-01-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, disruption of genes by deletion allowed elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of a series of human diseases, such as in Wilson disease (WD). WD is a disorder of copper metabolism, due to inherited mutations in human copper-transporting ATPase (ATP7B). An orthologous gene is present in S. cerevisiae, CCC2 gene. Copper is required as a cofactor for a number of enzymes. In excess, however, it is toxic, potentially carcinogenic, leading to many pathological conditions via oxidatively generated DNA damage. Deficiency in ATP7B (human) or Ccc2 (yeast) causes accumulation of intracellular copper, favouring the generation of reactive oxygen species. Thus, it becomes important to study the relative importance of proteins involved in the repair of these lesions, such as Ogg1. Herein, we addressed the influence Ogg1 repair in a ccc2 deficient strain of S. cerevisiae. We constructed ccc2-disrupted strains from S. cerevisiae (ogg1ccc2 and ccc2), which were analysed in terms of viability and spontaneous mutator phenotype. We also investigated the impact of 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO) on nuclear DNA damage and on the stability of mitochondrial DNA. The results indicated a synergistic effect on spontaneous mutagenesis upon OGG1 and CCC2 double inactivation, placing 8-oxoguanine as a strong lesion-candidate at the origin of spontaneous mutations. The ccc2 mutant was more sensitive to cell killing and to mutagenesis upon 4-NQO challenge than the other studied strains. However, Ogg1 repair of exogenous-induced DNA damage revealed to be toxic and mutagenic to ccc2 deficient cells, which can be due to a detrimental action of Ogg1 on DNA lesions induced in ccc2 cells. Altogether, our results point to a critical and ambivalent role of BER mediated by Ogg1 in the maintenance of genomic stability in eukaryotes deficient in CCC2 gene. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the UK Environmental Mutagen Society. All rights

  14. Altered Phenotypes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Heterologous Expression of Basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa SOD2 Gene.

    PubMed

    Melo, Sônia C; Santos, Regineide X; Melgaço, Ana C; Pereira, Alanna C F; Pungartnik, Cristina; Brendel, Martin

    2015-06-01

    Heterologous expression of a putative manganese superoxide dismutase gene (SOD2) of the basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa complemented the phenotypes of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae sod2Δ mutant. Sequence analysis of the cloned M. perniciosa cDNA revealed an open reading frame (ORF) coding for a 176 amino acid polypeptide with the typical metal-binding motifs of a SOD2 gene, named MpSOD2. Phylogenetic comparison with known manganese superoxide dismutases (MnSODs) located the protein of M. perniciosa (MpSod2p) in a clade with the basidiomycete fungi Coprinopsis cinerea and Laccaria bicolor. Haploid wild-type yeast transformants containing a single copy of MpSOD2 showed increased resistance phenotypes against oxidative stress-inducing hydrogen peroxide and paraquat, but had unaltered phenotype against ultraviolet-C (UVC) radiation. The same transformants exhibited high sensitivity against treatment with the pro-mutagen diethylnitrosamine (DEN) that requires oxidation to become an active mutagen/carcinogen. Absence of MpSOD2 in the yeast sod2Δ mutant led to DEN hyper-resistance while introduction of a single copy of this gene restored the yeast wild-type phenotype. The haploid yeast wild-type transformant containing two SOD2 gene copies, one from M. perniciosa and one from its own, exhibited DEN super-sensitivity. This transformant also showed enhanced growth at 37 °C on the non-fermentable carbon source lactate, indicating functional expression of MpSod2p. The pro-mutagen dihydroethidium (DHE)-based fluorescence assay monitored basal level of yeast cell oxidative stress. Compared to the wild type, the yeast sod2Δ mutant had a much higher level of intrinsic oxidative stress, which was reduced to wild type (WT) level by introduction of one copy of the MpSOD2 gene. Taken together our data indicates functional expression of MpSod2 protein in the yeast S. cerevisiae.

  15. Altered Phenotypes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Heterologous Expression of Basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa SOD2 Gene

    PubMed Central

    Melo, Sônia C.; Santos, Regineide X.; Melgaço, Ana C.; Pereira, Alanna C. F.; Pungartnik, Cristina; Brendel, Martin

    2015-01-01

    Heterologous expression of a putative manganese superoxide dismutase gene (SOD2) of the basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa complemented the phenotypes of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae sod2Δ mutant. Sequence analysis of the cloned M. perniciosa cDNA revealed an open reading frame (ORF) coding for a 176 amino acid polypeptide with the typical metal-binding motifs of a SOD2 gene, named MpSOD2. Phylogenetic comparison with known manganese superoxide dismutases (MnSODs) located the protein of M. perniciosa (MpSod2p) in a clade with the basidiomycete fungi Coprinopsis cinerea and Laccaria bicolor. Haploid wild-type yeast transformants containing a single copy of MpSOD2 showed increased resistance phenotypes against oxidative stress-inducing hydrogen peroxide and paraquat, but had unaltered phenotype against ultraviolet–C (UVC) radiation. The same transformants exhibited high sensitivity against treatment with the pro-mutagen diethylnitrosamine (DEN) that requires oxidation to become an active mutagen/carcinogen. Absence of MpSOD2 in the yeast sod2Δ mutant led to DEN hyper-resistance while introduction of a single copy of this gene restored the yeast wild-type phenotype. The haploid yeast wild-type transformant containing two SOD2 gene copies, one from M. perniciosa and one from its own, exhibited DEN super-sensitivity. This transformant also showed enhanced growth at 37 °C on the non-fermentable carbon source lactate, indicating functional expression of MpSod2p. The pro-mutagen dihydroethidium (DHE)-based fluorescence assay monitored basal level of yeast cell oxidative stress. Compared to the wild type, the yeast sod2Δ mutant had a much higher level of intrinsic oxidative stress, which was reduced to wild type (WT) level by introduction of one copy of the MpSOD2 gene. Taken together our data indicates functional expression of MpSod2 protein in the yeast S. cerevisiae. PMID:26039235

  16. Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA Polymerase I Terminates Transcription at the Reb1 Terminator In Vivo

    PubMed Central

    Reeder, Ronald H.; Guevara, Palmira; Roan, Judith G.

    1999-01-01

    We have mapped transcription termination sites for RNA polymerase I in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S1 nuclease mapping shows that the primary terminator is the Reb1p terminator located at +93 downstream of the 3′ end of 25S rRNA. Reverse transcription coupled with quantitative PCR shows that approximately 90% of all transcripts terminate at this site. Transcripts which read through the +93 site quantitatively terminate at a fail-safe terminator located further downstream at +250. Inactivation of Rnt1p (an RNase III involved in processing the 3′ end of 25S rRNA) greatly stabilizes transcripts extending to both sites and increases readthrough at the +93 site. In vivo assay of mutants of the Reb1p terminator shows that this site operates in vivo by the same mechanism as has previously been delineated through in vitro studies. PMID:10523625

  17. The Oenological Potential of Hanseniaspora uvarum in Simultaneous and Sequential Co-fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Industrial Wine Production

    PubMed Central

    Tristezza, Mariana; Tufariello, Maria; Capozzi, Vittorio; Spano, Giuseppe; Mita, Giovanni; Grieco, Francesco

    2016-01-01

    In oenology, the utilization of mixed starter cultures composed by Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts is an approach of growing importance for winemakers in order to enhance sensory quality and complexity of the final product without compromising the general quality and safety of the oenological products. In fact, several non-Saccharomyces yeasts are already commercialized as oenological starter cultures to be used in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, while several others are the subject of various studies to evaluate their application. Our aim, in this study was to assess, for the first time, the oenological potential of H. uvarum in mixed cultures (co-inoculation) and sequential inoculation with S. cerevisiae for industrial wine production. Three previously characterized H. uvarum strains were separately used as multi-starter together with an autochthonous S. cerevisiae starter culture in lab-scale micro-vinification trials. On the basis of microbial development, fermentation kinetics and secondary compounds formation, the strain H. uvarum ITEM8795 was further selected and it was co- and sequentially inoculated, jointly with the S. cerevisiae starter, in a pilot scale wine production. The fermentation course and the quality of final product indicated that the co-inoculation was the better performing modality of inoculum. The above results were finally validated by performing an industrial scale vinification The mixed starter was able to successfully dominate the different stages of the fermentation process and the H. uvarum strain ITEM8795 contributed to increasing the wine organoleptic quality and to simultaneously reduce the volatile acidity. At the best of our knowledge, the present report is the first study regarding the utilization of a selected H. uvarum strain in multi-starter inoculation with S. cerevisiae for the industrial production of a wine. In addition, we demonstrated, at an industrial scale, the importance of non-Saccharomyces in

  18. The Oenological Potential of Hanseniaspora uvarum in Simultaneous and Sequential Co-fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Industrial Wine Production.

    PubMed

    Tristezza, Mariana; Tufariello, Maria; Capozzi, Vittorio; Spano, Giuseppe; Mita, Giovanni; Grieco, Francesco

    2016-01-01

    In oenology, the utilization of mixed starter cultures composed by Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts is an approach of growing importance for winemakers in order to enhance sensory quality and complexity of the final product without compromising the general quality and safety of the oenological products. In fact, several non-Saccharomyces yeasts are already commercialized as oenological starter cultures to be used in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, while several others are the subject of various studies to evaluate their application. Our aim, in this study was to assess, for the first time, the oenological potential of H. uvarum in mixed cultures (co-inoculation) and sequential inoculation with S. cerevisiae for industrial wine production. Three previously characterized H. uvarum strains were separately used as multi-starter together with an autochthonous S. cerevisiae starter culture in lab-scale micro-vinification trials. On the basis of microbial development, fermentation kinetics and secondary compounds formation, the strain H. uvarum ITEM8795 was further selected and it was co- and sequentially inoculated, jointly with the S. cerevisiae starter, in a pilot scale wine production. The fermentation course and the quality of final product indicated that the co-inoculation was the better performing modality of inoculum. The above results were finally validated by performing an industrial scale vinification The mixed starter was able to successfully dominate the different stages of the fermentation process and the H. uvarum strain ITEM8795 contributed to increasing the wine organoleptic quality and to simultaneously reduce the volatile acidity. At the best of our knowledge, the present report is the first study regarding the utilization of a selected H. uvarum strain in multi-starter inoculation with S. cerevisiae for the industrial production of a wine. In addition, we demonstrated, at an industrial scale, the importance of non-Saccharomyces in

  19. The polyene antifungals, amphotericin B and nystatin, cause cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a distinct mechanism to amphibian-derived antimicrobial peptides.

    PubMed

    Serhan, George; Stack, Colin M; Perrone, Gabriel G; Morton, Charles Oliver

    2014-05-12

    There is a pressing need to identify novel antifungal drug targets to aid in the therapy of life-threatening mycoses and overcome increasing drug resistance. Identifying specific mechanisms of action of membrane-interacting antimicrobial drugs on the model fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one avenue towards addressing this issue. The S. cerevisiae deletion mutants Δizh2, Δizh3, Δaif1 and Δstm1 were demonstrated to be resistant to amphibian-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The purpose of this study was to examine whether AMPs and polyene antifungals have a similar mode of action; this was done by comparing the relative tolerance of the mutants listed above to both classes of antifungal. In support of previous findings on solid media it was shown that Δizh2 and Δizh3 mutants had increased resistance to both amphotericin B (1-2 μg ml-1) and nystatin (2.5 - 5 μg ml-1) in liquid culture, after acute exposure. However, Δaif1 and Δstm1 had wild-type levels of susceptibility to these polyenes. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after exposure to amphotericin B was also reduced in Δizh2 and Δizh3. These data indicated that polyene antifungal and AMPs may act via distinct mechanisms of inducing cell death in S. cerevisiae. Further understanding of the mechanism(s) involved in causing cell death and the roles of IZH2 and IZH3 in drug susceptibility may help to inform improved drug design and treatment of fungal pathogens.

  20. Inhibition of DNA replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by araCMP.

    PubMed

    McIntosh, E M; Kunz, B A; Haynes, R H

    1986-01-01

    Cytosine arabinoside (araC), a potent inhibitor of DNA replication in mammalian cells, was found to be completely ineffective in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The 5' monophosphate derivative, araCMP, is toxic and effectively inhibits both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA synthesis in this organism. Although wild-type strains can be inhibited by araCMP, dTMP permeable (tup-) strains were found to be much more sensitive to the analogue. In vivo labelling experiments indicate that araC enters yeast cells; however, it is extensively catabolized by deamination and breakage of the glycosidic bond. In addition, the analogue is not efficiently phosphorylated in S. cerevisiae owing to an apparent lack of deoxynucleoside kinase activity. These results provide further evidence that deoxyribonucleotides can be synthesized only through de novo pathways in this organism. Finally, araCMP was found to be recombinagenic in S. cerevisiae which suggests, together with other previous studies, that, in general, inhibition of DNA synthesis in yeast promotes mitotic recombination events.

  1. Ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae using lignocellulosic hydrolysate from Chrysanthemum waste degradation.

    PubMed

    Quevedo-Hidalgo, Balkys; Monsalve-Marín, Felipe; Narváez-Rincón, Paulo César; Pedroza-Rodríguez, Aura Marina; Velásquez-Lozano, Mario Enrique

    2013-03-01

    Ethanol production derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation of a hydrolysate from floriculture waste degradation was studied. The hydrolysate was produced from Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora) waste degradation by Pleurotus ostreatus and characterized to determine the presence of compounds that may inhibit fermentation. The products of hydrolysis confirmed by HPLC were cellobiose, glucose, xylose and mannose. The hydrolysate was fermented by S. cerevisiae, and concentrations of biomass, ethanol, and glucose were determined as a function of time. Results were compared to YGC modified medium (yeast extract, glucose and chloramphenicol) fermentation. Ethanol yield was 0.45 g g(-1), 88 % of the maximal theoretical value. Crysanthemum waste hydrolysate was suitable for ethanol production, containing glucose and mannose with adequate nutrients for S. cerevisiae fermentation and low fermentation inhibitor levels.

  2. Radioprotective effect of orally administered beta-d-glucan derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Liu, Fang; Wang, Zhuanzi; Liu, Jia; Li, Wenjian

    2018-04-21

    The present study was to evaluate the in vivo radioprotective effect of oral administration of Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived-beta-d-glucan (S. cerevisiae-BG) and to investigate the protective mechanism. The results demonstrated that oral pretreatment with 350 mg/kg S. cerevisiae-BG once daily for 14 consecutive days significantly increased the survival rate of mice from 6 Gy X-rays irradiation. At the 30th day after irradiation, cellularity and the percentage of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in bone marrow (BM) of surviving mice were increased by S. cerevisiae-BG. Further studies showed that S. cerevisiae-BG decreased BM cell DNA damage and improved BM cell cycle progress in irradiated mice. And the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in BM cells of irradiated mice were also decreased by S. cerevisiae-BG. These results indicated that oral S. cerevisiae-BG exhibited obviously radioprotective effect in mice and the protective effect may be attributed to the polysaccharide's hematopoiesis-modulating action and free radical scavenging property. S. cerevisiae-BG protects BM cells from radiation damage through scavenging BM cell ROS, mitigating BM cell DNA damage and improving cell cycle progress, and thus mitigated myelosuppression induced by irradiation and stimulated hematopoiesis, ultimately increased the survival of radiated mice. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. The mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase complex mediates glucose regulation of gene expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Ye, Tian; Bendrioua, Loubna; Carmena, David; García-Salcedo, Raúl; Dahl, Peter; Carling, David; Hohmann, Stefan

    2014-06-05

    The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) controls energy homeostasis in eukaryotic cells. Here we expressed hetero-trimeric mammalian AMPK complexes in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant lacking all five genes encoding yeast AMPK/SNF1 components. Certain mammalian complexes complemented the growth defect of the yeast mutant on non-fermentable carbon sources. Phosphorylation of the AMPK α1-subunit was glucose-regulated, albeit not by the Glc7-Reg1/2 phosphatase, which performs this function on yeast AMPK/SNF1. AMPK could take over SNF1 function in glucose derepression. While indirectly acting anti-diabetic drugs had no effect on AMPK in yeast, compound 991 stimulated α1-subunit phosphorylation. Our results demonstrate a remarkable functional conservation of AMPK and that glucose regulation of AMPK may not be mediated by regulatory features of a specific phosphatase. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Interactions between Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in mixed culture for kefiran production.

    PubMed

    Cheirsilp, Benjamas; Shoji, Hirofumi; Shimizu, Hiroshi; Shioya, Suteaki

    2003-01-01

    Since a positive effect on the growth and kefiran production of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens was observed in a mixed culture with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the elucidation of the interactions between L. kefiranofaciens and S. cerevisiae may lead to higher productivity. Hence, the microbial interaction of each strain was investigated. Apart from the positive effect of a reduction in the amount of lactic acid by S. cerevisiae, a positive effect of S. cerevisiae on the growth and kefiran production of L. kefiranofaciens in a mixed culture was observed. Various experiments were carried out to study this effect. In this study, the observed increase in capsular kefiran in a mixed culture with inactivated S. cerevisiae correlated well to that in an anaerobic mixed culture. Differences in capsular kefiran production were observed for different initial S. cerevisiae concentrations under anaerobic conditions. From these fermentation results, it was concluded that the physical contact with S. cerevisiae mainly enhanced the capsular kefiran production of L. kefiranofaciens in a mixed culture. Therefore, in an anaerobic mixed culture, this direct contact resulted in higher capsular kefiran production than that in pure culture.

  5. Secretory Overexpression of Bacillus thermocatenulatus Lipase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using Combinatorial Library Strategy.

    PubMed

    Kajiwara, Shota; Yamada, Ryosuke; Ogino, Hiroyasu

    2018-04-10

    Simple and cost-effective lipase expression host microorganisms are highly desirable. A combinatorial library strategy is used to improve the secretory expression of lipase from Bacillus thermocatenulatus (BTL2) in the culture supernatant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A plasmid library including expression cassettes composed of sequences encoding one of each 15 promoters, 15 secretion signals, and 15 terminators derived from yeast species, S. cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, and Hansenula polymorpha, is constructed. The S. cerevisiae transformant YPH499/D4, comprising H. polymorpha GAP promoter, S. cerevisiae SAG1 secretion signal, and P. pastoris AOX1 terminator, is selected by high-throughput screening. This transformant expresses BTL2 extra-cellularly with a 130-fold higher than the control strain, comprising S. cerevisiae PGK1 promoter, S. cerevisiae α-factor secretion signal, and S. cerevisiae PGK1 terminator, after cultivation for 72 h. This combinatorial library strategy holds promising potential for application in the optimization of the secretory expression of proteins in yeast. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Division of labour in the yeast: Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Wloch-Salamon, Dominika M; Fisher, Roberta M; Regenberg, Birgitte

    2017-10-01

    Division of labour between different specialized cell types is a central part of how we describe complexity in multicellular organisms. However, it is increasingly being recognized that division of labour also plays an important role in the lives of predominantly unicellular organisms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae displays several phenotypes that could be considered a division of labour, including quiescence, apoptosis and biofilm formation, but they have not been explicitly treated as such. We discuss each of these examples, using a definition of division of labour that involves phenotypic variation between cells within a population, cooperation between cells performing different tasks and maximization of the inclusive fitness of all cells involved. We then propose future research directions and possible experimental tests using S. cerevisiae as a model organism for understanding the genetic mechanisms and selective pressures that can lead to the evolution of the very first stages of a division of labour. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Energy-dependent effects of resveratrol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Madrigal-Perez, Luis Alberto; Canizal-Garcia, Melina; González-Hernández, Juan Carlos; Reynoso-Camacho, Rosalia; Nava, Gerardo M; Ramos-Gomez, Minerva

    2016-06-01

    The metabolic effects induced by resveratrol have been associated mainly with the consumption of high-calorie diets; however, its effects with standard or low-calorie diets remain unclear. To better understand the interactions between resveratrol and cellular energy levels, we used Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model. Herein it is shown that resveratrol: (a) decreased cell viability in an energy-dependent manner; (b) lessening of cell viability occurred specifically when cells were under cellular respiration; and (c) inhibition of oxygen consumption in state 4 occurred at low and standard energy levels, whereas at high energy levels oxygen consumption was promoted. These findings indicate that the effects of resveratrol are dependent on the cellular energy status and linked to metabolic respiration. Importantly, our study also revealed that S. cerevisiae is a suitable and useful model to elucidate the molecular targets of resveratrol under different nutritional statuses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Comparative genomic analysis reveals a critical role of de novo nucleotide biosynthesis for Saccharomyces cerevisiae virulence.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Torrado, Roberto; Llopis, Silvia; Perrone, Benedetta; Gómez-Pastor, Rocío; Hube, Bernhard; Querol, Amparo

    2015-01-01

    In recent years, the number of human infection cases produced by the food related species Saccharomyces cerevisiae has increased. Whereas many strains of this species are considered safe, other 'opportunistic' strains show a high degree of potential virulence attributes and can cause infections in immunocompromised patients. Here we studied the genetic characteristics of selected opportunistic strains isolated from dietary supplements and also from patients by array comparative genomic hybridization. Our results show increased copy numbers of IMD genes in opportunistic strains, which are implicated in the de novo biosynthesis of the purine nucleotides pathway. The importance of this pathway for virulence of S. cerevisiae was confirmed by infections in immunodeficient murine models using a GUA1 mutant, a key gene of this pathway. We show that exogenous guanine, an end product of this pathway in its triphosphorylated form, increases the survival of yeast strains in ex vivo blood infections. Finally, we show the importance of the DNA damage response that activates dNTP biosynthesis in yeast cells during ex vivo blood infections. We conclude that opportunistic yeasts may use an enhanced de novo biosynthesis of the purine nucleotides pathway to increase survival and favor infections in the host.

  9. Habitat Predicts Levels of Genetic Admixture in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tilakaratna, Viranga; Bensasson, Douda

    2017-09-07

    Genetic admixture can provide material for populations to adapt to local environments, and this process has played a crucial role in the domestication of plants and animals. The model yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , has been domesticated multiple times for the production of wine, sake, beer, and bread, but the high rate of admixture between yeast lineages has so far been treated as a complication for population genomic analysis. Here, we make use of the low recombination rate at centromeres to investigate admixture in yeast using a classic Bayesian approach and a locus-by-locus phylogenetic approach. Using both approaches, we find that S. cerevisiae from stable oak woodland habitats are less likely to show recent genetic admixture compared with those isolated from transient habitats such as fruits, wine, or human infections. When woodland yeast strains do show recent genetic admixture, the degree of admixture is lower than in strains from other habitats. Furthermore, S. cerevisiae populations from oak woodlands are genetically isolated from each other, with only occasional migration between woodlands and local fruit habitats. Application of the phylogenetic approach suggests that there is a previously undetected population in North Africa that is the closest outgroup to the European S. cerevisiae , including the domesticated Wine population. Careful testing for admixture in S. cerevisiae leads to a better understanding of the underlying population structure of the species and will be important for understanding the selective processes underlying domestication in this economically important species. Copyright © 2017 Tilakaratna and Bensasson.

  10. Rational and combinatorial approaches to engineering styrene production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    McKenna, Rebekah; Thompson, Brian; Pugh, Shawn; Nielsen, David R

    2014-08-21

    Styrene is an important building-block petrochemical and monomer used to produce numerous plastics. Whereas styrene bioproduction by Escherichia coli was previously reported, the long-term potential of this approach will ultimately rely on the use of hosts with improved industrial phenotypes, such as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Classical metabolic evolution was first applied to isolate a mutant capable of phenylalanine over-production to 357 mg/L. Transcription analysis revealed up-regulation of several phenylalanine biosynthesis pathway genes including ARO3, encoding the bottleneck enzyme DAHP synthase. To catalyze the first pathway step, phenylalanine ammonia lyase encoded by PAL2 from A. thaliana was constitutively expressed from a high copy plasmid. The final pathway step, phenylacrylate decarboxylase, was catalyzed by the native FDC1. Expression of FDC1 was naturally induced by trans-cinnamate, the pathway intermediate and its substrate, at levels sufficient for ensuring flux through the pathway. Deletion of ARO10 to eliminate the competing Ehrlich pathway and expression of a feedback-resistant DAHP synthase encoded by ARO4K229L preserved and promoted the endogenous availability precursor phenylalanine, leading to improved pathway flux and styrene production. These systematic improvements allowed styrene titers to ultimately reach 29 mg/L at a glucose yield of 1.44 mg/g, a 60% improvement over the initial strain. The potential of S. cerevisiae as a host for renewable styrene production has been demonstrated. Significant strain improvements, however, will ultimately be needed to achieve economical production levels.

  11. Chromosome Duplication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Bell, Stephen P.; Labib, Karim

    2016-01-01

    The accurate and complete replication of genomic DNA is essential for all life. In eukaryotic cells, the assembly of the multi-enzyme replisomes that perform replication is divided into stages that occur at distinct phases of the cell cycle. Replicative DNA helicases are loaded around origins of DNA replication exclusively during G1 phase. The loaded helicases are then activated during S phase and associate with the replicative DNA polymerases and other accessory proteins. The function of the resulting replisomes is monitored by checkpoint proteins that protect arrested replisomes and inhibit new initiation when replication is inhibited. The replisome also coordinates nucleosome disassembly, assembly, and the establishment of sister chromatid cohesion. Finally, when two replisomes converge they are disassembled. Studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have led the way in our understanding of these processes. Here, we review our increasingly molecular understanding of these events and their regulation. PMID:27384026

  12. Functional improvement of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to reduce volatile acidity in wine.

    PubMed

    Luo, Zongli; Walkey, Christopher J; Madilao, Lufiani L; Measday, Vivien; Van Vuuren, Hennie J J

    2013-08-01

    Control of volatile acidity (VA) is a major issue for wine quality. In this study, we investigated the production of VA by a deletion mutant of the fermentation stress response gene AAF1 in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fermentations were carried out in commercial Chardonnay grape must to mimic industrial wine-making conditions. We demonstrated that a wine yeast strain deleted for AAF1 reduced acetic acid levels in wine by up to 39.2% without increasing the acetaldehyde levels, revealing a potential for industrial application. Deletion of the cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase gene ALD6 also reduced acetic acid levels dramatically, but increased the acetaldehyde levels by 41.4%, which is not desired by the wine industry. By comparison, ALD4 and the AAF1 paralog RSF2 had no effects on acetic acid production in wine. Deletion of AAF1 was detrimental to the growth of ald6Δ and ald4Δald6Δ mutants, but had no effect on acetic acid production. Overexpression of AAF1 dramatically increased acetic acid levels in wine in an Ald6p-dependent manner, indicating that Aaf1p regulates acetic acid production mainly via Ald6p. Overexpression of AAF1 in an ald4Δald6Δ strain produced significantly more acetic acid in wine than the ald4Δald6Δ mutant, suggesting that Aaf1p may also regulate acetic acid synthesis independently of Ald4p and Ald6p. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Saccharomyces cerevisiae × Saccharomyces uvarum hybrids generated under different conditions share similar winemaking features.

    PubMed

    Origone, Andrea Cecilia; Rodríguez, María Eugenia; Oteiza, Juan Martín; Querol, Amparo; Lopes, Christian Ariel

    2018-01-01

    Interspecific hybrids among species in the Saccharomyces genus are frequently detected in anthropic habitats and can also be obtained easily in the laboratory. This occurs because the most important genetic barriers among Saccharomyces species are post-zygotic. Depending on several factors, including the involved strains, the hybridization mechanism and stabilization conditions, hybrids that bear differential genomic constitutions, and hence phenotypic variability, can be obtained. In the present study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae × Saccharomyces uvarum hybrids were constructed using genetically and physiologically different S. uvarum parents at distinct temperatures (13 and 20°C). The effect of those variables on the main oenological features of the wines obtained with these hybrids was evaluated. Hybrids were successfully obtained in all cases. However, genetic stabilization based on successive fermentations in white wine at 13°C was significantly longer than that at 20°C. Our results demonstrated that, irrespective of the S. uvarum parent and temperature used for hybrid generation and stabilization, similar physicochemical and aromatic features were found in wines. The hybrids generated herein were characterized by low ethanol production, high glycerol synthesis and the capacity to grow at low temperature and to produce malic acid with particular aroma profiles. These features make these hybrids useful for the new winemaking industry within the climate change era frame. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. A fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based redox sensor reveals physiological role of thioredoxin in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Oku, Masahide; Hoseki, Jun; Ichiki, Yayoi; Sakai, Yasuyoshi

    2013-03-18

    The physiological roles of the thioredoxin isozymes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated using a novel FRET-based redox probe, Redoxfluor. After establishing responsiveness of the probe toward thioredoxin, we followed the fluorescence signal of Redoxfluor expressed in the yeast and found that one of the thioredoxin isozymes, Trx2, was required for maintaining the redox status when stationary culture of the organism was exposed to starvation and mild-heat stresses. The failure to maintain redox balance under the tested condition preceded decreased viability of the trx2 mutants, indicating the functional importance of the cytoplasmic thioredoxin in adaptation to environmental changes. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Identification and Characterization of a Novel Biotin Biosynthesis Gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Hong; Ito, Kiyoshi; Shimoi, Hitoshi

    2005-01-01

    Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells generally cannot synthesize biotin, a vitamin required for many carboxylation reactions. Although sake yeasts, which are used for Japanese sake brewing, are classified as S. cerevisiae, they do not require biotin for their growth. In this study, we identified a novel open reading frame (ORF) in the genome of one strain of sake yeast that we speculated to be involved in biotin synthesis. Homologs of this gene are widely distributed in the genomes of sake yeasts. However, they are not found in many laboratory strains and strains used for wine making and beer brewing. This ORF was named BIO6 because it has 52% identity with BIO3, a biotin biosynthesis gene of a laboratory strain. Further research showed that yeasts without the BIO6 gene are auxotrophic for biotin, whereas yeasts holding the BIO6 gene are prototrophic for biotin. The BIO6 gene was disrupted in strain A364A, which is a laboratory strain with one copy of the BIO6 gene. Although strain A364A is prototrophic for biotin, a BIO6 disrupted mutant was found to be auxotrophic for biotin. The BIO6 disruptant was able to grow in biotin-deficient medium supplemented with 7-keto-8-amino-pelargonic acid (KAPA), while the bio3 disruptant was not able to grow in this medium. These results suggest that Bio6p acts in an unknown step of biotin synthesis before KAPA synthesis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that expression of the BIO6 gene, like that of other biotin synthesis genes, was upregulated by depletion of biotin. We conclude that the BIO6 gene is a novel biotin biosynthesis gene of S. cerevisiae. PMID:16269718

  16. Mixing of vineyard and oak-tree ecotypes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in North American vineyards

    PubMed Central

    Hyma, Katie E.; Fay, Justin C.

    2012-01-01

    Humans have had a significant impact on the distribution and abundance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae through its widespread use in beer, bread and wine production. Yet, similar to other Saccharomyces species, S. cerevisiae has also been isolated from habitats unrelated to fermentations. Strains of S. cerevisiae isolated from grapes, wine must and vineyards worldwide are genetically differentiated from strains isolated from oak-tree bark, exudate and associated soil in North America. However, the causes and consequences of this differentiation have not yet been resolved. Historical differentiation of these two groups may have been influenced by geographic, ecological or human-associated barriers to gene flow. Here, we make use of the relatively recent establishment of vineyards across North America to identify and characterize any active barriers to gene flow between these two groups. We examined S. cerevisiae strains isolated from grapes and oak-trees within three North American vineyards and compared them to those isolated from oak-trees outside of vineyards. Within vineyards we found evidence of migration between grapes and oak-trees and potential gene flow between the divergent oak-tree and vineyard groups. Yet, we found no vineyard genotypes on oak-trees outside of vineyards. In contrast, S. paradoxus isolated from the same sources showed population structure characterized by isolation by distance. The apparent absence of ecological or genetic barriers between sympatric vineyard and oak-tree populations of S. cerevisiae implies that vineyards play an important role in the mixing between these two groups. PMID:23286354

  17. Improvement of acetic acid tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a zinc-finger-based artificial transcription factor and identification of novel genes involved in acetic acid tolerance.

    PubMed

    Ma, Cui; Wei, Xiaowen; Sun, Cuihuan; Zhang, Fei; Xu, Jianren; Zhao, Xinqing; Bai, Fengwu

    2015-03-01

    Acetic acid is present in cellulosic hydrolysate as a potent inhibitor, and the superior acetic acid tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ensures good cell viability and efficient ethanol production when cellulosic raw materials are used as substrates. In this study, a mutant strain of S. cerevisiae ATCC4126 (Sc4126-M01) with improved acetic acid tolerance was obtained through screening strains transformed with an artificial zinc finger protein transcription factor (ZFP-TF) library. Further analysis indicated that improved acetic acid tolerance was associated with improved catalase (CAT) activity. The ZFP coding sequence associated with the improved phenotype was identified, and real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that three of the possible genes involved in the enhanced acetic acid tolerance regulated by this ZFP-TF, namely YFL040W, QDR3, and IKS1, showed decreased transcription levels in Sc4126-M01 in the presence of acetic acid, compared to those in the control strain. Sc4126-M01 mutants having QDR3 and IKS1 deletion (ΔQDR3 and ΔIKS1) exhibited higher acetic acid tolerance than the wild-type strain under acetic acid treatment. Glucose consumption rate and ethanol productivity in the presence of 5 g/L acetic acid were improved in the ΔQDR3 mutant compared to the wild-type strain. Our studies demonstrated that the synthetic ZFP-TF library can be used to improve acetic acid tolerance of S. cerevisiae and that the employment of an artificial transcription factor can facilitate the exploration of novel functional genes involved in stress tolerance of S. cerevisiae.

  18. Sucrose fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking hexose transport.

    PubMed

    Batista, Anderson S; Miletti, Luiz C; Stambuk, Boris U

    2004-01-01

    Sucrose is the major carbon source used by Saccharomyces cerevisiae during production of baker's yeast, fuel ethanol and several distilled beverages. It is generally accepted that sucrose fermentation proceeds through extracellular hydrolysis of the sugar, mediated by the periplasmic invertase, producing glucose and fructose that are transported into the cells and metabolized. In the present work we analyzed the contribution to sucrose fermentation of a poorly characterized pathway of sucrose utilization by S. cerevisiae cells, the active transport of the sugar through the plasma membrane and its intracellular hydrolysis. A yeast strain that lacks the major hexose transporters (hxt1-hxt7 and gal2) is incapable of growing on or fermenting glucose or fructose. Our results show that this hxt-null strain is still able to ferment sucrose due to direct uptake of the sugar into the cells. Deletion of the AGT1 gene, which encodes a high-affinity sucrose-H(+) symporter, rendered cells incapable of sucrose fermentation. Since sucrose is not an inducer of the permease, expression of the AGT1 must be constitutive in order to allow growth of the hxt-null strain on sucrose. The molecular characterization of active sucrose transport and fermentation by S. cerevisiae cells opens new opportunities to optimize yeasts for sugarcane-based industrial processes.

  19. Optimization of air-blast drying process for manufacturing Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeast as industrial wine starters.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sae-Byuk; Choi, Won-Seok; Jo, Hyun-Jung; Yeo, Soo-Hwan; Park, Heui-Dong

    2016-12-01

    Wine yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae D8) and non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts (Hanseniaspora uvarum S6 and Issatchenkia orientalis KMBL5774) were studied using air-blast drying instead of the conventional drying methods (such as freeze and spray drying). Skim milk-a widely used protective agent-was used and in all strains, the highest viabilities following air-blast drying were obtained using 10% skim milk. Four excipients (wheat flour, nuruk, artichoke powder, and lactomil) were evaluated as protective agents for yeast strains during air-blast drying. Our results showed that 7 g lactomil was the best excipient in terms of drying time, powder form, and the survival rate of the yeast in the final product. Finally, 7 types of sugars were investigated to improve the survival rate of air-blast dried yeast cells: 10% trehalose, 10% sucrose, and 10% glucose had the highest survival rate of 97.54, 92.59, and 79.49% for S. cerevisiae D8, H. uvarum S6, and I. orientalis KMBL5774, respectively. After 3 months of storage, S. cerevisiae D8 and H. uvarum S6 demonstrated good survival rates (making them suitable for use as starters), whereas the survival rate of I. orientalis KMBL5774 decreased considerably compared to the other strains. Air-blast dried S. cerevisiae D8 and H. uvarum S6 showed metabolic activities similar to those of non-dried yeast cells, regardless of the storage period. Air-blast dried I. orientalis KMBL5774 showed a noticeable decrease in its ability to decompose malic acid after 3 months of storage at 4 °C.

  20. Genome Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Double-Stranded RNA Virus L-A-28.

    PubMed

    Konovalovas, Aleksandras; Serviené, Elena; Serva, Saulius

    2016-06-16

    We cloned and sequenced the complete genome of the L-A-28 virus from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae K28 killer strain. This sequence completes the set of currently identified L-A helper viruses required for expression of double-stranded RNA-originated killer phenotypes in baking yeast. Copyright © 2016 Konovalovas et al.

  1. Exploring the northern limit of the distribution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus in North America.

    PubMed

    Charron, Guillaume; Leducq, Jean-Baptiste; Bertin, Chloé; Dubé, Alexandre K; Landry, Christian R

    2014-03-01

    We examined the northern limit of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus in northeast America. We collected 876 natural samples at 29 sites and applied enrichment methods for the isolation of mesophilic yeasts. We uncovered a large diversity of yeasts, in some cases, associated with specific substrates. Sequencing of the ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 loci allowed to assign 226 yeast strains at the species level, including 41 S. paradoxus strains. Our intensive sampling suggests that if present, S. cerevisiae is rare at these northern latitudes. Our sampling efforts spread across several months of the year revealed that successful sampling increases throughout the summer and diminishes significantly at the beginning of the fall. The data obtained on the ecological context of yeasts corroborate what was previously reported on Pichiaceae, Saccharomycodaceae, Debaryomycetaceae and Phaffomycetaceae yeast families. We identified 24 yeast isolates that could not be assigned to any known species and that may be of taxonomic, medical, or biotechnological importance. Our study reports new data on the taxonomic diversity of yeasts and new resources for studying the evolution and ecology of S. paradoxus. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Roles of the Yap1 Transcription Factor and Antioxidants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae's Tolerance to Furfural and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, Which Function as Thiol-Reactive Electrophiles Generating Oxidative Stress

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Daehee

    2013-01-01

    Development of the tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains to furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an important issue for cellulosic ethanol production. Although furfural and HMF are known to induce oxidative stress, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we show that both furfural and HMF act as thiol-reactive electrophiles, thus directly activating the Yap1 transcription factor via the H2O2-independent pathway, depleting cellular glutathione (GSH) levels, and accumulating reactive oxygen species in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, furfural showed higher reactivity than did HMF toward GSH in vitro and in vivo. In line with such toxic mechanisms, overexpression of YAP1C620F, a constitutively active mutant of YAP1, and Yap1 target genes encoding catalases (CTA1 and CTT1) increased tolerance to furfural and HMF. However, increasing GSH levels by overexpression of genes for GSH biosynthesis (GSH1 and GLR1) or by the exogenous addition of GSH to the culture medium enhanced tolerance to furfural but not to HMF. PMID:23793623

  3. Roles of the Yap1 transcription factor and antioxidants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae's tolerance to furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which function as thiol-reactive electrophiles generating oxidative stress.

    PubMed

    Kim, Daehee; Hahn, Ji-Sook

    2013-08-01

    Development of the tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains to furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an important issue for cellulosic ethanol production. Although furfural and HMF are known to induce oxidative stress, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we show that both furfural and HMF act as thiol-reactive electrophiles, thus directly activating the Yap1 transcription factor via the H2O2-independent pathway, depleting cellular glutathione (GSH) levels, and accumulating reactive oxygen species in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, furfural showed higher reactivity than did HMF toward GSH in vitro and in vivo. In line with such toxic mechanisms, overexpression of YAP1(C620F), a constitutively active mutant of YAP1, and Yap1 target genes encoding catalases (CTA1 and CTT1) increased tolerance to furfural and HMF. However, increasing GSH levels by overexpression of genes for GSH biosynthesis (GSH1 and GLR1) or by the exogenous addition of GSH to the culture medium enhanced tolerance to furfural but not to HMF.

  4. Saccharomyces cerevisiae KTR4, KTR5 and KTR7 encode mannosyltransferases differentially involved in the N- and O-linked glycosylation pathways.

    PubMed

    Hernández, Nahúm V; López-Ramírez, Luz A; Díaz-Jiménez, Diana F; Mellado-Mojica, Erika; Martínez-Duncker, Iván; López, Mercedes G; Mora-Montes, Héctor M

    2017-10-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a model to understand basic aspects of protein glycosylation pathways. Although these metabolic routes have been thoroughly studied, there are still knowledge gaps; among them, the role of the MNT1/KRE2 gene family. This family is composed of nine members, with only six functionally characterized. The enzymes Ktr1, Ktr3, and Mnt1/Kre2 have overlapping activities in both O-linked and N-linked glycan synthesis; while Ktr2 and Yur1 participate exclusively in the elongation of the N-linked glycan outer chain. KTR6 encodes for a phosphomannosyltransferase that synthesizes the cell wall phosphomannan. Here, we aimed to establish the functional role of KTR4, KTR5 and KTR7 in the protein glycosylation pathways, by using heterologous complementation in Candida albicans null mutants lacking members of the MNT1/KRE2 gene family. The three S. cerevisiae genes restored defects in the C. albicans N-linked glycosylation pathway. KTR5 and KTR7 partially complemented a C. albicans null mutant with defects in the synthesis of O-linked glycans, and only KTR4 fully elongated the O-linked glycans like wild-type cells. Therefore, our results suggest that the three genes have a redundant activity in the S. cerevisiae N-linked glycosylation pathway, but KTR4 plays a major role in O-linked glycan synthesis. Copyright © 2017 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the synthesis of short chain fatty acids.

    PubMed

    Leber, Christopher; Da Silva, Nancy A

    2014-02-01

    Carbon feedstocks from fossilized sources are being rapidly depleted due to rising demand for industrial and commercial applications. Many petroleum-derived chemicals can be directly or functionally substituted with chemicals derived from renewable feedstocks. Several short chain organic acids may fulfill this role using their functional groups as a target for chemical catalysis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered to produce short chain carboxylic acids (C6 to C10 ) from glucose using the heterologous Homo sapiens type I fatty acid synthase (hFAS). This synthase was activated by phosphopantetheine transfereases AcpS and Sfp from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, respectively, both in vitro and in vivo. hFAS was produced in the holo-form and produced carboxylic acids in vitro, confirmed by NADPH and ADIFAB assays. Overexpression of hFAS in a yeast FAS2 knockout strain, deficient in de novo fatty acid synthesis, demonstrated the full functional replacement of the native fungal FAS by hFAS. Two active heterologous short chain thioesterases (TEs) from Cuphea palustris (CpFatB1) and Rattus norvegicus (TEII) were evaluated for short chain fatty acid (SCFA) synthesis in vitro and in vivo. Three hFAS mutants were constructed: a mutant deficient in the native TE domain, a mutant with a linked CpFatB1 TE and a mutant with a linked TEII TE. Using the native yeast fatty acid synthase for growth, the overexpression of the hFAS mutants and the short-chain TEs (linked or plasmid-based) increased in vivo caprylic acid and total SCFA production up to 64-fold (63 mg/L) and 52-fold (68 mg/L), respectively, over the native yeast levels. Combined over-expression of the phosphopantetheine transferase with the hFAS mutant resulted in C8 titers of up to 82 mg/L and total SCFA titers of up to 111 mg/L. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Identification and characterization of a drug sensitive strain enables puromycin-based translational assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Cary, Gregory A.; Yoon, Sung Hwan; Torres, Cecilia Garmendia; Wang, Kathie; Hays, Michelle; Ludlow, Catherine; Goodlett, David R.; Dudley, Aimée M.

    2014-01-01

    Puromycin is an aminonucleoside antibiotic with structural similarity to aminoacyl tRNA. This structure allows the drug to bind the ribosomal A-site and incorporate into nascent polypeptides causing chain termination, ribosomal subunit dissociation, and widespread translational arrest at high concentrations. In contrast, at sufficiently low concentrations, puromycin incorporates primarily at the C-terminus of proteins. While a number of techniques utilize puromycin incorporation as a tool for probing translational activity in vivo, these methods cannot be applied in yeasts that are insensitive to puromycin. Here, we describe a mutant strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is sensitive to puromycin and characterize the cellular response to the drug. Puromycin inhibits the growth of yeast cells mutant for erg6Δ, pdr1Δ, and pdr3Δ (EPP) on both solid and liquid media. Puromycin also induces the aggregation of the cytoplasmic processing body component Edc3 in the mutant strain. We establish that puromycin is rapidly incorporated into yeast proteins and test the effects of puromycin on translation in vivo. This work establishes the EPP strain as a valuable tool for implementing puromycin-based assays in yeast, which will enable new avenues of inquiry into protein production and maturation. PMID:24610064

  7. Saccharomyces cerevisiae show low levels of traversal across human endothelial barrier in vitro.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Torrado, Roberto; Querol, Amparo

    2017-01-01

    Background :   Saccharomyces cerevisiae is generally considered safe, and is involved in the production of many types of foods and dietary supplements. However, some isolates, which are genetically related to strains used in brewing and baking, have shown virulent traits, being able to produce infections in humans, mainly in immunodeficient patients. This can lead to systemic infections in humans. Methods : In this work, we studied S. cerevisiae isolates in an in vitro human endothelial barrier model, comparing their behaviour with that of several strains of the related pathogens Candida glabrata and Candida albicans . Results : The results showed that this food related yeast is able to cross the endothelial barrier in vitro . However, in contrast to C. glabrata and C. albicans , S. cerevisiae showed very low levels of traversal. Conclusions : We conclude that using an in vitro human endothelial barrier model with S. cerevisiae can be useful to evaluate the safety of S. cerevisiae strains isolated from foods.

  8. Molecular Basis for Strain Variation in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Adhesin Flo11p

    PubMed Central

    Li, Li; Lipke, Peter N.; Dranginis, Anne M.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT FLO11 encodes a yeast cell wall flocculin that mediates a variety of adhesive phenotypes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Flo11p is implicated in many developmental processes, including flocculation, formation of pseudohyphae, agar invasion, and formation of microbial mats and biofilms. However, Flo11p mediates different processes in different yeast strains. To investigate the mechanisms by which FLO11 determines these differences in colony morphology, flocculation, and invasion, we studied gene structure, function, and expression levels. Nonflocculent Saccharomyces cerevisiae Σ1278b cells exhibited significantly higher FLO11 mRNA expression, especially in the stationary phase, than highly flocculent S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus. The two strains varied in cell surface hydrophobicity, and Flo11p contributed significantly to surface hydrophobicity in S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus but not in strain Σ1278b. Sequencing of the FLO11 gene in S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus revealed strain-specific differences, including a 15-amino-acid insertion in the adhesion domain. Flo11p adhesion domains from strain Σ1278b and S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus were expressed and used to coat magnetic beads. The adhesion domain from each strain bound preferentially to homologous cells, and the preferences were independent of the cells in which the adhesion domains were produced. These results are consistent with the idea that strain-specific variations in the amino acid sequences in the adhesion domains cause different Flo11p flocculation activities. The results also imply that strain-specific differences in expression levels, posttranslational modifications, and allelic differences outside the adhesion domains have little effect on flocculation. IMPORTANCE As a nonmotile organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae employs the cell surface flocculin Flo11/Muc1 as an important means of adapting to environmental change. However, there is a great deal of strain variation in the

  9. Enhancing Fatty Acid Production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an Animal Feed Supplement.

    PubMed

    You, Seung Kyou; Joo, Young-Chul; Kang, Dae Hee; Shin, Sang Kyu; Hyeon, Jeong Eun; Woo, Han Min; Um, Youngsoon; Park, Chulhwan; Han, Sung Ok

    2017-12-20

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used for edible purposes, such as human food or as an animal feed supplement. Fatty acids are also beneficial as feed supplements, but S. cerevisiae produces small amounts of fatty acids. In this study, we enhanced fatty acid production of S. cerevisiae by overexpressing acetyl-CoA carboxylase, thioesterase, and malic enzyme associated with fatty acid metabolism. The enhanced strain pAMT showed 2.4-fold higher fatty acids than the wild-type strain. To further increase the fatty acids, various nitrogen sources were analyzed and calcium nitrate was selected as an optimal nitrogen source for fatty acid production. By concentration optimization, 672 mg/L of fatty acids was produced, which was 4.7-fold higher than wild-type strain. These results complement the low level fatty acid production and make it possible to obtain the benefits of fatty acids as an animal feed supplement while, simultaneously, maintaining the advantages of S. cerevisiae.

  10. Determination of biological activity from fluorescence-lifetime measurements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rudek, F.; Baselt, T.; Lempe, B.; Taudt, C.; Hartmann, P.

    2015-03-01

    The importance of fluorescence lifetime measurement as an optical analysis tool is growing. Many applications already exist in order to determine the fluorescence lifetime, but the majority of these require the addition of fluorescence-active substances to enable measurements. Every usage of such foreign materials has an associated risk. This paper investigates the use of auto-fluorescing substances in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's yeast) as a risk free alternative to fluorescence-active substance enabled measurements. The experimental setup uses a nitrogen laser with a pulse length of 350 ps and a wavelength of 337 nm. The excited sample emits light due to fluorescence of NADH/NADPH and collagen. A fast photodiode collects the light at the output of an appropriate high-pass edge-filter at 400 nm. Fluorescence lifetimes can be determined from the decay of the measurement signals, which in turn characterizes the individual materials and their surrounding environment. Information about the quantity of the fluorescence active substances can also be measured based on the received signal intensity. The correlation between the fluorescence lifetime and the metabolic state of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated and is presented here.

  11. A role for the replication proteins PCNA, RF-C, polymerase epsilon and Cdc45 in transcriptional silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Ehrenhofer-Murray, A E; Kamakaka, R T; Rine, J

    1999-01-01

    Transcriptional silencing in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae may be linked to DNA replication and cell cycle progression. In this study, we have surveyed the effect of 41 mutations in genes with a role in replication, the cell cycle, and DNA repair on silencing at HMR. Mutations in PCNA (POL30), RF-C (CDC44), polymerase epsilon (POL2, DPB2, DPB11), and CDC45 were found to restore silencing at a mutant HMR silencer allele that was still a chromosomal origin of replication. Replication timing experiments indicated that the mutant HMR locus was replicated late in S-phase, at the same time as wild-type HMR. Restoration of silencing by PCNA and CDC45 mutations required the origin recognition complex binding site of the HMR-E silencer. Several models for the precise role of these replication proteins in silencing are discussed. PMID:10545450

  12. Modulation of the acute phase response in feedlot steers supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    This study was designed to determine the effect of supplementing feedlot steers with Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1079 (SC) on the acute phase response to a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Steers (n = 18; 266 ± 4 kilograms body weight) were separated into three treatment groups (n = 6/treatm...

  13. Cell Surface Display of Four Types of Solanum nigrum Metallothionein on Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Biosorption of Cadmium.

    PubMed

    Wei, Qinguo; Zhang, Honghai; Guo, Dongge; Ma, Shisheng

    2016-05-28

    We displayed four types of Solanum nigrum metallothionein (SMT) for the first time on the surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using an α-agglutinin-based display system. The SMT genes were amplified by RT-PCR. The plasmid pYES2 was used to construct the expression vector. Transformed yeast strains were confirmed by PCR amplification and custom sequencing. Surface-expressed metallothioneins were indirectly indicated by the enhanced cadmium sorption capacity. Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to examine the concentration of Cd(2+) in this study. The transformed yeast strains showed much higher resistance ability to Cd(2+) compared with the control. Strikingly, their Cd(2+) accumulation was almost twice as much as that of the wild-type yeast cells. Furthermore, surface-engineered yeast strains could effectively adsorb ultra-trace cadmium and accumulate Cd(2+) under a wide range of pH levels, from 3 to 7, without disturbing the Cu(2+) and Hg(2+). Four types of surfaceengineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were constructed and they could be used to purify Cd(2+)-contaminated water and adsorb ultra-trace cadmium effectively. The surface-engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains would be useful tools for the bioremediation and biosorption of environmental cadmium contaminants.

  14. Homing at an extragenic locus mediated by VDE (PI-SceI) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Nogami, Satoru; Fukuda, Tomoyuki; Nagai, Yuri; Yabe, Shizu; Sugiura, Masako; Mizutani, Ryuta; Satow, Yoshinori; Anraku, Yasuhiro; Ohya, Yoshikazu

    2002-06-30

    PI-SceI (VDE), a homing endonuclease with protein splicing activity, is a genomic parasite in the VMA1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In a heterozygous diploid of the VDE-less VMA1 allele and a VDE-containing VMA1 allele, VDE specifically cleaves its recognition sequence (VRS) in the VDE-less VMA1 allele at meiosis, followed by 'homing', i.e. a conversion to a VDE-containing allele. We found that upon VDE expression, homing of a marker gene at an extragenic locus occurs only when a 45 bp element containing the VRS is inserted at its allelic site, while mutants of VDE with no endonuclease activity lack authentic extragenic homing activity. Thus, both the VRS and VDE are required for homing. Insertion of the VRS in a homozygous diploid significantly lowered the spore germination ability, indicating that a template for gene repair at its allelic locus is essential for efficient homing and survival of yeast cells. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Production and Purification of the Native Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hsp12 in Escherichia coli.

    PubMed

    Léger, Antoine; Hocquellet, Agnès; Dieryck, Wilfrid; Moine, Virginie; Marchal, Axel; Marullo, Philippe; Josseaume, Annabelle; Cabanne, Charlotte

    2017-09-20

    Hsp12 is a small heat shock protein produced in many organisms, including the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It has been described as an indicator of yeast stress rate and has also been linked to the sweetness sensation of wine. To obtain a sufficient amount of protein, we produced and purified Hsp12 without tag in Escherichia coli. A simple fast two-step process was developed using a microplate approach and a design of experiments. A capture step on an anion-exchange salt-tolerant resin was followed by size exclusion chromatography for polishing, leading to a purity of 97%. Thereafter, specific anti-Hsp12 antibodies were obtained by rabbit immunization. An ELISA was developed to quantify Hsp12 in various strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The antibodies showed high specificity and allowed the quantitation of Hsp12 in the yeast. The quantities of Hsp12 measured in the strains differed in direct proportion to the level of expression found in previous studies.

  16. The Chromatin Remodeler Isw1 Prevents CAG Repeat Expansions During Transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Koch, Melissa R.; House, Nealia C. M.; Cosetta, Casey M.; Jong, Robyn M.; Salomon, Christelle G.; Joyce, Cailin E.; Philips, Elliot A.; Su, Xiaofeng A.; Freudenreich, Catherine H.

    2018-01-01

    CAG/CTG trinucleotide repeats are unstable sequences that are difficult to replicate, repair, and transcribe due to their structure-forming nature. CAG repeats strongly position nucleosomes; however, little is known about the chromatin remodeling needed to prevent repeat instability. In a Saccharomyces cerevisiae model system with CAG repeats carried on a YAC, we discovered that the chromatin remodeler Isw1 is required to prevent CAG repeat expansions during transcription. CAG repeat expansions in the absence of Isw1 were dependent on both transcription-coupled repair (TCR) and base-excision repair (BER). Furthermore, isw1∆ mutants are sensitive to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and exhibit synergistic MMS sensitivity when combined with BER or TCR pathway mutants. We conclude that CAG expansions in the isw1∆ mutant occur during a transcription-coupled excision repair process that involves both TCR and BER pathways. We observed increased RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) occupancy at the CAG repeat when transcription of the repeat was induced, but RNAPII binding did not change in isw1∆ mutants, ruling out a role for Isw1 remodeling in RNAPII progression. However, nucleosome occupancy over a transcribed CAG tract was altered in isw1∆ mutants. Based on the known role of Isw1 in the reestablishment of nucleosomal spacing after transcription, we suggest that a defect in this function allows DNA structures to form within repetitive DNA tracts, resulting in inappropriate excision repair and repeat-length changes. These results establish a new function for Isw1 in directly maintaining the chromatin structure at the CAG repeat, thereby limiting expansions that can occur during transcription-coupled excision repair. PMID:29305386

  17. The postmitotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae after spaceflight showed higher viability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yi, Zong-Chun; Li, Xiao-Fei; Wang, Yan; Wang, Jie; Sun, Yan; Zhuang, Feng-Yuan

    2011-06-01

    The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been proposed as an ideal model organism for clarifying the biological effects caused by spaceflight conditions. The postmitotic S. cerevisiae cells onboard Practice eight recoverable satellite were subjected to spaceflight for 15 days. After recovery, the viability, the glycogen content, the activities of carbohydrate metabolism enzymes, the DNA content and the lipid peroxidation level in yeast cells were analyzed. The viability of the postmitotic yeast cells after spaceflight showed a three-fold increase as compared with that of the ground control cells. Compared to the ground control cells, the lipid peroxidation level in the spaceflight yeast cells markedly decreased. The spaceflight yeast cells also showed an increase in G2/M cell population and a decrease in Sub-G1 cell population. The glycogen content and the activities of hexokinase and succinate dehydrogenase significantly decreased in the yeast cells after spaceflight. In contrast, the activity of malate dehydrogenase showed an obvious increase after spaceflight. These results suggested that microgravity or spaceflight could promote the survival of postmitotic S. cerevisiae cells through regulating carbohydrate metabolism, ROS level and cell cycle progression.

  18. Immunoproteomic profiling of Saccharomyces cerevisiae systemic infection in a murine model.

    PubMed

    Hernández-Haro, Carolina; Llopis, Silvia; Molina, María; Monteoliva, Lucía; Gil, Concha

    2015-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is considered a safe microorganism widely used as a dietary supplement. However, in the latest decades several cases of S. cerevisiae infections have been reported. Recent studies in a murine model of systemic infection have also revealed the virulence of some S. cerevisiae dietary strains. Here we use an immunoproteomic approach based on protein separation by 2D-PAGE followed by Western-blotting to compare the serological response against a virulent dietary and a non-virulent laboratory strains leading to the identification of highly different patterns of antigenic proteins. Thirty-six proteins that elicit a serological response in mice have been identified. Most of them are involved in stress responses and metabolic pathways. Their selectivity as putative biomarkers for S. cerevisiae infections was assessed by testing sera from S. cerevisiae-infected mice against Candida albicans and C. glabrata proteins. Some chaperones and metabolic proteins showed cross-reactivity. We also compare the S. cerevisiae immunodetected proteins with previously described C. albicans antigens. The results point to the stress-related proteins Ahp1, Yhb1 and Oye2, as well as the glutamine synthetase Gln1 and the oxysosterol binding protein Kes1 as putative candidates for being evaluated as biomarkers for diagnostic assays of S. cerevisiae infections. S. cerevisiae can cause opportunistic infections, and therefore, a precise diagnosis of fungal infections is necessary. This immunoproteomic analysis of sera from a model murine infection with a virulent dietary S. cerevisiae strain has been shown to be a source of candidate proteins for being evaluated as biomarkers to develop assays for diagnosis of S. cerevisiae infections. To our knowledge, this is the first study devoted to the identification of S. cerevisiae immunogenic proteins and the results allowed the proposal of five antigens to be further investigated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Effects of GSH1 and GSH2 Gene Mutation on Glutathione Synthetases Activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Xu, Wen; Jia, Haiyan; Zhang, Longmei; Wang, Haiyan; Tang, Hui; Zhang, Liping

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, three mutants from wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae HBU2.558, called U2.558, UN2.558, and UNA2.558, were screened by UV, sodium nitrite, Atmospheric and room temperature plasma, respectively. Glutathione production of the three mutants increased by 41.86, 72.09 and 56.76%, respectively. We detected the activity of glutathione synthetases and found that its activity was improved. Amino acid sequences of three mutant colonies were compared with HBU2.558. Four mutants: Leu51→Pro51 (L51P), Glu62→Val62 (E62V), Ala332→Glu332 (A332E) and Ser653→Gly653 (S653G) were found in the analysis of γ-glutamylcysteine ligase. L51 is located adjacently to the two active sites of GCL/E/Mg 2+ /ADP complex in the overall GCL structure. L51P mutant spread distortion on the β-sheet due to the fact that the φ was changed from -50.4° to -40.2°. A mutant Leu54→Pro54 (L54P) was found in the analysis of glutathione synthetase, and L54 was an amino acid located between an α-helix and a β-sheet. The results confirm that introduction of proline located at the middle of the β-sheet or at the N- or C-terminal between α-helix and β-sheet or, i.e., L51P and L54P, changed the φ, rigidity, hydrophobicity and conformational entropy, thus increased protein stability and improved the enzyme activity.

  20. Regulatory link between steryl ester formation and hydrolysis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Ploier, Birgit; Korber, Martina; Schmidt, Claudia; Koch, Barbara; Leitner, Erich; Daum, Günther

    2015-07-01

    Steryl esters and triacylglycerols are the major storage lipids of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Steryl esters are formed in the endoplasmic reticulum by the two acyl-CoA:sterol acyltransferases Are1p and Are2p, whereas steryl ester hydrolysis is catalyzed by the three steryl ester hydrolases Yeh1p, Yeh2p and Tgl1p. To shed light on the regulatory link between steryl ester formation and hydrolysis in the maintenance of cellular sterol and free fatty acid levels we employed yeast mutants which lacked the enzymes catalyzing the degradation of steryl esters. These studies revealed feedback regulation of steryl ester formation by steryl ester hydrolysis although in a Δtgl1Δyeh1Δyeh2 triple mutant the gene expression levels of ARE1 and ARE2 as well as protein levels and stability of Are1p and Are2p were not altered. Nevertheless, the capacity of the triple mutant to synthesize steryl esters was significantly reduced as shown by in vitro and in vivo labeling of lipids with [(14)C]oleic acid and [(14)C]acetate. Enzymatic analysis revealed that inhibition of steryl ester formation occurred at the enzyme level. As the amounts and the formation of sterols and fatty acids were also decreased in the triple mutant we concluded that defects in steryl ester hydrolysis also caused feedback inhibition on the formation of sterols and fatty acids which serve as precursors for steryl ester formation. In summary, this study demonstrates a regulatory link within the steryl ester metabolic network which contributes to non-polar lipid homeostasis in yeast cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. High-throughput transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using liquid handling robots.

    PubMed

    Liu, Guangbo; Lanham, Clayton; Buchan, J Ross; Kaplan, Matthew E

    2017-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) is a powerful eukaryotic model organism ideally suited to high-throughput genetic analyses, which time and again has yielded insights that further our understanding of cell biology processes conserved in humans. Lithium Acetate (LiAc) transformation of yeast with DNA for the purposes of exogenous protein expression (e.g., plasmids) or genome mutation (e.g., gene mutation, deletion, epitope tagging) is a useful and long established method. However, a reliable and optimized high throughput transformation protocol that runs almost no risk of human error has not been described in the literature. Here, we describe such a method that is broadly transferable to most liquid handling high-throughput robotic platforms, which are now commonplace in academic and industry settings. Using our optimized method, we are able to comfortably transform approximately 1200 individual strains per day, allowing complete transformation of typical genomic yeast libraries within 6 days. In addition, use of our protocol for gene knockout purposes also provides a potentially quicker, easier and more cost-effective approach to generating collections of double mutants than the popular and elegant synthetic genetic array methodology. In summary, our methodology will be of significant use to anyone interested in high throughput molecular and/or genetic analysis of yeast.

  2. Characterization of Alcohol-induced Filamentous Growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Lorenz, Michael C.; Cutler, N. Shane; Heitman, Joseph

    2000-01-01

    Diploid cells of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae starved for nitrogen differentiate into a filamentous growth form. Poor carbon sources such as starches can also stimulate filamentation, whereas haploid cells undergo a similar invasive growth response in rich medium. Previous work has demonstrated a role for various alcohols, by-products of amino acid metabolism, in altering cellular morphology. We found that several alcohols, notably isoamyl alcohol and 1-butanol, stimulate filamentous growth in haploid cells in which this differentiation is normally repressed. Butanol also induces cell elongation and changes in budding pattern, leading to a pseudohyphal morphology, even in liquid medium. The filamentous colony morphology and cell elongation require elements of the pheromone-responsive MAPK cascade and TEC1, whereas components of the nutrient-sensing machinery, such as MEP2, GPA2, and GPR1, do not affect this phenomenon. A screen for 1-butanol–insensitive mutants identified additional proteins that regulate polarized growth (BUD8, BEM1, BEM4, and FIG1), mitochondrial function (MSM1, MRP21, and HMI1), and a transcriptional regulator (CHD1). Furthermore, we have also found that ethanol stimulates hyperfilamentation in diploid cells, again in a MAPK-dependent manner. Together, these results suggest that yeast may sense a combination of nutrient limitation and metabolic by-products to regulate differentiation. PMID:10637301

  3. The rate of metabolism as a factor determining longevity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast.

    PubMed

    Molon, Mateusz; Szajwaj, Monika; Tchorzewski, Marek; Skoczowski, Andrzej; Niewiadomska, Ewa; Zadrag-Tecza, Renata

    2016-02-01

    Despite many controversies, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae continues to be used as a model organism for the study of aging. Numerous theories and hypotheses have been created for several decades, yet basic mechanisms of aging have remained unclear. Therefore, the principal aim of this work is to propose a possible mechanism leading to increased longevity in yeast. In this paper, we suggest for the first time that there is a link between decreased metabolic activity, fertility and longevity expressed as time of life in yeast. Determination of reproductive potential and total lifespan with the use of fob1Δ and sfp1Δ mutants allows us to compare the "longevity" presented as the number of produced daughters with the longevity expressed as the time of life. The results of analyses presented in this paper suggest the need for a change in the definition of longevity of yeast by taking into consideration the time parameter. The mutants that have been described as "long-lived" in the literature, such as the fob1Δ mutant, have an increased reproductive potential but live no longer than their standard counterparts. On the other hand, the sfp1Δ mutant and the wild-type strain produce a similar number of daughter cells, but the former lives much longer. Our results demonstrate a correlation between the decreased efficiency of the translational apparatus and the longevity of the sfp1Δ mutant. We suggest that a possible factor regulating the lifespan is the rate of cell metabolism. To measure the basic metabolism of the yeast cells, we used the isothermal microcalorimetry method. In the case of sfp1Δ, the flow of energy, ATP concentration, polysome profile and translational fitness are significantly lower in comparison with the wild-type strain and the fob1Δ mutant.

  4. Switching the mode of metabolism in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Otterstedt, Karin; Larsson, Christer; Bill, Roslyn M; Ståhlberg, Anders; Boles, Eckhard; Hohmann, Stefan; Gustafsson, Lena

    2004-01-01

    The biochemistry of most metabolic pathways is conserved from bacteria to humans, although the control mechanisms are adapted to the needs of each cell type. Oxygen depletion commonly controls the switch from respiration to fermentation. However, Saccharomyces cerevisiae also controls that switch in response to the external glucose level. We have generated an S. cerevisiae strain in which glucose uptake is dependent on a chimeric hexose transporter mediating reduced sugar uptake. This strain shows a fully respiratory metabolism also at high glucose levels as seen for aerobic organisms, and switches to fermentation only when oxygen is lacking. These observations illustrate that manipulating a single step can alter the mode of metabolism. The novel yeast strain is an excellent tool to study the mechanisms underlying glucose-induced signal transduction. PMID:15071495

  5. System-level analysis of genes and functions affecting survival during nutrient starvation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Gresham, David; Boer, Viktor M; Caudy, Amy; Ziv, Naomi; Brandt, Nathan J; Storey, John D; Botstein, David

    2011-01-01

    An essential property of all cells is the ability to exit from active cell division and persist in a quiescent state. For single-celled microbes this primarily occurs in response to nutrient deprivation. We studied the genetic requirements for survival of Saccharomyces cerevisiae when starved for either of two nutrients: phosphate or leucine. We measured the survival of nearly all nonessential haploid null yeast mutants in mixed populations using a quantitative sequencing method that estimates the abundance of each mutant on the basis of frequency of unique molecular barcodes. Starvation for phosphate results in a population half-life of 337 hr whereas starvation for leucine results in a half-life of 27.7 hr. To measure survival of individual mutants in each population we developed a statistical framework that accounts for the multiple sources of experimental variation. From the identities of the genes in which mutations strongly affect survival, we identify genetic evidence for several cellular processes affecting survival during nutrient starvation, including autophagy, chromatin remodeling, mRNA processing, and cytoskeleton function. In addition, we found evidence that mitochondrial and peroxisome function is required for survival. Our experimental and analytical methods represent an efficient and quantitative approach to characterizing genetic functions and networks with unprecedented resolution and identified genotype-by-environment interactions that have important implications for interpretation of studies of aging and quiescence in yeast.

  6. Faithful chromosome transmission requires Spt4p, a putative regulator of chromatin structure in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Basrai, M A; Kingsbury, J; Koshland, D; Spencer, F; Hieter, P

    1996-01-01

    A chromosome transmission fidelity (ctf) mutant, s138, of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was identified by its centromere (CEN) transcriptional readthrough phenotype, suggesting perturbed kinetochore integrity in vivo. The gene complementing the s138 mutation was found to be identical to the S. cerevisiae SPT4 gene. The s138 mutation is a missense mutation in the second of four conserved cysteine residues positioned similarly to those of zinc finger proteins, and we henceforth refer to the mutation of spt4-138. Both spt4-138 and spt4 delta strains missegregate a chromosome fragment at the permissive temperature, are temperature sensitive for growth at 37 degrees C, and upon a shift to the nonpermissive temperature show an accumulation of large budded cells, each with a nucleus. Previous studies suggest that Spt4p functions in a complex with Spt5p and Spt6p, and we determined that spt6-140 also causes missegregation of a chromosome fragment. Double mutants carrying spt4 delta 2::HIS3 and kinetochore mutation ndc10-42 or ctf13-30 show a synthetic conditional phenotype. Both spt4-138 and spt4 delta strains exhibit synergistic chromosome instability in combination with CEN DNA mutations and show in vitro defects in microtubule binding to minichromosomes. These results indicate that Spt4p plays a role in chromosome segregation. The results of in vivo genetic interactions with mutations in kinetochore proteins and CEN DNA and of in vitro biochemical assays suggest that Spt4p is important for kinetochore function. PMID:8649393

  7. Hst3 and Hst4 histone deacetylases regulate replicative lifespan by preventing genome instability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Hachinohe, Mayumi; Hanaoka, Fumio; Masumoto, Hiroshi

    2011-04-01

    The acetylation of histone H3 on lysine 56 (H3-K56) occurs during S phase and contributes to the processes of DNA damage repair and histone gene transcription. Hst3 and Hst4 have been implicated in the removal of histone H3-K56 acetylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we show that Hst3 and Hst4 regulate the replicative lifespan of S. cerevisiae mother cells. An hst3Δ hst4Δ double-mutant strain, in which acetylation of histone H3-K56 persists throughout the genome during the cell cycle, exhibits genomic instability, which is manifested by a loss of heterozygosity with cell aging. Furthermore, we show that in the absence of other proteins Hst3 and Hst4 can deacetylate nucleosomal histone H3-K56 in a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NAD)(+) -dependent manner. Our results suggest that Hst3 and Hst4 regulate replicative lifespan through their ability to deacetylate histone H3-K56 to minimize genomic instability. © 2011 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2011 by the Molecular Biology Society of Japan/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  8. Yeast caspase-dependent apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4742 induced by antifungal and potential antitumor agent clotrimazole.

    PubMed

    Kavakçıoğlu, Berna; Tarhan, Leman

    2018-01-01

    Clotrimazole is an antifungal medication commonly used in the treatment of fungal infections. There is also promising research on using clotrimazole against other diseases such as malaria, beriberi, tineapedis and cancer. It was aimed to investigate the apoptotic phenotype in Saccharomyces cerevisiae induced by clotrimazole. The exposure of S. cerevisiae to 10 µM clotrimazole for 3, 6 and 9 h caused to decrease in cell viability by 24.82 ± 0.81, 56.00 ± 1.54 and 77.59 ± 0.53%, respectively. It was shown by Annexin V-PI assay that 110 µM clotrimazole treatment caused to death by 35.5 ± 2.48% apoptotic and only 13.1 ± 0.08% necrotic pathway within 30 min. The occurrence of DNA strand breaks and condensation could be visualised by the TUNEL and DAPI stainings, respectively. Yeast caspase activity was induced 12.34 ± 0.71-fold after 110 µM clotrimazole treatment for 30 min compared to the control. The dependency of clotrimazole-induced apoptosis to caspase was also shown using Δyca1 mutant.

  9. Saccharomyces cerevisiae sigma 1278b has novel genes of the N-acetyltransferase gene superfamily required for L-proline analogue resistance.

    PubMed

    Takagi, H; Shichiri, M; Takemura, M; Mohri, M; Nakamori, S

    2000-08-01

    We discovered on the chromosome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sigma 1278b novel genes involved in L-proline analogue L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid resistance which are not present in the standard laboratory strains. The 5.4 kb-DNA fragment was cloned from the genomic library of the L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid-resistant mutant derived from a cross between S. cerevisiae strains S288C and Sigma 1278b. The nucleotide sequence of a 4.5-kb segment exhibited no identity with the sequence in the genome project involving strain S288C. Deletion analysis indicated that one open reading frame encoding a predicted protein of 229 amino acids is indispensable for L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid resistance. The protein sequence was found to be a member of the N-acetyltransferase superfamily. Genomic Southern analysis and gene disruption showed that two copies of the novel gene with one amino acid change at position 85 required for L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid resistance were present on chromosomes X and XIV of Sigma 1278b background strains. When this novel MPR1 or MPR2 gene (sigma 1278b gene for L-proline analogue resistance) was introduced into the other S. cerevisiae strains, all of the recombinants were resistant to L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, indicating that both MPR1 and MPR2 are expressed and have a global function in S. cerevisiae.

  10. Functional relevance of water and glycerol channels in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Sabir, Farzana; Loureiro-Dias, Maria C; Soveral, Graça; Prista, Catarina

    2017-05-01

    Our understanding of the functional relevance of orthodox aquaporins and aquaglyceroporins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is essentially based on phenotypic variations obtained by expression/overexpression/deletion of these major intrinsic proteins in selected strains. These water/glycerol channels are considered crucial during various life-cycle phases, such as sporulation and mating and in some life processes such as rapid freeze-thaw tolerance, osmoregulation and phenomena associated with cell surface. Despite their putative functional roles not only as channels but also as sensors, their underlying mechanisms and their regulation are still poorly understood. In the present review, we summarize and discuss the physiological relevance of S. cerevisiae aquaporins (Aqy1 and Aqy2) and aquaglyceroporins (Fps1 and Yfl054c). In particular, the fact that most S. cerevisiae laboratory strains harbor genes coding for non-functional aquaporins, while wild and industrial strains possess at least one functional aquaporin, suggests that aquaporin activity is required for cell survival under more harsh conditions. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Early transcriptional response to biotic stress in mixed starter fermentations involving Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii.

    PubMed

    Tronchoni, Jordi; Curiel, Jose Antonio; Morales, Pilar; Torres-Pérez, Rafael; Gonzalez, Ramon

    2017-01-16

    Advances in microbial wine biotechnology have led to the recent commercialization of several non-Saccharomyces starter cultures. These are intended to be used in either simultaneous or sequential inoculation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The different types of microbial interactions that can be stablished during wine fermentation acquire an increased relevance in the context of these mixed-starter fermentations. We analysed the transcriptional response to co-cultivation of S. cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii. The study focused in the initial stages of wine fermentation, before S. cerevisiae completely dominates the mixed cultures. Both species showed a clear response to the presence of each other, even though the portion of the genome showing altered transcription levels was relatively small. Changes in the transcription pattern suggested a stimulation of metabolic activity and growth, as a consequence of the presence of competitors in the same medium. The response of S. cerevisiae seems to take place earlier, as compared to T. delbrueckii. Enhanced glycolytic activity of the mixed culture was confirmed by the CO 2 production profile during these early stages of fermentation. Interestingly, HSP12 expression appeared induced by co-cultivation for both of S. cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii in the two time points studied. This might be related with a recently described role of Hsp12 in intercellular communication in yeast. Expression of S. cerevisiae PAU genes was also stimulated in mixed cultures. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  12. Screening for hydrolytic enzymes reveals Ayr1p as a novel triacylglycerol lipase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Ploier, Birgit; Scharwey, Melanie; Koch, Barbara; Schmidt, Claudia; Schatte, Jessica; Rechberger, Gerald; Kollroser, Manfred; Hermetter, Albin; Daum, Günther

    2013-12-13

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as other eukaryotes, preserves fatty acids and sterols in a biologically inert form, as triacylglycerols and steryl esters. The major triacylglycerol lipases of the yeast S. cerevisiae identified so far are Tgl3p, Tgl4p, and Tgl5p (Athenstaedt, K., and Daum, G. (2003) YMR313c/TGL3 encodes a novel triacylglycerol lipase located in lipid particles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Biol. Chem. 278, 23317-23323; Athenstaedt, K., and Daum, G. (2005) Tgl4p and Tgl5p, two triacylglycerol lipases of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are localized to lipid particles. J. Biol. Chem. 280, 37301-37309). We observed that upon cultivation on oleic acid, triacylglycerol mobilization did not come to a halt in a yeast strain deficient in all currently known triacylglycerol lipases, indicating the presence of additional not yet characterized lipases/esterases. Functional proteome analysis using lipase and esterase inhibitors revealed a subset of candidate genes for yet unknown hydrolytic enzymes on peroxisomes and lipid droplets. Based on the conserved GXSXG lipase motif, putative functions, and subcellular localizations, a selected number of candidates were characterized by enzyme assays in vitro, gene expression analysis, non-polar lipid analysis, and in vivo triacylglycerol mobilization assays. These investigations led to the identification of Ayr1p as a novel triacylglycerol lipase of yeast lipid droplets and confirmed the hydrolytic potential of the peroxisomal Lpx1p in vivo. Based on these results, we discuss a possible link between lipid storage, lipid mobilization, and peroxisomal utilization of fatty acids as a carbon source.

  13. Metabolic pathway engineering for fatty acid ethyl ester production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using stable chromosomal integration.

    PubMed

    de Jong, Bouke Wim; Shi, Shuobo; Valle-Rodríguez, Juan Octavio; Siewers, Verena; Nielsen, Jens

    2015-03-01

    Fatty acid ethyl esters are fatty acid derived molecules similar to first generation biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters; FAMEs) which can be produced in a microbial cell factory. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a suitable candidate for microbial large scale and long term cultivations, which is the typical industrial production setting for biofuels. It is crucial to conserve the metabolic design of the cell factory during industrial cultivation conditions that require extensive propagation. Genetic modifications therefore have to be introduced in a stable manner. Here, several metabolic engineering strategies for improved production of fatty acid ethyl esters in S. cerevisiae were combined and the genes were stably expressed from the organisms' chromosomes. A wax ester synthase (ws2) was expressed in different yeast strains with an engineered acetyl-CoA and fatty acid metabolism. Thus, we compared expression of ws2 with and without overexpression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2), acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALD6) and acetyl-CoA synthetase (acs SE (L641P) ) and further evaluated additional overexpression of a mutant version of acetyl-CoA decarboxylase (ACC1 (S1157A,S659A) ) and the acyl-CoA binding protein (ACB1). The combined engineering efforts of the implementation of ws2, ADH2, ALD6 and acs SE (L641P) , ACC1 (S1157A,S659A) and ACB1 in a S. cerevisiae strain lacking storage lipid formation (are1Δ, are2Δ, dga1Δ and lro1Δ) and β-oxidation (pox1Δ) resulted in a 4.1-fold improvement compared with sole expression of ws2 in S. cerevisiae.

  14. Can Zymomonas mobilis Substitute Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Cereal Dough Leavening?

    PubMed Central

    Musatti, Alida; Mapelli, Chiara

    2018-01-01

    Baker’s yeast intolerance is rising among Western populations, where Saccharomyces cerevisiae is spread in fermented food and food components. Zymomonas mobilis is a bacterium commonly used in tropical areas to produce alcoholic beverages, and it has only rarely been considered for dough leavening probably because it only ferments glucose, fructose and sucrose, which are scarcely present in flour. However, through alcoholic fermentation, similarly to S. cerevisiae, it provides an equimolar mixture of ethanol and CO2 that can rise a dough. Here, we propose Z. mobilis as a new leavening agent, as an alternative to S. cerevisiae, overcoming its technological limit with different strategies: (1) adding glucose to the dough formulation; and (2) exploiting the maltose hydrolytic activity of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis associated with Z. mobilis. CO2 production, dough volume increase, pH value, microbial counts, sugars consumption and ethanol production were monitored. Results suggest that glucose addition to the dough lets Z. mobilis efficiently leaven a dough, while glucose released by L. sanfranciscensis is not so well fermented by Z. mobilis, probably due to the strong acidification. Nevertheless, the use of Z. mobilis as a leavening agent could contribute to increasing the variety of baked goods alternative to those leavened by S. cerevisiae. PMID:29659515

  15. 40 CFR 180.1246 - Yeast Extract Hydrolysate from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: exemption from the requirement of a...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Hydrolysate from Saccharomyces cerevisiae on all food commodities when applied/used for the management of... PESTICIDE CHEMICAL RESIDUES IN FOOD Exemptions From Tolerances § 180.1246 Yeast Extract Hydrolysate from...

  16. Induction of polypeptides in Saccharomyces cerevisiae after ultraviolet irradiation.

    PubMed

    Angulo, J F; Schwencke, J; Fernandez, I; Moustacchi, E

    1986-07-31

    Alterations in the synthesis of proteins following exposure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to UV light were investigated using radioactive labelling and two dimensional electrophoresis. UV-irradiation induced the synthesis of various proteins. Among them the analogue of the RecA protein of Escherichia coli (Angulo et al. 1985) and two other polypeptides (34 Kd and 35 Kd, pI 5.8) were observed in all four strains analyzed namely two DNA-repair deficient (rad-) strains: (rad6-1 and pso2-1) and their isogenic wild type RAD+ strains.

  17. An oxalyl-CoA synthetase is important for oxalate metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Although oxalic acid is common in nature, our understanding of the mechanism(s) regulating its turnover remains incomplete. In this study we identify Saccharomyces cerevisiae acyl-activating enzyme 3 (ScAAE3) as an enzyme capable of catalyzing the conversion of oxalate to oxalyl-CoA. Based on our fi...

  18. Ethanol-independent biofilm formation by a flor wine yeast strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Zara, Severino; Gross, Michael K; Zara, Giacomo; Budroni, Marilena; Bakalinsky, Alan T

    2010-06-01

    Flor strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae form a biofilm on the surface of wine at the end of fermentation, when sugar is depleted and growth on ethanol becomes dependent on oxygen. Here, we report greater biofilm formation on glycerol and ethyl acetate and inconsistent formation on succinic, lactic, and acetic acids.

  19. Catabolism of coniferyl aldehyde, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yields less toxic products.

    PubMed

    Adeboye, Peter Temitope; Bettiga, Maurizio; Aldaeus, Fredrik; Larsson, Per Tomas; Olsson, Lisbeth

    2015-09-21

    Lignocellulosic substrates and pulping process streams are of increasing relevance to biorefineries for second generation biofuels and biochemical production. They are known to be rich in sugars and inhibitors such as phenolic compounds, organic acids and furaldehydes. Phenolic compounds are a group of aromatic compounds known to be inhibitory to fermentative organisms. It is known that inhibition of Sacchromyces cerevisiae varies among phenolic compounds and the yeast is capable of in situ catabolic conversion and metabolism of some phenolic compounds. In an approach to engineer a S. cerevisiae strain with higher tolerance to phenolic inhibitors, we selectively investigated the metabolic conversion and physiological effects of coniferyl aldehyde, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Aerobic batch cultivations were separately performed with each of the three phenolic compounds. Conversion of each of the phenolic compounds was observed on time-based qualitative analysis of the culture broth to monitor various intermediate and final metabolites. Coniferyl aldehyde was rapidly converted within the first 24 h, while ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid were more slowly converted over a period of 72 h. The conversion of the three phenolic compounds was observed to involved several transient intermediates that were concurrently formed and converted to other phenolic products. Although there were several conversion products formed from coniferyl aldehyde, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, the conversion products profile from the three compounds were similar. On the physiology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the maximum specific growth rates of the yeast was not affected in the presence of coniferyl aldehyde or ferulic acid, but it was significantly reduced in the presence of p-coumaric acid. The biomass yields on glucose were reduced to 73 and 54 % of the control in the presence of coniferyl aldehyde and ferulic acid, respectively, biomass yield

  20. Acidic Calcium Stores of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Cunningham, Kyle W.

    2011-01-01

    Fungi and animals constitute sister kingdoms in the eukaryotic domain of life. The major classes of transporters, channels, sensors, and effectors that move and respond to calcium ions were already highly networked in the common ancestor of fungi and animals. Since that time, some key components of the network have been moved, altered, relocalized, lost, or duplicated in the fungal and animal lineages and at the same time some of the regulatory circuitry has been dramatically rewired. Today the calcium transport and signaling networks in fungi provide a fresh perspective on the scene that has emerged from studies of the network in animal cells. This review provides an overview of calcium signaling networks in fungi, particularly the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with special attention to the dominant roles of acidic calcium stores in fungal cell physiology. PMID:21377728

  1. Identification and Characterization of Major Lipid Particle Proteins of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Athenstaedt, Karin; Zweytick, Dagmar; Jandrositz, Anita; Kohlwein, Sepp Dieter; Daum, Günther

    1999-01-01

    Lipid particles of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated at high purity, and their proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Major lipid particle proteins were identified by mass spectrometric analysis, and the corresponding open reading frames (ORFs) were deduced. In silicio analysis revealed that all lipid particle proteins contain several hydrophobic domains but none or only few (hypothetical) transmembrane spanning regions. All lipid particle proteins identified by function so far, such as Erg1p, Erg6p, and Erg7p (ergosterol biosynthesis) and Faa1p, Faa4p, and Fat1p (fatty acid metabolism), are involved in lipid metabolism. Based on sequence homology, another group of three lipid particle proteins may be involved in lipid degradation. To examine whether lipid particle proteins of unknown function are also involved in lipid synthesis, mutants with deletions of the respective ORFs were constructed and subjected to systematic lipid analysis. Deletion of YDL193w resulted in a lethal phenotype which could not be suppressed by supplementation with ergosterol or fatty acids. Other deletion mutants were viable under standard conditions. Strains with YBR177c, YMR313c, and YKL140w deleted exhibited phospholipid and/or neutral lipid patterns that were different from the wild-type strain and thus may be further candidate ORFs involved in yeast lipid metabolism. PMID:10515935

  2. [Dot1 and Set2 Histone Methylases Control the Spontaneous and UV-Induced Mutagenesis Levels in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeasts].

    PubMed

    Kozhina, T N; Evstiukhina, T A; Peshekhonov, V T; Chernenkov, A Yu; Korolev, V G

    2016-03-01

    In the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts, the DOT1 gene product provides methylation of lysine 79 (K79) of hi- stone H3 and the SET2 gene product provides the methylation of lysine 36 (K36) of the same histone. We determined that the dot1 and set2 mutants suppress the UV-induced mutagenesis to an equally high degree. The dot1 mutation demonstrated statistically higher sensitivity to the low doses of MMC than the wild type strain. The analysis of the interaction between the dot1 and rad52 mutations revealed a considerable level of spontaneous cell death in the double dot1 rad52 mutant. We observed strong suppression of the gamma-in- duced mutagenesis in the set2 mutant. We determined that the dot1 and set2 mutations decrease the sponta- neous mutagenesis rate in both single and d ouble mutants. The epistatic interaction between the dot1 and set2 mutations and almost similar sensitivity of the corresponding mutants to the different types of DNA damage allow one to conclude that both genes are involved in the control of the same DNA repair pathways, the ho- mologous-recombination-based and the postreplicative DNA repair.

  3. Proline accumulation protects Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in stationary phase from ethanol stress by reducing reactive oxygen species levels.

    PubMed

    Takagi, Hiroshi; Taguchi, Junpei; Kaino, Tomohiro

    2016-08-01

    During fermentation processes, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are exposed to multiple stresses, including a high concentration of ethanol that represents toxicity through intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. We previously reported that proline protected yeast cells from damage caused by various stresses, such as freezing and ethanol. As an anti-oxidant, proline is suggested to scavenge intracellular ROS. In this study, we examined the role of intracellular proline during ethanol treatment in S. cerevisiae strains that accumulate different concentrations of proline. When cultured in YPD medium, there was a significant accumulation of proline in the put1 mutant strain, which is deficient in proline oxidase, in the stationary phase. Expression of the mutant PRO1 gene, which encodes the γ-glutamyl kinase variant (Asp154Asn or Ile150Thr) with desensitization to feedback inhibition by proline in the put1 mutant strain, showed a prominent increase in proline content as compared with that of the wild-type strain. The oxidation level was clearly increased in wild-type cells after exposure to ethanol, indicating that the generation of ROS occurred. Interestingly, proline accumulation significantly reduces the ROS level and increases the survival rate of yeast cells in the stationary phase under ethanol stress conditions. However, there was not a clear correlation between proline content and survival rate in yeast cells. An appropriate level of intracellular proline in yeast might be important for its stress-protective effect. Hence, the engineering of proline metabolism could be promising for breeding stress-tolerant industrial yeast strains. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. The F-Box Protein Rcy1p Is Involved in Endocytic Membrane Traffic and Recycling Out of an Early Endosome in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Wiederkehr, Andreas; Avaro, Sandrine; Prescianotto-Baschong, Cristina; Haguenauer-Tsapis, Rosine; Riezman, Howard

    2000-01-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, endocytic material is transported through different membrane-bound compartments before it reaches the vacuole. In a screen for mutants that affect membrane trafficking along the endocytic pathway, we have identified a novel mutant disrupted for the gene YJL204c that we have renamed RCY1 (recycling 1). Deletion of RCY1 leads to an early block in the endocytic pathway before the intersection with the vacuolar protein sorting pathway. Mutation of RCY1 leads to the accumulation of an enlarged compartment that contains the t-SNARE Tlg1p and lies close to areas of cell expansion. In addition, endocytic markers such as Ste2p and the fluorescent dyes, Lucifer yellow and FM4-64, were found in a similar enlarged compartment after their internalization. To determine whether rcy1Δ is defective for recycling, we have developed an assay that measures the recycling of previously internalized FM4-64. This method enables us to follow the recycling pathway in yeast in real time. Using this assay, it could be demonstrated that recycling of membranes is rapid in S. cerevisiae and that a major fraction of internalized FM4-64 is secreted back into the medium within a few minutes. The rcy1Δ mutant is strongly defective in recycling. PMID:10769031

  5. Functional expression of a heterologous nickel-dependent, ATP-independent urease in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Milne, N; Luttik, M A H; Cueto Rojas, H F; Wahl, A; van Maris, A J A; Pronk, J T; Daran, J M

    2015-07-01

    In microbial processes for production of proteins, biomass and nitrogen-containing commodity chemicals, ATP requirements for nitrogen assimilation affect product yields on the energy producing substrate. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a current host for heterologous protein production and potential platform for production of nitrogen-containing chemicals, uptake and assimilation of ammonium requires 1 ATP per incorporated NH3. Urea assimilation by this yeast is more energy efficient but still requires 0.5 ATP per NH3 produced. To decrease ATP costs for nitrogen assimilation, the S. cerevisiae gene encoding ATP-dependent urease (DUR1,2) was replaced by a Schizosaccharomyces pombe gene encoding ATP-independent urease (ure2), along with its accessory genes ureD, ureF and ureG. Since S. pombe ure2 is a Ni(2+)-dependent enzyme and Saccharomyces cerevisiae does not express native Ni(2+)-dependent enzymes, the S. pombe high-affinity nickel-transporter gene (nic1) was also expressed. Expression of the S. pombe genes into dur1,2Δ S. cerevisiae yielded an in vitro ATP-independent urease activity of 0.44±0.01 µmol min(-1) mg protein(-1) and restored growth on urea as sole nitrogen source. Functional expression of the Nic1 transporter was essential for growth on urea at low Ni(2+) concentrations. The maximum specific growth rates of the engineered strain on urea and ammonium were lower than those of a DUR1,2 reference strain. In glucose-limited chemostat cultures with urea as nitrogen source, the engineered strain exhibited an increased release of ammonia and reduced nitrogen content of the biomass. Our results indicate a new strategy for improving yeast-based production of nitrogen-containing chemicals and demonstrate that Ni(2+)-dependent enzymes can be functionally expressed in S. cerevisiae. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Improved Acetic Acid Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Overexpression of the WHI2 Gene Identified through Inverse Metabolic Engineering

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Yingying; Stabryla, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    Development of acetic acid-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae is important for economically viable production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass, but the goal remains a critical challenge due to limited information on effective genetic perturbation targets for improving acetic acid resistance in the yeast. This study employed a genomic-library-based inverse metabolic engineering approach to successfully identify a novel gene target, WHI2 (encoding a cytoplasmatic globular scaffold protein), which elicited improved acetic acid resistance in S. cerevisiae. Overexpression of WHI2 significantly improved glucose and/or xylose fermentation under acetic acid stress in engineered yeast. The WHI2-overexpressing strain had 5-times-higher specific ethanol productivity than the control in glucose fermentation with acetic acid. Analysis of the expression of WHI2 gene products (including protein and transcript) determined that acetic acid induced endogenous expression of Whi2 in S. cerevisiae. Meanwhile, the whi2Δ mutant strain had substantially higher susceptibility to acetic acid than the wild type, suggesting the important role of Whi2 in the acetic acid response in S. cerevisiae. Additionally, overexpression of WHI2 and of a cognate phosphatase gene, PSR1, had a synergistic effect in improving acetic acid resistance, suggesting that Whi2 might function in combination with Psr1 to elicit the acetic acid resistance mechanism. These results improve our understanding of the yeast response to acetic acid stress and provide a new strategy to breed acetic acid-resistant yeast strains for renewable biofuel production. PMID:26826231

  7. The Conserved ATPase Get3/Arr4 Modulates the Activity of Membrane-Associated Proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Auld, Kathryn L.; Hitchcock, Amy L.; Doherty, Hugh K.; Frietze, Seth; Huang, Linda S.; Silver, Pamela A.

    2006-01-01

    The regulation of cellular membrane dynamics is crucial for maintaining proper cell growth and division. The Cdc48-Npl4-Ufd1 complex is required for several regulated membrane-associated processes as part of the ubiquitin–proteasome system, including ER-associated degradation and the control of lipid composition in yeast. In this study we report the results of a genetic screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for extragenic suppressors of a temperature-sensitive npl4 allele and the subsequent analysis of one suppressor, GET3/ARR4. The GET3 gene encodes an ATPase with homology to the regulatory component of the bacterial arsenic pump. Mutants of GET3 rescue several phenotypes of the npl4 mutant and transcription of GET3 is coregulated with the proteasome, illustrating a functional relationship between GET3 and NPL4 in the ubiquitin–proteasome system. We have further found that Get3 biochemically interacts with the trans-membrane domain proteins Get1/Mdm39 and Get2/Rmd7 and that Δget3 is able to suppress phenotypes of get1 and get2 mutants, including sporulation defects. In combination, our characterization of GET3 genetic and biochemical interactions with NPL4, GET1, and GET2 implicates Get3 in multiple membrane-dependent pathways. PMID:16816426

  8. The PSO4 gene is responsible for an error-prone recombinational DNA repair pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    de Andrade, H H; Marques, E K; Schenberg, A C; Henriques, J A

    1989-06-01

    The induction of mitotic gene conversion and crossing-over in Saccharomyces cerevisiae diploid cells homozygous for the pso4-1 mutation was examined in comparison to the corresponding wild-type strain. The pso4-1 mutant strain was found to be completely blocked in mitotic recombination induced by photoaddition of mono- and bifunctional psoralen derivatives as well as by mono- (HN1) and bifunctional (HN2) nitrogen mustards or 254 nm UV radiation in both stationary and exponential phases of growth. Concerning the lethal effect, diploids homozygous for the pso4-1 mutation are more sensitive to all agents tested in any growth phase. However, this effect is more pronounced in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. These results imply that the ploidy effect and the resistance of budding cells are under the control of the PSO4 gene. On the other hand, the pso4-1 mutant is mutationally defective for all agents used. Therefore, the pso4-1 mutant has a generalized block in both recombination and mutation ability. This indicates that the PSO4 gene is involved in an error-prone repair pathway which relies on a recombinational mechanism, strongly suggesting an analogy between the pso4-1 mutation and the RecA or LexA mutation of Escherichia coli.

  9. Integrated phospholipidomics and transcriptomics analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with enhanced tolerance to a mixture of acetic acid, furfural, and phenol

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A mixture of acetic acid, furfural and phenol (AFP), three representative lignocellulose derived inhibitors, significantly inhibited the growth and bioethanol production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to uncover mechanisms behind the enhanced tolerance of an inhibitor-tolerant S.cerevisiae s...

  10. Engineering and Evolution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Produce Biofuels and Chemicals.

    PubMed

    Turner, Timothy L; Kim, Heejin; Kong, In Iok; Liu, Jing-Jing; Zhang, Guo-Chang; Jin, Yong-Su

    To mitigate global climate change caused partly by the use of fossil fuels, the production of fuels and chemicals from renewable biomass has been attempted. The conversion of various sugars from renewable biomass into biofuels by engineered baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is one major direction which has grown dramatically in recent years. As well as shifting away from fossil fuels, the production of commodity chemicals by engineered S. cerevisiae has also increased significantly. The traditional approaches of biochemical and metabolic engineering to develop economic bioconversion processes in laboratory and industrial settings have been accelerated by rapid advancements in the areas of yeast genomics, synthetic biology, and systems biology. Together, these innovations have resulted in rapid and efficient manipulation of S. cerevisiae to expand fermentable substrates and diversify value-added products. Here, we discuss recent and major advances in rational (relying on prior experimentally-derived knowledge) and combinatorial (relying on high-throughput screening and genomics) approaches to engineer S. cerevisiae for producing ethanol, butanol, 2,3-butanediol, fatty acid ethyl esters, isoprenoids, organic acids, rare sugars, antioxidants, and sugar alcohols from glucose, xylose, cellobiose, galactose, acetate, alginate, mannitol, arabinose, and lactose.

  11. Purification of FKBP-70, a novel immunophilin from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and cloning of its structural gene, FPR3.

    PubMed

    Manning-Krieg, U C; Henríquez, R; Cammas, F; Graff, P; Gavériaux, S; Movva, N R

    1994-09-19

    A novel protein, belonging to the yeast family of FKBPs (FK-binding proteins), FKBP-70, was isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by its interaction with the immunosuppressive agent FK-520. Its structural gene, FPR3, was cloned and the protein expressed and purified from Escherichia coli. This third member of the FKBP family in yeast is homologous to the other FKBPs at its carboxy terminus, showing conserved ligand binding and proline isomerase regions. It is, however, a longer acidic protein with several potential nuclear targeting sequences and a region of homology to nucleolins. Yeast strains deleted for FPR3, as well as a triple deletion mutant of this family of genes, FPR1, FPR2 and FPR3, are viable under normal conditions of growth, indicating that the FPR genes are not essential for life.

  12. Flocculation causes inhibitor tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for second-generation bioethanol production.

    PubMed

    Westman, Johan O; Mapelli, Valeria; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J; Franzén, Carl Johan

    2014-11-01

    Yeast has long been considered the microorganism of choice for second-generation bioethanol production due to its fermentative capacity and ethanol tolerance. However, tolerance toward inhibitors derived from lignocellulosic materials is still an issue. Flocculating yeast strains often perform relatively well in inhibitory media, but inhibitor tolerance has never been clearly linked to the actual flocculation ability per se. In this study, variants of the flocculation gene FLO1 were transformed into the genome of the nonflocculating laboratory yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK 113-7D. Three mutants with distinct differences in flocculation properties were isolated and characterized. The degree of flocculation and hydrophobicity of the cells were correlated to the length of the gene variant. The effect of different strength of flocculation on the fermentation performance of the strains was studied in defined medium with or without fermentation inhibitors, as well as in media based on dilute acid spruce hydrolysate. Strong flocculation aided against the readily convertible inhibitor furfural but not against less convertible inhibitors such as carboxylic acids. During fermentation of dilute acid spruce hydrolysate, the most strongly flocculating mutant with dense cell flocs showed significantly faster sugar consumption. The modified strain with the weakest flocculation showed a hexose consumption profile similar to the untransformed strain. These findings may explain why flocculation has evolved as a stress response and can find application in fermentation-based biorefinery processes on lignocellulosic raw materials. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  13. Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or boulardii yeasts on acute stress induced intestinal dysmotility.

    PubMed

    West, Christine; Stanisz, Andrew M; Wong, Annette; Kunze, Wolfgang A

    2016-12-28

    To investigate the capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ( S. cerevisiae ) and Saccharomyces boulardii ( S. boulardii ) yeasts to reverse or to treat acute stress-related intestinal dysmotility. Adult Swiss Webster mice were stressed for 1 h in a wire-mesh restraint to induce symptoms of intestinal dysmotility and were subsequently killed by cervical dislocation. Jejunal and colon tissue were excised and placed within a tissue perfusion bath in which S. cerevisiae , S. boulardii , or their supernatants were administered into the lumen. Video recordings of contractility and gut diameter changes were converted to spatiotemporal maps and the velocity, frequency, and amplitude of propagating contractile clusters (PCC) were measured. Motility pre- and post-treatment was compared between stressed animals and unstressed controls. S. boulardii and S. cerevisiae helped to mediate the effects of stress on the small and large intestine. Restraint stress reduced jejunal transit velocity (mm/s) from 2.635 ± 0.316 to 1.644 ± 0.238, P < 0.001 and jejunal transit frequency (Hz) from 0.032 ± 0.008 to 0.016 ± 0.005, P < 0.001. Restraint stress increased colonic transit velocity (mm/s) from 0.864 ± 0.183 to 1.432 ± 0.329, P < 0.001 and frequency to a lesser degree. Luminal application of S. boulardii helped to restore jejunal and colonic velocity towards the unstressed controls; 1.833 ± 0.688 to 2.627 ± 0.664, P < 0.001 and 1.516 ± 0.263 to 1.036 ± 0.21, P < 0.001, respectively. S. cerevisiae also had therapeutic effects on the stressed gut, but was most apparent in the jejunum. S. cerevisiae increased PCC velocity in the stressed jejunum from 1.763 ± 0.397 to 2.017 ± 0.48, P = 0.0031 and PCC frequency from 0.016 ± 0.009 to 0.027 ± 0.007, P < 0.001. S. cerevisiae decreased colon PCC velocity from 1.647 ± 0.187 to 1.038 ± 0.222, P < 0.001. Addition of S. boulardii or S. cerevisiae supernatants also helped to restore motility to unstressed values in similar capacity

  14. Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or boulardii yeasts on acute stress induced intestinal dysmotility

    PubMed Central

    West, Christine; Stanisz, Andrew M; Wong, Annette; Kunze, Wolfgang A

    2016-01-01

    AIM To investigate the capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) and Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) yeasts to reverse or to treat acute stress-related intestinal dysmotility. METHODS Adult Swiss Webster mice were stressed for 1 h in a wire-mesh restraint to induce symptoms of intestinal dysmotility and were subsequently killed by cervical dislocation. Jejunal and colon tissue were excised and placed within a tissue perfusion bath in which S. cerevisiae, S. boulardii, or their supernatants were administered into the lumen. Video recordings of contractility and gut diameter changes were converted to spatiotemporal maps and the velocity, frequency, and amplitude of propagating contractile clusters (PCC) were measured. Motility pre- and post-treatment was compared between stressed animals and unstressed controls. RESULTS S. boulardii and S. cerevisiae helped to mediate the effects of stress on the small and large intestine. Restraint stress reduced jejunal transit velocity (mm/s) from 2.635 ± 0.316 to 1.644 ± 0.238, P < 0.001 and jejunal transit frequency (Hz) from 0.032 ± 0.008 to 0.016 ± 0.005, P < 0.001. Restraint stress increased colonic transit velocity (mm/s) from 0.864 ± 0.183 to 1.432 ± 0.329, P < 0.001 and frequency to a lesser degree. Luminal application of S. boulardii helped to restore jejunal and colonic velocity towards the unstressed controls; 1.833 ± 0.688 to 2.627 ± 0.664, P < 0.001 and 1.516 ± 0.263 to 1.036 ± 0.21, P < 0.001, respectively. S. cerevisiae also had therapeutic effects on the stressed gut, but was most apparent in the jejunum. S. cerevisiae increased PCC velocity in the stressed jejunum from 1.763 ± 0.397 to 2.017 ± 0.48, P = 0.0031 and PCC frequency from 0.016 ± 0.009 to 0.027 ± 0.007, P < 0.001. S. cerevisiae decreased colon PCC velocity from 1.647 ± 0.187 to 1.038 ± 0.222, P < 0.001. Addition of S. boulardii or S. cerevisiae supernatants also helped to restore motility to unstressed values in similar

  15. Thiamin biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Origin of carbon-2 of the thiazole moiety.

    PubMed Central

    White, R L; Spenser, I D

    1979-01-01

    Radioactivity from [2-14C]glycine enters C-2 of the thiazole moiety of thiamin and no other site, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strains A.T.C.C. 24903 and 39916, H.J. Bunker). Radioactivity from L-[Me-14C]methionine or from DL-[2-14C]tyrosine does not enter thiamin. PMID:384994

  16. Lachancea thermotolerans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in simultaneous and sequential co-fermentation: a strategy to enhance acidity and improve the overall quality of wine.

    PubMed

    Gobbi, Mirko; Comitini, Francesca; Domizio, Paola; Romani, Cristina; Lencioni, Livio; Mannazzu, Ilaria; Ciani, Maurizio

    2013-04-01

    In the last few years there is an increasing interest on the use of mixed fermentation of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts for inoculation of wine fermentations to enhance the quality and improve complexity of wines. In the present work Lachancea (Kluyveromyces) thermotolerans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were evaluated in simultaneous and sequential fermentation with the aim to enhance acidity and improve the quality of wine. In this specific pairing of yeast strains in mixed fermentations (S. cerevisiae EC1118 and L. thermotolerans 101), this non-Saccharomyces yeast showed a high level of competitiveness. Nevertheless the S. cerevisiae strain dominated the fermentation over the spontaneous S. cerevisiae strains also under the industrial fermentation conditions. The different condition tested (modalities of inoculum, temperature of fermentation, different grape juice) influenced the specific interactions and the fermentation behaviour of the co-culture of S. cerevisiae and L. thermotolerans. However, some metabolic behaviours such as pH reduction and enhancement of 2-phenylethanol and glycerol, were shown here under all of the conditions tested. The specific chemical profiles of these wines were confirmed by the sensory analysis test, which expressed these results at the tasting level as significant increases in the spicy notes and in terms of total acidity increases. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Isolation and characterization of a resident tolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain from a spent sulfite liquor fermentation plant

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Spent Sulfite Liquor (SSL) from wood pulping facilities is a sugar rich effluent that can be used as feedstock for ethanol production. However, depending on the pulping process conditions, the release of monosaccharides also generates a range of compounds that negatively affect microbial fermentation. In the present study, we investigated whether endogenous yeasts in SSL-based ethanol plant could represent a source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with a naturally acquired tolerance towards this inhibitory environment. Two isolation processes were performed, before and after the re-inoculation of the plant with a commercial baker’s yeast strain. The isolates were clustered by DNA fingerprinting and a recurrent Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, different from the inoculated commercial baker’s yeast strain, was isolated. The strain, named TMB3720, flocculated heavily and presented high furaldehyde reductase activity. During fermentation of undiluted SSL, TMB3720 displayed a 4-fold higher ethanol production rate and 1.8-fold higher ethanol yield as compared to the commercial baker’s yeast. Another non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae species, identified as the pentose utilizing Pichia galeiformis, was also recovered in the last tanks of the process where the hexose to pentose sugar ratio and the inhibitory pressure are expected to be the lowest. PMID:23237549

  18. Metabolic construction strategies for direct methanol utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Dai, Zhongxue; Gu, Honglian; Zhang, Shangjie; Xin, Fengxue; Zhang, Wenming; Dong, Weiliang; Ma, Jiangfeng; Jia, Honghua; Jiang, Min

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this study was to metabolically construct Saccharomyces cerevisiae for achievement of direct methanol utilization and value added product (mainly pyruvate) production. After successful integration of methanol oxidation pathway originated from Pichia pastoris into the chromosome of S. cerevisiae, the recombinant showed 1.04g/L consumption of methanol and 3.13% increase of cell growth (OD 600 ) when using methanol as the sole carbon source. Moreover, 0.26g/L of pyruvate was detected in the fermentation broth. The supplementation of 1g/L yeast extract could further improve cell growth with increase of 11.70% and methanol consumption to 2.35g/L. This represents the first genetically modified non-methylotrophic eukaryotic microbe for direct methanol utilization and would be of great value concerning the development of biotechnological processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Reduced Production of Higher Alcohols by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Red Wine Fermentation by Simultaneously Overexpressing BAT1 and Deleting BAT2.

    PubMed

    Ma, Lijuan; Huang, Shiyong; Du, Liping; Tang, Ping; Xiao, Dongguang

    2017-08-16

    In red wine, the contents of higher alcohols and ethyl carbamate (EC) are two significant health concerns. To reduce the production of higher alcohols by wine yeast YZ22 with low production of EC, one BAT2 was replaced by a BAT1 expression cassette first and then another BAT2 was deleted to obtain the mutant SYBB3. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that the relative expression level of BAT1 in SYBB3 improved 28 times compared with that in YZ22. The yields of isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol produced by mutant SYBB3 reduced by 39.41% and 37.18% compared to those by the original strain YZ22, and the total production of higher alcohols decreased from 463.82 mg/L to 292.83 mg/L in must fermentation of Cabernet Sauvignon. Meanwhile, there were no obvious differences on fermentation characteristics of the mutant and parental strain. This research has suggested an effective strategy for decreasing production of higher alcohols in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

  20. Plasma membrane proteins Yro2 and Mrh1 are required for acetic acid tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Takabatake, Akiko; Kawazoe, Nozomi; Izawa, Shingo

    2015-03-01

    Yro2 and its paralogous protein Mrh1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have seven predicted transmembrane domains and predominantly localize to the plasma membrane. Their physiological functions and regulation of gene expression have not yet been elucidated in detail. We herein demonstrated that MRH1 was constitutively expressed, whereas the expression of YRO2 was induced by acetic acid stress and entering the stationary phase. Fluorescence microscopic analysis revealed that Mrh1 and Yro2 were distributed as small foci in the plasma membrane under acetic acid stress conditions. The null mutants of these genes (mrh1∆, yro2∆, and mrh1∆yro2∆) showed delayed growth and a decrease in the productivity of ethanol in the presence of acetic acid, indicating that Yro2 and Mrh1 are involved in tolerance to acetic acid stress.

  1. The nuclear tRNA aminoacylation-dependent pathway may be the principal route used to export tRNA from the nucleus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Steiner-Mosonyi, Marta; Mangroo, Dev

    2004-03-15

    Nuclear tRNA export in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been proposed to involve three pathways, designated Los1p-dependent, Los1p-independent nuclear aminoacylation-dependent, and Los1p- and nuclear aminoacylation-independent. Here, a comprehensive biochemical analysis was performed to identify tRNAs exported by the aminoacylation-dependent and -independent pathways of S. cerevisiae. Interestingly, the major tRNA species of at least 19 families were found in the aminoacylated form in the nucleus. tRNAs known to be exported by the export receptor Los1p were also aminoacylated in the nucleus of both wild-type and mutant Los1p strains. FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) analyses showed that tRNA(Tyr) co-localizes with the U18 small nucleolar RNA in the nucleolus of a tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase mutant strain defective in nuclear tRNA(Tyr) export because of a block in nuclear tRNA(Tyr) aminoacylation. tRNA(Tyr) was also found in the nucleolus of a utp8 mutant strain defective in nuclear tRNA export but not nuclear tRNA aminoacylation. These results strongly suggest that the nuclear aminoacylation-dependent pathway is principally responsible for tRNA export in S. cerevisiae and that Los1p is an export receptor of this pathway. It is also likely that in mammalian cells tRNAs are mainly exported from the nucleus by the nuclear aminoacylation-dependent pathway. In addition, the data are consistent with the idea that nuclear aminoacylation is used as a quality control mechanism for ensuring nuclear export of only mature and functional tRNAs, and that this quality assurance step occurs in the nucleolus.

  2. Expression and purification of human and Saccharomyces cerevisiae equilibrative nucleoside transporters.

    PubMed

    Boswell-Casteel, Rebba C; Johnson, Jennifer M; Roe-Žurž, Zygy; Duggan, Kelli D; Schmitz, Hannah; Hays, Franklin A

    2018-02-01

    Nucleosides play an essential role in the physiology of eukaryotes by acting as metabolic precursors in de novo nucleic acid synthesis and energy metabolism. Nucleosides also act as ligands for purinergic receptors. Equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) are polytopic integral membrane proteins that aid in regulating plasmalemmal flux of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and nucleobases. ENTs exhibit broad substrate selectivity across different isoforms and utilize diverse mechanisms to drive substrate flux across membranes. However, the molecular mechanisms and chemical determinants of ENT-mediated substrate recognition, binding, inhibition, and transport are poorly understood. To determine how ENT-mediated transport occurs at the molecular level, greater chemical insight and assays employing purified protein are essential. This article focuses on the expression and purification of human ENT1, human ENT2, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ScENT1 using novel expression and purification strategies to isolate recombinant ENTs. ScENT1, hENT1, and hENT2 were expressed in W303 Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and detergent solubilized from the membrane. After detergent extraction, these ENTs were further purified using immobilized metal affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. This effort resulted in obtaining quantities of purified protein sufficient for future biophysical analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Improved bread-baking process using Saccharomyces cerevisiae displayed with engineered cyclodextrin glucanotransferase.

    PubMed

    Shim, Jae-Hoon; Seo, Nam-Seok; Roh, Sun-Ah; Kim, Jung-Wan; Cha, Hyunju; Park, Kwan-Hwa

    2007-06-13

    A bread-baking process was developed using a potential novel enzyme, cyclodextrin glucanotransferase[3-18] (CGTase[3-18]), that had previously been engineered to have enhanced hydrolyzing activity with little cyclodextrin (CD) formation activity toward starch. CGTase[3-18] was primarily manipulated to be displayed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae carrying pdeltaCGT integrated into the chromosome exhibited starch-hydrolyzing activity at the same optimal pH and temperature as the free enzyme. Volumes of the bread loaves and rice cakes prepared using S. cerevisiae/pdeltaCGT increased by 20% and 45%, respectively, with no detectable CD. Retrogradation rates of the bread and rice cakes decreased significantly during storage. In comparison to the wild type, S. cerevisiae/pdeltaCGT showed improved viability during four freeze-thaw cycles. The results indicated that CGTase[3-18] displayed on the surface of yeast hydrolyzed starch to glucose and maltose that can be used more efficiently for yeast fermentation. Therefore, display of an antistaling enzyme on the cell surface of yeast has potential for enhancing the baking process.

  4. Characterization of Avt1p as a vacuolar proton/amino acid antiporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Tone, Junichi; Yoshimura, Ayumi; Manabe, Kunio; Murao, Nami; Sekito, Takayuki; Kawano-Kawada, Miyuki; Kakinuma, Yoshimi

    2015-01-01

    Several genes for vacuolar amino acid transport were reported in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but have not well been investigated. We characterized AVT1, a member of the AVT vacuolar transporter family, which is reported to be involved in lifespan of yeast. ATP-dependent uptake of isoleucine and histidine by the vacuolar vesicles of an AVT exporter mutant was lost by introducing avt1∆ mutation. Uptake activity was inhibited by the V-ATPase inhibitor: concanamycin A and a protonophore. Isoleucine uptake was inhibited by various neutral amino acids and histidine, but not by γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, and aspartate. V-ATPase-dependent acidification of the vesicles was declined by the addition of isoleucine or histidine, depending upon Avt1p. Taken together with the data of the amino acid contents of vacuolar fractions in cells, the results suggested that Avt1p is a proton/amino acid antiporter important for vacuolar compartmentalization of various amino acids.

  5. A genetic network that suppresses genome rearrangements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and contains defects in cancers

    PubMed Central

    Putnam, Christopher D.; Srivatsan, Anjana; Nene, Rahul V.; Martinez, Sandra L.; Clotfelter, Sarah P.; Bell, Sara N.; Somach, Steven B.; E.S. de Souza, Jorge; Fonseca, André F.; de Souza, Sandro J.; Kolodner, Richard D.

    2016-01-01

    Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) play an important role in human diseases, including cancer. The identity of all Genome Instability Suppressing (GIS) genes is not currently known. Here multiple Saccharomyces cerevisiae GCR assays and query mutations were crossed into arrays of mutants to identify progeny with increased GCR rates. One hundred eighty two GIS genes were identified that suppressed GCR formation. Another 438 cooperatively acting GIS genes were identified that were not GIS genes, but suppressed the increased genome instability caused by individual query mutations. Analysis of TCGA data using the human genes predicted to act in GIS pathways revealed that a minimum of 93% of ovarian and 66% of colorectal cancer cases had defects affecting one or more predicted GIS gene. These defects included loss-of-function mutations, copy-number changes associated with reduced expression, and silencing. In contrast, acute myeloid leukaemia cases did not appear to have defects affecting the predicted GIS genes. PMID:27071721

  6. Profiling of the toxicity mechanisms of coated and uncoated silver nanoparticles to yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741 using a set of its 9 single-gene deletion mutants defective in oxidative stress response, cell wall or membrane integrity and endocytosis.

    PubMed

    Käosaar, Sandra; Kahru, Anne; Mantecca, Paride; Kasemets, Kaja

    2016-09-01

    The widespread use of nanosilver in various antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral products warrants the studies of the toxicity pathways of nanosilver-enabled materials toward microbes and viruses. We profiled the toxicity mechanisms of uncoated, casein-coated, and polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild-type (wt) and its 9 single-gene deletion mutants defective in oxidative stress (OS) defense, cell wall/membrane integrity, and endocytosis. The 48-h growth inhibition assay in organic-rich growth medium and 24-h cell viability assay in deionized (DI) water were applied whereas AgNO3, H2O2, and SDS served as positive controls. Both coated AgNPs (primary size 8-12nm) were significantly more toxic than the uncoated (~85nm) AgNPs. All studied AgNPs were ~30 times more toxic if exposed to yeast cells in DI water than in the rich growth medium: the IC50 based on nominal concentration of AgNPs in the growth inhibition test ranged from 77 to 576mg Ag/L and in the cell viability test from 2.7 to 18.7mg Ag/L, respectively. Confocal microscopy showed that wt but not endocytosis mutant (end3Δ) internalized AgNPs. Comparison of toxicity patterns of wt and mutant strains defective in OS defense and membrane integrity revealed that the toxicity of the studied AgNPs to S. cerevisiae was not caused by the OS or cell wall/membrane permeabilization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Feasibility of brewing makgeolli using Pichia anomala Y197-13, a non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hye Ryun; Kim, Jae-Ho; Bai, Dong-Hoon; Ahn, ByungHak

    2012-12-01

    Makgeolli is a traditional rice wine favored by the general public in Korea. This study investigated the fermentation and sensory characteristics of using wild yeast strains for brewing makgeolli. A non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain was isolated from nuruk and termed Y197-13. It showed 98% similarity to Pichia anomala and had an optimal growth temperature of 25 degrees C. Makgeolli was manufactured using koji, jinju nuruk, and improved nuruk as fermentation agents. Y197-13 makgeolli brewed with koji had alcohol and solids contents of 11.1% and 13.9%, respectively. Sweet sensory characteristics were attributed to residual sugars in makgeolli with 6% alcohol. The makgeolli had a fresh sour taste and carbonated taste. Volatile component analysis showed the isoamyl alcohol, phenylethyl alcohol, isoamyl acetate, and fatty acid, including ethyl oleate and ethyl linoleate, relative peak area was higher in Y197-13 makgeolli than in makgeolli with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These results suggest the wild yeast, Y197-13, as a candidate for brewing makgeolli.

  8. Cellular and molecular engineering of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for advanced biobutanol production.

    PubMed

    Kuroda, Kouichi; Ueda, Mitsuyoshi

    2016-02-01

    Butanol is an attractive alternative energy fuel owing to several advantages over ethanol. Among the microbial hosts for biobutanol production, yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a great potential as a microbial host due to its powerful genetic tools, a history of successful industrial use, and its inherent tolerance to higher alcohols. Butanol production by S. cerevisiae was first attempted by transferring the 1-butanol-producing metabolic pathway from native microorganisms or using the endogenous Ehrlich pathway for isobutanol synthesis. Utilizing alternative enzymes with higher activity, eliminating competitive pathways, and maintaining cofactor balance achieved significant improvements in butanol production. Meeting future challenges, such as enhancing butanol tolerance and implementing a comprehensive strategy by high-throughput screening, would further elevate the biobutanol-producing ability of S. cerevisiae toward an ideal microbial cell factory exhibiting high productivity of biobutanol. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Tributyltin induces Yca1p-dependent cell death of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Chahomchuen, Thippayarat; Akiyama, Koichi; Sekito, Takayuki; Sugimoto, Naoko; Okabe, Masaaki; Nishimoto, Sogo; Sugahara, Takuya; Kakinuma, Yoshimi

    2009-10-01

    Tributyltin chloride (TBT), an environmental pollutant, is toxic to a variety of eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Although it has been reported that TBT induces apoptotic cell death in mammalian, the action of TBT on eukaryotic microorganisms has not yet been fully investigated. In this study we examined the mechanism involved in cell death caused by TBT exposure in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The median lethal concentration of TBT was 10 microM for the parent strain BY4741 and 3 microM for the pdr5Delta mutant defective in a major multidrug transporter, respectively. Fluorescence microscopic observations revealed nuclear condensation and chromatin fragmentation in cells treated with TBT indicating that cells underwent an apoptosis-like cell dearth. TBT-induced cell death was suppressed by deletion of the yca1 gene encoding a homologue of the mammalian caspase. In parallel, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were produced by TBT. These results suggest that TBT induces apoptosis-like cell death in yeast via an Yca1p-dependent pathway possibly downstream of the ROS production. This is the first report on TBT-induced apoptotic cell death in yeast.

  10. Screening for Hydrolytic Enzymes Reveals Ayr1p as a Novel Triacylglycerol Lipase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae*

    PubMed Central

    Ploier, Birgit; Scharwey, Melanie; Koch, Barbara; Schmidt, Claudia; Schatte, Jessica; Rechberger, Gerald; Kollroser, Manfred; Hermetter, Albin; Daum, Günther

    2013-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as other eukaryotes, preserves fatty acids and sterols in a biologically inert form, as triacylglycerols and steryl esters. The major triacylglycerol lipases of the yeast S. cerevisiae identified so far are Tgl3p, Tgl4p, and Tgl5p (Athenstaedt, K., and Daum, G. (2003) YMR313c/TGL3 encodes a novel triacylglycerol lipase located in lipid particles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Biol. Chem. 278, 23317–23323; Athenstaedt, K., and Daum, G. (2005) Tgl4p and Tgl5p, two triacylglycerol lipases of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are localized to lipid particles. J. Biol. Chem. 280, 37301–37309). We observed that upon cultivation on oleic acid, triacylglycerol mobilization did not come to a halt in a yeast strain deficient in all currently known triacylglycerol lipases, indicating the presence of additional not yet characterized lipases/esterases. Functional proteome analysis using lipase and esterase inhibitors revealed a subset of candidate genes for yet unknown hydrolytic enzymes on peroxisomes and lipid droplets. Based on the conserved GXSXG lipase motif, putative functions, and subcellular localizations, a selected number of candidates were characterized by enzyme assays in vitro, gene expression analysis, non-polar lipid analysis, and in vivo triacylglycerol mobilization assays. These investigations led to the identification of Ayr1p as a novel triacylglycerol lipase of yeast lipid droplets and confirmed the hydrolytic potential of the peroxisomal Lpx1p in vivo. Based on these results, we discuss a possible link between lipid storage, lipid mobilization, and peroxisomal utilization of fatty acids as a carbon source. PMID:24187129

  11. Formation of AAV Single Stranded DNA Genome from a Circular Plasmid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Cervelli, Tiziana; Backovic, Ana; Galli, Alvaro

    2011-01-01

    Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based vectors are promising tools for targeted transfer in gene therapy studies. Many efforts have been accomplished to improve production and purification methods. We thought to develop a simple eukaryotic system allowing AAV replication which could provide an excellent opportunity for studying AAV biology and, more importantly, for AAV vector production. It has been shown that yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is able to replicate and form the capsid of many viruses. We investigated the ability of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to carry out the replication of a recombinant AAV (rAAV). When a plasmid containing a rAAV genome in which the cap gene was replaced with the S. cerevisiae URA3 gene, was co-transformed in yeast with a plasmid expressing Rep68, a significant number of URA3+ clones were scored (more than 30-fold over controls). Molecular analysis of low molecular weight DNA by Southern blotting revealed that single stranded DNA is formed and that the plasmid is entirely replicated. The ssDNA contains the ITRs, URA3 gene and also vector sequences suggesting the presence of two distinct molecules. Its formation was dependent on Rep68 expression and ITR. These data indicate that DNA is not obtained by the canonical AAV replication pathway. PMID:21853137

  12. Formation of AAV single stranded DNA genome from a circular plasmid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Cervelli, Tiziana; Backovic, Ana; Galli, Alvaro

    2011-01-01

    Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based vectors are promising tools for targeted transfer in gene therapy studies. Many efforts have been accomplished to improve production and purification methods. We thought to develop a simple eukaryotic system allowing AAV replication which could provide an excellent opportunity for studying AAV biology and, more importantly, for AAV vector production. It has been shown that yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is able to replicate and form the capsid of many viruses. We investigated the ability of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to carry out the replication of a recombinant AAV (rAAV). When a plasmid containing a rAAV genome in which the cap gene was replaced with the S. cerevisiae URA3 gene, was co-transformed in yeast with a plasmid expressing Rep68, a significant number of URA3(+) clones were scored (more than 30-fold over controls). Molecular analysis of low molecular weight DNA by Southern blotting revealed that single stranded DNA is formed and that the plasmid is entirely replicated. The ssDNA contains the ITRs, URA3 gene and also vector sequences suggesting the presence of two distinct molecules. Its formation was dependent on Rep68 expression and ITR. These data indicate that DNA is not obtained by the canonical AAV replication pathway.

  13. Detection of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with ionic liquid mediated carbon dots.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jia-Li; Teng, Ji-Yuan; Jia, Te; Shu, Yang

    2018-02-01

    Hydrophobic nitrogen-doped carbon dots are prepared with energetic ionic liquid (1,3-dibutylimidazolium dicyandiamide, BbimDCN) as carbon source. A yield of as high as 58% is obtained for the carbon dots, shortly termed as BbimDCN-OCDs, due to the presence of thermal-instable N(CN) 2 - moiety. BbimDCN-OCDs exhibit favorable biocompability and excellent imaging capacity for fluorescence labelling of yeast cell Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, chitosan-modified Dy 3+ -doped magnetic nanoparticles (shortly as Chitosan@Fe 2.75 Dy 0.25 O 4 ) with superparamagnetism are prepared. The electrostatic attraction between positively charged magnetic nanoparticles and negatively charged yeast cells facilitates exclusive recognition/isolation of S. cerevisiae. In practice, S. cerevisiae is labelled by BbimDCN-OCDs and adhered onto the Chitosan@Fe 2.75 Dy 0.25 O 4 . The yeast/ BbimDCN-OCDs/Chitosan@Fe 2.75 Dy 0.25 O 4 composite is then isolated with an external magnet and the fluorescence from BbimDCN-OCDs incorporated in S. cerevisiae is monitored. The fluorescence intensity is linearly correlated with the content of yeast cell, showing a calibration graph of F = 3.01log[C]+11.7, offering a detection limit of 5×10 2 CFU/mL. S. cerevisiae content in various real sample matrixes are quantified by using this protocol. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Advances in metabolic engineering of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of chemicals.

    PubMed

    Borodina, Irina; Nielsen, Jens

    2014-05-01

    Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important industrial host for production of enzymes, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredients and recently also commodity chemicals and biofuels. Here, we review the advances in modeling and synthetic biology tools and how these tools can speed up the development of yeast cell factories. We also present an overview of metabolic engineering strategies for developing yeast strains for production of polymer monomers: lactic, succinic, and cis,cis-muconic acids. S. cerevisiae has already firmly established itself as a cell factory in industrial biotechnology and the advances in yeast strain engineering will stimulate development of novel yeast-based processes for chemicals production. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae MLH3 gene functions in MSH3-dependent suppression of frameshift mutations.

    PubMed

    Flores-Rozas, H; Kolodner, R D

    1998-10-13

    The Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome encodes four MutL homologs. Of these, MLH1 and PMS1 are known to act in the MSH2-dependent pathway that repairs DNA mismatches. We have investigated the role of MLH3 in mismatch repair. Mutations in MLH3 increased the rate of reversion of the hom3-10 allele by increasing the rate of deletion of a single T in a run of 7 Ts. Combination of mutations in MLH3 and MSH6 caused a synergistic increase in the hom3-10 reversion rate, whereas the hom3-10 reversion rate in an mlh3 msh3 double mutant was the same as in the respective single mutants. Similar results were observed when the accumulation of mutations at frameshift hot spots in the LYS2 gene was analyzed, although mutation of MLH3 did not cause the same extent of affect at every LYS2 frameshift hot spot. MLH3 interacted with MLH1 in a two-hybrid system. These data are consistent with the idea that a proportion of the repair of specific insertion/deletion mispairs by the MSH3-dependent mismatch repair pathway uses a heterodimeric MLH1-MLH3 complex in place of the MLH1-PMS1 complex.

  16. a/alpha-specific effect on the mms3 mutation on ultraviolet mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Martin, P; Prakash, L; Prakash, S

    1981-05-01

    A new gene involved in error-prone repair of ultraviolet (UV) damage has been identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the mms3-1 mutation. UV-induced reversion is reduced in diploids that are homozygous for mms3-1, only if they are also heterozygous (MATa/MAT alpha) at the mating type locus. The mms3-1 mutation has no effect on UV-induced reversion either in haploids or MATa/MATa or MAT alpha/MAT alpha diploids. The mutation confers sensitivity to UV and methyl methane sulfonate in both haploids and diploids. Even though mutation induction by UV is restored to wild-type levels in MATa/MATa mms3-1/mms3-1 or MAT alpha/MAT alpha mms3-1/mms3-1 diploids, such strains still retain sensitivity to the lethal effects of UV. Survival after UV irradiation in mms3-1 rad double mutant combinations indicates that mms3-1 is epistatic to rad6-1 whereas non-epistatic interactions are observed with rad3 and rad52 mutants. When present in the homozygous state in MATa/MAT alpha his1-1/his1-315 heteroallelic diploids, mms3-1 was found to lower UV-induced mitotic recombination.

  17. UV-induced lethal sectoring and pure mutant clones in yeast.

    PubMed

    Hannan, M A; Duck, P; Nasim, A

    1976-08-01

    The induction of lethal sectoring and pure mutant clones by ultraviolet light has been studied in a homogeneous G1 population of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in a normal growth medium. At the lowest UV dose of 250 ergs, which corresponds to a shoulder in the survival curve, all mutants appeared as pure clones. At higher doses the frequency of mosaic mutants progressively increased. These results indicate a relationship between the highest frequency of complete mutants and the maximum repair activity. In addition, the frequency of lethal sectoring at all doses tested was too low to account for the origin of pure mutant clones.

  18. Regulatory regions in the promoters of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PYC1 and PYC2 genes encoding isoenzymes of pyruvate carboxylase.

    PubMed

    Menéndez, J; Gancedo, C

    1998-07-15

    We have identified regions in the promoters of the PYC1 and PYC2 genes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae involved in their regulation in different culture conditions. In the case of PYC1, a UAS in the region between -330/-297 and three repressing sequences with the common central core CCGCC at positions -457, -432 and -399 were identified. Specific binding of nuclear proteins to the -330/-214 DNA fragment was abolished in rtg mutants suggesting a role for the RTG genes in the control of PYC1 expression. In the case of the PYC2 promoter, elimination of a fragment from -417 to -291 brings about a two-fold decrease in the expression in repressed conditions and a similar increase in derepression.

  19. Molecular cloning and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of two Aspergillus nidulans xylanase genes.

    PubMed Central

    Pérez-Gonzalez, J A; De Graaff, L H; Visser, J; Ramón, D

    1996-01-01

    Two Aspergillus nidulans genes, xlnA and xlnB, encoding the X22 and X24 xylanases from this fungus, respectively, have been cloned and sequenced. Their cDNAs have been expressed in a laboratory Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain under the control of a constitutive yeast promoter, resulting in the construction of recombinant xylanolytic yeast strains. PMID:8787417

  20. Enhanced ethanol fermentation by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with high spermidine contents.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sun-Ki; Jo, Jung-Hyun; Jin, Yong-Su; Seo, Jin-Ho

    2017-05-01

    Construction of robust and efficient yeast strains is a prerequisite for commercializing a biofuel production process. We have demonstrated that high intracellular spermidine (SPD) contents in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can lead to improved tolerance against various fermentation inhibitors, including furan derivatives and acetic acid. In this study, we examined the potential applicability of the S. cerevisiae strains with high SPD contents under two cases of ethanol fermentation: glucose fermentation in repeated-batch fermentations and xylose fermentation in the presence of fermentation inhibitors. During the sixteen times of repeated-batch fermentations using glucose as a sole carbon source, the S. cerevisiae strains with high SPD contents maintained higher cell viability and ethanol productivities than a control strain with lower SPD contents. Specifically, at the sixteenth fermentation, the ethanol productivity of a S. cerevisiae strain with twofold higher SPD content was 31% higher than that of the control strain. When the SPD content was elevated in an engineered S. cerevisiae capable of fermenting xylose, the resulting S. cerevisiae strain exhibited much 40-50% higher ethanol productivities than the control strain during the fermentations of synthetic hydrolysate containing high concentrations of fermentation inhibitors. These results suggest that the strain engineering strategy to increase SPD content is broadly applicable for engineering yeast strains for robust and efficient production of ethanol.

  1. Biosorption of the strontium ion by irradiated Saccharomyces cerevisiae under culture conditions.

    PubMed

    Qiu, Liang; Feng, Jundong; Dai, Yaodong; Chang, Shuquan

    2017-06-01

    As a new-emerging method for strontium disposal, biosorption has shown advantages such as high sorption capacity; low cost. In this study, we investigated the potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) in strontium disposal under culture conditions and the effects of irradiation on their biosorption capabilities. We found that S. cerevisiae can survive irradiation and grow. Pre-exposure to irradiation rendered S. cerevisiae resistant to further irradiation. Surprisingly, the pre-exposure to irradiation can increase the biosorption capability of S. cerevisiae. We further investigated the factors that influenced the biosorption efficiency, which were (strongest to weakest): pH > strontium concentration > time > temperature. In our orthogonal experiment, the optimal conditions for strontium biosorption by irradiated S. cerevisiae were: pH 7, 150 mg L -1 strontium at the temperature of 32 °C with 30 h. The equilibrium of strontium biosorption was analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich models, from which the formal model is found to provide a better fit for the experimental results. The kinetics of strontium biosorption by living irradiated S. cerevisiae was found to be comprised of three phases: dramatically increased during 0-9 h, decreased during 12-24 h, and increased during 30-50 h. These results provide a systematic understanding of the biosorption capabilities of irradiated S. cerevisiae, which can contribute to the development of remediating nuclear waste water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Pathways and Mechanisms that Prevent Genome Instability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Putnam, Christopher D.; Kolodner, Richard D.

    2017-01-01

    Genome rearrangements result in mutations that underlie many human diseases, and ongoing genome instability likely contributes to the development of many cancers. The tools for studying genome instability in mammalian cells are limited, whereas model organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae are more amenable to these studies. Here, we discuss the many genetic assays developed to measure the rate of occurrence of Gross Chromosomal Rearrangements (called GCRs) in S. cerevisiae. These genetic assays have been used to identify many types of GCRs, including translocations, interstitial deletions, and broken chromosomes healed by de novo telomere addition, and have identified genes that act in the suppression and formation of GCRs. Insights from these studies have contributed to the understanding of pathways and mechanisms that suppress genome instability and how these pathways cooperate with each other. Integrated models for the formation and suppression of GCRs are discussed. PMID:28684602

  3. Saccharomyces cerevisiae variety diastaticus friend or foe?-spoilage potential and brewing ability of different Saccharomyces cerevisiae variety diastaticus yeast isolates by genetic, phenotypic and physiological characterization.

    PubMed

    Meier-Dörnberg, Tim; Kory, Oliver Ingo; Jacob, Fritz; Michel, Maximilian; Hutzler, Mathias

    2018-06-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae variety diastaticus is generally considered to be an obligatory spoilage microorganism and spoilage yeast in beer and beer-mixed beverages. Their super-attenuating ability causes increased carbon dioxide concentrations, beer gushing and potential bottle explosion along with changes in flavor, sedimentation and increased turbidity. This research shows clear differences in the super-attenuating properties of S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus yeast strains and their potential for industrial brewing applications. Nineteen unknown spoilage yeast cultures were obtained as isolates and characterized using a broad spectrum of genetic and phenotypic methods. Results indicated that all isolates represent genetically different S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus strains except for strain TUM PI BA 124. Yeast strains were screened for their super-attenuating ability and sporulation. Even if the STA1 gene responsible for super-attenuation by encoding for the enzyme glucoamylase could be verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction, no correlation to the spoilage potential could be demonstrated. Seven strains were further characterized focusing on brewing and sensory properties according to the yeast characterization platform developed by Meier-Dörnberg. Yeast strain TUM 3-H-2 cannot metabolize dextrin and soluble starch and showed no spoilage potential or super-attenuating ability even when the strain belongs to the species S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus. Overall, the beer produced with S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus has a dry and winey body with noticeable phenolic off-flavors desirable in German wheat beers.

  4. The YPR153W gene is essential for the pressure tolerance of tryptophan permease Tat2 in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurosaka, Goyu; Abe, Fumiyoshi

    2018-01-01

    In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, hydrostatic pressure at 25 MPa is known to be nonlethal but significantly impairs the uptake of tryptophan by the permease Tat2, thereby inhibiting the growth of strains that require tryptophan from the medium. Here, we found that the lack of the YPR153W gene, so far poorly characterized for its role in yeast, caused a serious adverse effect on the growth at 10-25 MPa in the strain that required tryptophan. Deletion for YPR153W resulted in an increased rate of pressure-induced degradation of Tat2, suggesting that Tat2 is destabilized in the YPR153W deletion mutant at 25 MPa. Overexpression of the TAT2 gene enabled the deletion mutant to grow at 25 MPa. These results suggest that Ypr153w is essential for the stability and proper transport function of Tat2 under pressure at 10-25 MPa.

  5. Absence of Rtt109p, a fungal-specific histone acetyltransferase, results in improved acetic acid tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Cheng; Zhao, Xinqing; Zhang, Mingming; Bai, Fengwu

    2016-03-01

    RTT109 is a histone acetyltransferase for the acetylation of histone H3. It is still not clear whether RTT109 plays a role in regulation of gene expression under environmental stresses. In this study, the involvement of RTT109 in acetic acid stress tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. It was revealed that the absence of RTT109 enhanced resistance to 5.5 g L(-1) acetic acid, which was indicated by improved growth of RTT109Δ mutant compared with that of the wild-type BY4741 strain. Meanwhile, the lag phase was shortened for 48 h and glucose consumption completed 36 h in advance for RTT109Δ mutant compared to the wild-type strain, with ethanol production rate increased from 0.39 to 0.60 g L(-1) h(-1). Significantly, elevated transcription levels of HSP12, CTT1 and GSH1, as well as increased activities of antioxidant enzymes were observed in RTT109Δ under acetic acid stress. Improved flocculation of RTT109Δ compared to that of the control strain BY4741 under the acetic acid stress was also observed. These results suggest that the absence of RTT109 not only activates transcription of stress responsive genes, but also improves resistance to oxidative stress, which ultimately contributes to improved acetic acid tolerance in S. cerevisiae. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Biosynthesis and engineering of kaempferol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Duan, Lijin; Ding, Wentao; Liu, Xiaonan; Cheng, Xiaozhi; Cai, Jing; Hua, Erbing; Jiang, Huifeng

    2017-09-26

    Kaempferol is a flavonol with broad bioactivity of anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, cardio-protective and anti-asthma. Microbial synthesis of kaempferol is a promising strategy because of the low content in primary plant source. In this study, the biosynthesis pathway of kaempferol was constructed in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce kaempferol de novo, and several biological measures were taken for high production. Firstly, a high efficient flavonol synthases (FLS) from Populus deltoides was introduced into the biosynthetic pathway of kaempferol. Secondly, a S. cerevisiae recombinant was constructed for de novo synthesis of kaempferol, which generated about 6.97 mg/L kaempferol from glucose. To further promote kaempferol production, the acetyl-CoA biosynthetic pathway was overexpressed and p-coumarate was supplied as substrate, which improved kaempferol titer by about 23 and 120%, respectively. Finally, a fed-batch process was developed for better kaempferol fermentation performance, and the production reached 66.29 mg/L in 40 h. The titer of kaempferol in our engineered yeast is 2.5 times of the highest reported titer. Our study provides a possible strategy to produce kaempferol using microbial cell factory.

  7. Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce feruloyl esterase for the release of ferulic acid from switchgrass

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The Aspergillus niger ferulic acid esterase gene (faeA) was cloned into Saccharomyces cerevisiae via a yeast expression vector, resulting in efficient expression and secretion of the enzyme in the medium. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity by anion-exchange and hydrophobic interactio...

  8. Characterization of vacuolar amino acid transporter from Fusarium oxysporum in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Lunprom, Siriporn; Pongcharoen, Pongsanat; Sekito, Takayuki; Kawano-Kawada, Miyuki; Kakinuma, Yoshimi; Akiyama, Koichi

    2015-01-01

    Fusarium oxysporum causes wilt disease in many plant families, and many genes are involved in its development or growth in host plants. A recent study revealed that vacuolar amino acid transporters play an important role in spore formation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To investigate the role of vacuolar amino acid transporters of this phytopathogenic fungus, the FOXG_11334 (FoAVT3) gene from F. oxysporum was isolated and its function was characterized. Transcription of FoAVT3 was upregulated after rapamycin treatment. A green fluorescent protein fusion of FoAvt3p was localized to vacuolar membranes in both S. cerevisiae and F. oxysporum. Analysis of the amino acid content of the vacuolar fraction and amino acid transport activities using vacuolar membrane vesicles from S. cerevisiae cells heterologously expressing FoAVT3 revealed that FoAvt3p functions as a vacuolar amino acid transporter, exporting neutral amino acids. We conclude that the FoAVT3 gene encodes a vacuolar neutral amino acid transporter.

  9. Genomewide screening for genes involved in biofilm formation and miconazole susceptibility in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Vandenbosch, Davy; De Canck, Evelien; Dhondt, Inne; Rigole, Petra; Nelis, Hans J; Coenye, Tom

    2013-12-01

    Infections related to fungal biofilms are difficult to treat due to the reduced susceptibility of sessile cells to most antifungal agents. Previous research has shown that 1-10% of sessile Candida cells survive treatment with high doses of miconazole (a fungicidal imidazole). The aim of this study was to identify genes involved in fungal biofilm formation and to unravel the mechanisms of resistance of these biofilms to miconazole. To this end, a screening of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion mutant bank was carried out. Our results revealed that genes involved in peroxisomal transport and the biogenesis of the respiratory chain complex IV play an essential role in biofilm formation. On the other hand, genes involved in transcription and peroxisomal and mitochondrial organization seem to highly influence the susceptibility to miconazole of yeast biofilms. Additionally, our data confirm previous findings on genes involved in biofilm formation and in general stress responses. Our data suggest the involvement of peroxisomes in biofilm formation and miconazole resistance in fungal biofilms. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Fumaric acid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by simultaneous use of oxidative and reductive routes.

    PubMed

    Xu, Guoqiang; Chen, Xiulai; Liu, Liming; Jiang, Linghuo

    2013-11-01

    In this study, the simultaneous use of reductive and oxidative routes to produce fumaric acid was explored. The strain FMME003 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK2-1CΔTHI2) exhibited capability to accumulate pyruvate and was used for fumaric acid production. The fum1 mutant FMME004 could produce fumaric acid via oxidative route, but the introduction of reductive route derived from Rhizopus oryzae NRRL 1526 led to lower fumaric acid production. Analysis of the key factors associated with fumaric acid production revealed that pyruvate carboxylase had a low degree of control over the carbon flow to malic acid. The fumaric acid titer was improved dramatically when the heterologous gene RoPYC was overexpressed and 32 μg/L of biotin was added. Furthermore, under the optimal carbon/nitrogen ratio, the engineered strain FMME004-6 could produce up to 5.64 ± 0.16 g/L of fumaric acid. These results demonstrated that the proposed fermentative method is efficient for fumaric acid production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Transcriptomics in human blood incubation reveals the importance of oxidative stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae clinical strains.

    PubMed

    Llopis, Silvia; Querol, Amparo; Heyken, Antje; Hube, Bernhard; Jespersen, Lene; Fernández-Espinar, M Teresa; Pérez-Torrado, Roberto

    2012-08-23

    In recent years an increasing number of yeast infections in humans have been related to certain clinical isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some clinical strains showed in vivo and in vitro virulence traits and were able to cause death in mice whereas other clinical strains were avirulent. In this work, we studied the transcriptional profiles of two S. cerevisiae clinical strains showing virulent traits and two control non-virulent strains during a blood incubation model and detected a specific transcriptional response of clinical strains. This response involves an mRNA levels increase of amino acid biosynthesis genes and especially oxidative stress related genes. We observed that the clinical strains were more resistant to reactive oxygen species in vitro. In addition, blood survival of clinical isolates was high, reaching similar levels to pathogenic Candida albicans strain. Furthermore, a virulent strain mutant in the transcription factor Yap1p, unable to grow in oxidative stress conditions, presented decreased survival levels in human blood compared with the wild type or YAP1 reconstituted strain. Our data suggest that this enhanced oxidative stress response in virulent clinical isolates, presumably induced in response to oxidative burst from host defense cells, is important to increase survival in human blood and can help to infect and even produce death in mice models.

  12. Engineering high-level production of fatty alcohols by Saccharomyces cerevisiae from lignocellulosic feedstocks.

    PubMed

    d'Espaux, Leo; Ghosh, Amit; Runguphan, Weerawat; Wehrs, Maren; Xu, Feng; Konzock, Oliver; Dev, Ishaan; Nhan, Melissa; Gin, Jennifer; Reider Apel, Amanda; Petzold, Christopher J; Singh, Seema; Simmons, Blake A; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila; García Martín, Héctor; Keasling, Jay D

    2017-07-01

    Fatty alcohols in the C12-C18 range are used in personal care products, lubricants, and potentially biofuels. These compounds can be produced from the fatty acid pathway by a fatty acid reductase (FAR), yet yields from the preferred industrial host Saccharomyces cerevisiae remain under 2% of the theoretical maximum from glucose. Here we improved titer and yield of fatty alcohols using an approach involving quantitative analysis of protein levels and metabolic flux, engineering enzyme level and localization, pull-push-block engineering of carbon flux, and cofactor balancing. We compared four heterologous FARs, finding highest activity and endoplasmic reticulum localization from a Mus musculus FAR. After screening an additional twenty-one single-gene edits, we identified increasing FAR expression; deleting competing reactions encoded by DGA1, HFD1, and ADH6; overexpressing a mutant acetyl-CoA carboxylase; limiting NADPH and carbon usage by the glutamate dehydrogenase encoded by GDH1; and overexpressing the Δ9-desaturase encoded by OLE1 as successful strategies to improve titer. Our final strain produced 1.2g/L fatty alcohols in shake flasks, and 6.0g/L in fed-batch fermentation, corresponding to ~ 20% of the maximum theoretical yield from glucose, the highest titers and yields reported to date in S. cerevisiae. We further demonstrate high-level production from lignocellulosic feedstocks derived from ionic-liquid treated switchgrass and sorghum, reaching 0.7g/L in shake flasks. Altogether, our work represents progress towards efficient and renewable microbial production of fatty acid-derived products. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Truncation of Gal4p explains the inactivation of the GAL/MEL regulon in both Saccharomyces bayanus and some Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine strains.

    PubMed

    Dulermo, Rémi; Legras, Jean-Luc; Brunel, François; Devillers, Hugo; Sarilar, Véronique; Neuvéglise, Cécile; Nguyen, Huu-Vang

    2016-09-01

    In the past, the galactose-negative (Gal(-)) phenotype was a key physiological character used to distinguish Saccharomyces bayanus from S. cerevisiae In this work, we investigated the inactivation of GAL gene networks in S. bayanus, which is an S. uvarum/S. eubayanus hybrid, and in S. cerevisiae wine strains erroneously labelled 'S. bayanus'. We made an inventory of their GAL genes using genomes that were either available publicly, re-sequenced by us, or assembled from public data and completed with targeted sequencing. In the S. eubayanus/S. uvarum CBS 380(T) hybrid, the GAL/MEL network is composed of genes from both parents: from S. uvarum, an otherwise complete set that lacks GAL4, and from S. eubayanus, a truncated version of GAL4 and an additional copy of GAL3 and GAL80 Similarly, two different truncated GAL4 alleles were found in S. cerevisiae wine strains EC1118 and LalvinQA23. The lack of GAL4 activity in these strains was corrected by introducing a full-length copy of S. cerevisiae GAL4 on a CEN4/ARS plasmid. Transformation with this plasmid restored galactose utilisation in Gal(-) strains, and melibiose fermentation in strain CBS 380(T) The melibiose fermentation phenotype, formerly regarded as characteristic of S. uvarum, turned out to be widespread among Saccharomyces species. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. A Minimal Set of Glycolytic Genes Reveals Strong Redundancies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Central Metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Solis-Escalante, Daniel; Kuijpers, Niels G. A.; Barrajon-Simancas, Nuria; van den Broek, Marcel; Pronk, Jack T.

    2015-01-01

    As a result of ancestral whole-genome and small-scale duplication events, the genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and many eukaryotes still contain a substantial fraction of duplicated genes. In all investigated organisms, metabolic pathways, and more particularly glycolysis, are specifically enriched for functionally redundant paralogs. In ancestors of the Saccharomyces lineage, the duplication of glycolytic genes is purported to have played an important role leading to S. cerevisiae's current lifestyle favoring fermentative metabolism even in the presence of oxygen and characterized by a high glycolytic capacity. In modern S. cerevisiae strains, the 12 glycolytic reactions leading to the biochemical conversion from glucose to ethanol are encoded by 27 paralogs. In order to experimentally explore the physiological role of this genetic redundancy, a yeast strain with a minimal set of 14 paralogs was constructed (the “minimal glycolysis” [MG] strain). Remarkably, a combination of a quantitative systems approach and semiquantitative analysis in a wide array of growth environments revealed the absence of a phenotypic response to the cumulative deletion of 13 glycolytic paralogs. This observation indicates that duplication of glycolytic genes is not a prerequisite for achieving the high glycolytic fluxes and fermentative capacities that are characteristic of S. cerevisiae and essential for many of its industrial applications and argues against gene dosage effects as a means of fixing minor glycolytic paralogs in the yeast genome. The MG strain was carefully designed and constructed to provide a robust prototrophic platform for quantitative studies and has been made available to the scientific community. PMID:26071034

  15. Editor's Highlight: Off-Target Effects of Neuroleptics and Antidepressants on Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Caldara, Marina; Graziano, Sara; Gullì, Mariolina; Cadonici, Stefania; Marmiroli, Nelson

    2017-04-01

    Over the past years, the use of antidepressants and neuroleptics has steadily increased. Although incredibly useful to treat disorders like depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, or mental retardation, these drugs display many side effects. Toxicogenomic studies aim to limit this problem by trying to identify cellular targets and off-targets of medical compounds. The baker yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been shown to be a key player in this approach, as it represents an incredible toolbox for the dissection of complex biological processes. Moreover, the evolutionary conservation of many pathways allows the translation of yeast data to the human system. In this paper, a better attention was paid to chlorpromazine, as it still is one of the most widely used drug in therapy. The results of a toxicogenomic screening performed on a yeast mutants collection treated with chlorpromazine were instrumental to identify a set of genes for further analyses. For this purpose, a multidisciplinary approach was used based on growth phenotypes identification, Gene Ontology search, and network analysis. Then, the impacts of three antidepressants (imipramine, doxepin, and nortriptyline) and three neuroleptics (promazine, chlorpromazine, and promethazine) on S. cerevisiae were compared through physiological analyses, microscopy characterization, and transcriptomic studies. Data highlight key differences between neuroleptics and antidepressants, but also between the individual molecules. By performing a network analysis on the human homologous genes, it emerged that genes and proteins involved in the Notch pathway are possible off-targets of these molecules, along with key regulatory proteins. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  16. Mutagenic effect of freezing on nuclear DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Todorova, T; Pesheva, M; Stamenova, R; Dimitrov, M; Venkov, P

    2012-05-01

    Although fragmentation of DNA has been observed in cells undergoing freezing procedures, a mutagenic effect of sub-zero temperature treatment has not been proved by induction and isolation of mutants in nuclear DNA (nDNA). In this communication we supply evidence for mutagenicity of freezing on nDNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. In the absence of cryoprotectors, cooling for 2 h at +4°C and freezing for 1 h at -10°C and 16 h at -20°C, with a cooling rate of 3°C/min, resulted in induction of frame-shift and reverse mutations in microsatellite and coding regions of nDNA. The sub-zero temperature exposure also has a strong recombinogenic effect, evidenced by induction of gene-conversion and crossing-over events. Freezing induces mutations and enhances recombination with a frequency equal to or higher than that of methylmethanesulphonate at comparable survival rates. The signals for the appearance of nDNA lesions induced by freezing are detected and transduced by the DNA damage pathway. Extracellular cryoprotectors did not prevent the mutagenic effect of freezing, while accumulation of trehalose inside cells reduced nDNA cryodamage. Freezing of cells is accompanied by generation of high ROS levels, and the oxidative stress raised during the freeze-thaw process is the most likely reason for the DNA damaging effect. Experiments with mitochondrial rho⁻ mutants or scavengers of ROS indicated that mutagenic and recombinogenic effects of sub-zero temperatures can be decreased but not eliminated by reduction of ROS level. The complete protection against cryodamage in nDNA required simultaneous usage of intracellular cryoprotector and ROS scavenger during the freeze-thaw process. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Genetic characterization and construction of an auxotrophic strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae JP1, a Brazilian industrial yeast strain for bioethanol production.

    PubMed

    Reis, Viviane Castelo Branco; Nicola, André Moraes; de Souza Oliveira Neto, Osmar; Batista, Vinícius Daniel Ferreira; de Moraes, Lidia Maria Pepe; Torres, Fernando Araripe Gonçalves

    2012-11-01

    Used for millennia to produce beverages and food, Saccharomyces cerevisiae also became a workhorse in the production of biofuels, most notably bioethanol. Yeast strains have acquired distinct characteristics that are the result of evolutionary adaptation to the stresses of industrial ethanol production. JP1 is a dominant industrial S. cerevisiae strain isolated from a sugarcane mill and is becoming increasingly popular for bioethanol production in Brazil. In this work, we carried out the genetic characterization of this strain and developed a set of tools to permit its genetic manipulation. Using flow cytometry, mating type, and sporulation analysis, we verified that JP1 is diploid and homothallic. Vectors with dominant selective markers for G418, hygromycin B, zeocin, and ρ-fluoro-DL-phenylalanine were used to successfully transform JP1 cells. Also, an auxotrophic ura3 mutant strain of JP1 was created by gene disruption using integration cassettes with dominant markers flanked by loxP sites. Marker excision was accomplished by the Cre/loxP system. The resulting auxotrophic strain was successfully transformed with an episomal vector that allowed green fluorescent protein expression.

  18. Improved Acetic Acid Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Overexpression of the WHI2 Gene Identified through Inverse Metabolic Engineering.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yingying; Stabryla, Lisa; Wei, Na

    2016-01-29

    Development of acetic acid-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae is important for economically viable production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass, but the goal remains a critical challenge due to limited information on effective genetic perturbation targets for improving acetic acid resistance in the yeast. This study employed a genomic-library-based inverse metabolic engineering approach to successfully identify a novel gene target, WHI2 (encoding a cytoplasmatic globular scaffold protein), which elicited improved acetic acid resistance in S. cerevisiae. Overexpression of WHI2 significantly improved glucose and/or xylose fermentation under acetic acid stress in engineered yeast. The WHI2-overexpressing strain had 5-times-higher specific ethanol productivity than the control in glucose fermentation with acetic acid. Analysis of the expression of WHI2 gene products (including protein and transcript) determined that acetic acid induced endogenous expression of Whi2 in S. cerevisiae. Meanwhile, the whi2Δ mutant strain had substantially higher susceptibility to acetic acid than the wild type, suggesting the important role of Whi2 in the acetic acid response in S. cerevisiae. Additionally, overexpression of WHI2 and of a cognate phosphatase gene, PSR1, had a synergistic effect in improving acetic acid resistance, suggesting that Whi2 might function in combination with Psr1 to elicit the acetic acid resistance mechanism. These results improve our understanding of the yeast response to acetic acid stress and provide a new strategy to breed acetic acid-resistant yeast strains for renewable biofuel production. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  19. Regulation of SNM1, an inducible Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene required for repair of DNA cross-links.

    PubMed

    Wolter, R; Siede, W; Brendel, M

    1996-02-05

    The interstrand cross-link repair gene SNM1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was examined for regulation in response to DNA-damaging agents. Induction of SNM1-lacZ fusions was detected in response to nitrogen mustard, cis-platinum (II) diamine dichloride, UV light, and 8-methoxypsoralen + UVA, but not after heat-shock treatment or incubation with 2-dimethylaminoethylchloride, methylmethane sulfonate or 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide. The promoter of SNM1 contains a 15 bp motif, which shows homology to the DRE2 box of the RAD2 promoter. Similar motifs have been found in promoter regions of other damage-inducible DNA repair genes. Deletion of this motif results in loss of inducibility of SNM1. Also, a putative negative upstream regulation sequence was found to be responsible for repression of constitutive transcription of SNM1. Surprisingly, no inducibility of SNM1 was found after treatment with DNA-damaging agents in strains without an intact DUN1 gene, while regulation seems unchanged in sad1 mutants.

  20. Alleviation of metabolic bottleneck by combinatorial engineering enhanced astaxanthin synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Pingping; Xie, Wenping; Li, Aipeng; Wang, Fan; Yao, Zhen; Bian, Qi; Zhu, Yongqiang; Yu, Hongwei; Ye, Lidan

    2017-05-01

    Highly efficient biosynthesis of the commercially valuable carotenoid astaxanthin by microbial cells is an attractive alternative to chemical synthesis and microalgae extraction. With the goal of enhancing heterologous astaxanthin production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, metabolic engineering and protein engineering were integrated to improve both the expression and activity of rate-limiting enzymes. Firstly, to increase the supply of β-carotene as a key precursor for astaxanthin, a positive mutant of GGPP synthase (CrtE03M) was overexpressed together with three other rate-limiting enzymes tHMG1, CrtI and CrtYB. Subsequently, to accelerate the conversion of β-carotene to astaxanthin, a color screening system was developed and adopted for directed evolution of β-carotene ketolase (OBKT), generating a triple mutant OBKTM (H165R/V264D/F298Y) with 2.4-fold improved activity. After adjusting copy numbers of the above-mentioned rate-limiting enzymes to further balance the metabolic flux, a diploid strain YastD-01 was generated by mating two astaxanthin-producing haploid strains carrying the same carotenogenic pathway. Finally, further overexpression of OCrtZ and OBKTM in YastD-01 resulted in accumulation of 8.10mg/g DCW (47.18mg/l) of (3S, 3'S)-astaxanthin in shake-flask cultures. This combinatorial strategy might be also applicable for alleviation of metabolic bottleneck in biosynthesis of other value-added products, especially colored metabolites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. [Molecular evolution of the sulphite efflux gene SSU1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae].

    PubMed

    Peng, Li-Xin; Sun, Fei-Fei; Huang, Yan-Yan; Li, Zhen-Chong

    2013-11-01

    The SSU1 gene encoding a membrane sulfite pump is a main facilitator invovled in sulfite efflux. In Saccharomyce cerevisiae, various range of resistance to sulfite was observed among strains. To explore the evolution traits of SSU1 gene, the population data of S. cerevisiae were collected and analyzed. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. cerevisiae population can be classified into three sub-populations, and the positive selection was detected in population by McDonald-Kreitman test. The anaylsis of Ka/Ks ratios further showed that S. cerevisiae sub-population was undergoing positive selection. This finding was also supported by PAML branch model. Nine potential positive selection sites were predicted by branch-site model, and four sites exclusively belong to the sub-population under positive seletion. The data from ssulp protein structure demonstrated that three sites are substitutions between polar and hydrophobic amino acids, and only one site of substitutaion from basic amino acid to basic amino acid (345R/K). Because amino acid pKa values are crucial for sulfite pump to maintain their routine function, positive selection of these amino acid substitutions might affect sulfite efflux efficient.

  2. Tentacle-type immobilized metal affinity cryogel for invertase purification from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Çetin, Kemal; Perçin, Işık; Denizli, Fatma; Denizli, Adil

    2017-11-01

    The aim of this study is to investigate the usability of cryogel columns for the purification of invertase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) monolithic columns were produced via cryogelation. Ester groups of the poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) structure were then converted to imine groups by the reaction with poly(ethylene imine) in the presence of NaHCO 3 . Transition metal ions, Cu(II), Co(II), and Ni(II), were chelated on the PEI-modified cryogel columns. Purification of invertase from natural source namely S. cerevisiae was also studied, and the purification fold values were obtained as 41.350, 44.714, and 30.302 for Cu(II)-chelated, Co(II)-chelated, and Ni(II)-chelated PHEMA/PEI columns, respectively.

  3. Manganese toxicity and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mam3p, a member of the ACDP (ancient conserved domain protein) family

    PubMed Central

    2004-01-01

    Manganese is an essential, but potentially toxic, trace metal in biological systems. Overexposure to manganese is known to cause neurological deficits in humans, but the pathways that lead to manganese toxicity are largely unknown. We have employed the bakers' yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system to identify genes that contribute to manganese-related damage. In a genetic screen for yeast manganese-resistance mutants, we identified S. cerevisiae MAM3 as a gene which, when deleted, would increase cellular tolerance to toxic levels of manganese and also increased the cell's resistance towards cobalt and zinc. By sequence analysis, Mam3p shares strong similarity with the mammalian ACDP (ancient conserved domain protein) family of polypeptides. Mutations in human ACDP1 have been associated with urofacial (Ochoa) syndrome. However, the functions of eukaryotic ACDPs remain unknown. We show here that S. cerevisiae MAM3 encodes an integral membrane protein of the yeast vacuole whose expression levels directly correlate with the degree of manganese toxicity. Surprisingly, Mam3p contributes to manganese toxicity without any obvious changes in vacuolar accumulation of metals. Furthermore, through genetic epistasis studies, we demonstrate that MAM3 operates independently of the well-established manganese-trafficking pathways in yeast, involving the manganese transporters Pmr1p, Smf2p and Pho84p. This is the first report of a eukaryotic ACDP family protein involved in metal homoeostasis. PMID:15498024

  4. The mannoprotein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an effective bioemulsifier.

    PubMed Central

    Cameron, D R; Cooper, D G; Neufeld, R J

    1988-01-01

    The mannoprotein which is a major component of the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an effective bioemulsifier. Mannoprotein emulsifier was extracted in a high yield from whole cells of fresh bakers' yeast by two methods, by autoclaving in neutral citrate buffer and by digestion with Zymolase (Miles Laboratories; Toronto, Ontario, Canada), a beta-1,3-glucanase. Heat-extracted emulsifier was purified by ultrafiltration and contained approximately 44% carbohydrate (mannose) and 17% protein. Treatment of the emulsifier with protease eliminated emulsification. Kerosene-in-water emulsions were stabilized over a broad range of conditions, from pH 2 to 11, with up to 5% sodium chloride or up to 50% ethanol in the aqueous phase. In the presence of a low concentration of various solutes, emulsions were stable to three cycles of freezing and thawing. An emulsifying agent was extracted from each species or strain of yeast tested, including 13 species of genera other than Saccharomyces. Spent yeast from the manufacture of beer and wine was demonstrated to be a possible source for the large-scale production of this bioemulsifier. PMID:3046488

  5. Antigenic validation of recombinant hemagglutinin-neuraminidase protein of Newcastle disease virus expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Khulape, S A; Maity, H K; Pathak, D C; Mohan, C Madhan; Dey, S

    2015-09-01

    The outer membrane glycoprotein, hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is important for virus infection and subsequent immune response by host, and offers target for development of recombinant antigen-based immunoassays and subunit vaccines. In this study, the expression of HN protein of NDV is attempted in yeast expression system. Yeast offers eukaryotic environment for protein processing and posttranslational modifications like glycosylation, in addition to higher growth rate and easy genetic manipulation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was found to be better expression system for HN protein than Pichia pastoris as determined by codon usage analysis. The complete coding  sequence of HN gene was amplified with the histidine tag, cloned in pESC-URA under GAL10 promotor and transformed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The recombinant HN (rHN) protein was characterized by western blot, showing glycosylation heterogeneity as observed with other eukaryotic expression systems. The recombinant protein was purified by affinity column purification. The protein could be further used as subunit vaccine.

  6. Revealing of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cell wall proteins capable of binding thioflavin T, a fluorescent dye specifically interacting with amyloid fibrils.

    PubMed

    Gorkovskii, A A; Bezsonov, E E; Plotnikova, T A; Kalebina, T S; Kulaev, I S

    2009-11-01

    Proteins binding thioflavin T leading to its specific fluorescence were discovered in a fraction of noncovalently bound Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cell wall mannoproteins. Thioflavin-binding proteins display high resistance to trypsin digestion in solution. These data are the first experimental evidence for the presence of proteins whose properties are characteristic of amyloids in yeast cell wall, except for data on glucanotransferase Bgl2p that has amyloid properties. Our data suggest the anchoring of these proteins in the cell wall by a trypsin-sensitive part of the protein molecule. Experiments with a mutant strain devoid of the BGL2 gene suggest the compensation of absent amyloid-like protein Bgl2p by increase in contents of thioflavin-binding proteins in the cell wall.

  7. The Thr505 and Ser557 residues of the AGT1-encoded alpha-glucoside transporter are critical for maltotriose transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Smit, A; Moses, S G; Pretorius, I S; Cordero Otero, R R

    2008-04-01

    The main objective of this study was to identify amino acid residues in the AGT1-encoded alpha-glucoside transporter (Agt1p) that are critical for efficient transport of maltotriose in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sequences of two AGT1-encoded alpha-glucoside transporters with different efficiencies of maltotriose transport in two Saccharomyces strains (WH310 and WH314) were compared. The sequence variations and discrepancies between these two proteins (Agt1p(WH310) and Agt1p(WH314)) were investigated for potential effects on the functionality and maltotriose transport efficiency of these two AGT1-encoded alpha-glucoside transporters. A 23-amino-acid C-terminal truncation proved not to be critical for maltotriose affinity. The identification of three amino acid differences, which potentially could have been instrumental in the transportation of maltotriose, were further investigated. Single mutations were created to restore the point mutations I505T, V549A and T557S one by one. The single site mutant V549A showed a decrease in maltotriose transport ability, and the I505T and T557S mutants showed complete reduction in maltotriose transport. The amino acids Thr(505) and Ser(557), which are respectively located in the transmembrane (TM) segment TM(11) and on the intracellular segment after TM(12) of the AGT1-encoded alpha-glucoside transporters, are critical for efficient transport of maltotriose in S. cerevisiae. Improved fermentation of starch and its dextrin products, such as maltotriose and maltose, would benefit the brewing and whisky industries. This study could facilitate the development of engineered maltotriose transporters adapted to starch-efficient fermentation systems, and offers prospects for the development of yeast strains with improved maltose and maltotriose uptake capabilities that, in turn, could increase the overall fermentation efficiencies in the beer and whisky industries.

  8. Altering the Rate of Mitosis by Introducing Low-Gigahertz Radiation to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garg, S.; Ashby, C.

    2017-12-01

    This experiment aims to assess the impact of low-frequency radiation (from common technological tools such as cell phones, scanners, and wifi) on the mitotic rates of cells. In particular, the focus of the study was on the growth and development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures that were exposed to radio waves from a wifi router, which were then compared to a cohort of the same species without exposure. Though routers emit a low gigahertz frequency, they are categorized as Group 2B radiation (possibly carcinogenic) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization, signifying that constant exposure poses a potential risk to humans. Twelve agar dishes of active Saccharomyces cerevisiae solution were prepared, with six dishes acting as the control under no added radiation and six acting as the experimental group under 2.4 GHz of radiation due to their proximity to the router. Data on how many cultures proliferated in each dish was collected every three days, with the experiment running for a total of twelve days. All subjects experienced growth curves until day 9 when the experimental group's growth peaked with an average of 62 colonies/dish. Three of the six dishes in this group lost colonies in the following three days, leaving the experimental group with an average of 61 colonies/dish on day 12, while the control group was still increasing by day 12 with an average of 48 colonies/dish, with only one dish undergoing a loss of colonies. Exposing the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to low grade radiation resulted in accelerated mitosis, and though the experimental group faced colony death after nine days, the loss was likely due to overpopulation in the dish.

  9. Properties of promoters cloned randomly from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome.

    PubMed Central

    Santangelo, G M; Tornow, J; McLaughlin, C S; Moldave, K

    1988-01-01

    Promoters were isolated at random from the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by using a plasmid that contains a divergently arrayed pair of promoterless reporter genes. A comprehensive library was constructed by inserting random (DNase I-generated) fragments into the intergenic region upstream from the reporter genes. Simple in vivo assays for either reporter gene product (alcohol dehydrogenase or beta-galactosidase) allowed the rapid identification of promoters from among these random fragments. Poly(dA-dT) homopolymer tracts were present in three of five randomly cloned promoters. With two exceptions, each RNA start site detected was 40 to 100 base pairs downstream from a TATA element. All of the randomly cloned promoters were capable of activating reporter gene transcription bidirectionally. Interestingly, one of the promoter fragments originated in a region of the S. cerevisiae rDNA spacer; regulated divergent transcription (presumably by RNA polymerase II) initiated in the same region. Images PMID:2847031

  10. Purification and Characterization of Put1p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Wanduragala, Srimevan; Sanyal, Nikhilesh; Liang, Xinwen; Becker, Donald F.

    2010-01-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the PUT1 and PUT2 genes are required for the conversion of proline to glutamate. The PUT1 gene encodes Put1p, a proline dehydrogenase (PRODH)1 enzyme localized in the mitochondrion. Put1p was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli and shown to have a UV-visible absorption spectrum that is typical of a bound flavin cofactor. A Km value of 36 mM proline and a kcat = 27 s−1 were determined for Put1p using an artificial electron acceptor. Put1p also exhibited high activity using ubiquinone-1 (CoQ1) as an electron acceptor with a kcat = 9.6 s−1 and a Km of 33 µM for CoQ1. In addition, knockout strains of the electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) homolog in S. cerevisiae were able to grow on proline as the sole nitrogen source demonstrating that ETF is not required for proline utilization in yeast. PMID:20450881

  11. Lycopene overproduction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through combining pathway engineering with host engineering.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yan; Xiao, Wenhai; Wang, Ying; Liu, Hong; Li, Xia; Yuan, Yingjin

    2016-06-21

    Microbial production of lycopene, a commercially and medically important compound, has received increasing concern in recent years. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regarded as a safer host for lycopene production than Escherichia coli. However, to date, the lycopene yield (mg/g DCW) in S. cerevisiae was lower than that in E. coli and did not facilitate downstream extraction process, which might be attributed to the incompatibility between host cell and heterologous pathway. Therefore, to achieve lycopene overproduction in S. cerevisiae, both host cell and heterologous pathway should be delicately engineered. In this study, lycopene biosynthesis pathway was constructed by integration of CrtE, CrtB and CrtI in S. cerevisiae CEN.PK2. When YPL062W, a distant genetic locus, was deleted, little acetate was accumulated and approximately 100 % increase in cytosolic acetyl-CoA pool was achieved relative to that in parental strain. Through screening CrtE, CrtB and CrtI from diverse species, an optimal carotenogenic enzyme combination was obtained, and CrtI from Blakeslea trispora (BtCrtI) was found to have excellent performance on lycopene production as well as lycopene proportion in carotenoid. Then, the expression level of BtCrtI was fine-tuned and the effect of cell mating types was also evaluated. Finally, potential distant genetic targets (YJL064W, ROX1, and DOS2) were deleted and a stress-responsive transcription factor INO2 was also up-regulated. Through the above modifications between host cell and carotenogenic pathway, lycopene yield was increased by approximately 22-fold (from 2.43 to 54.63 mg/g DCW). Eventually, in fed-batch fermentation, lycopene production reached 55.56 mg/g DCW, which is the highest reported yield in yeasts. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered to produce lycopene in this study. Through combining host engineering (distant genetic loci and cell mating types) with pathway engineering (enzyme screening and gene fine-tuning), lycopene yield was

  12. Statistics-based model for prediction of chemical biosynthesis yield from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background The robustness of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in facilitating industrial-scale production of ethanol extends its utilization as a platform to synthesize other metabolites. Metabolic engineering strategies, typically via pathway overexpression and deletion, continue to play a key role for optimizing the conversion efficiency of substrates into the desired products. However, chemical production titer or yield remains difficult to predict based on reaction stoichiometry and mass balance. We sampled a large space of data of chemical production from S. cerevisiae, and developed a statistics-based model to calculate production yield using input variables that represent the number of enzymatic steps in the key biosynthetic pathway of interest, metabolic modifications, cultivation modes, nutrition and oxygen availability. Results Based on the production data of about 40 chemicals produced from S. cerevisiae, metabolic engineering methods, nutrient supplementation, and fermentation conditions described therein, we generated mathematical models with numerical and categorical variables to predict production yield. Statistically, the models showed that: 1. Chemical production from central metabolic precursors decreased exponentially with increasing number of enzymatic steps for biosynthesis (>30% loss of yield per enzymatic step, P-value = 0); 2. Categorical variables of gene overexpression and knockout improved product yield by 2~4 folds (P-value < 0.1); 3. Addition of notable amount of intermediate precursors or nutrients improved product yield by over five folds (P-value < 0.05); 4. Performing the cultivation in a well-controlled bioreactor enhanced the yield of product by three folds (P-value < 0.05); 5. Contribution of oxygen to product yield was not statistically significant. Yield calculations for various chemicals using the linear model were in fairly good agreement with the experimental values. The model generally underestimated the ethanol production as

  13. The genetic architecture of low-temperature adaptation in the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    García-Ríos, Estéfani; Morard, Miguel; Parts, Leopold; Liti, Gianni; Guillamón, José M

    2017-02-14

    Low-temperature growth and fermentation of wine yeast can enhance wine aroma and make them highly desirable traits for the industry. Elucidating response to cold in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is, therefore, of paramount importance to select or genetically improve new wine strains. As most enological traits of industrial importance in yeasts, adaptation to low temperature is a polygenic trait regulated by many interacting loci. In order to unravel the genetic determinants of low-temperature fermentation, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) by bulk segregant analyses in the F13 offspring of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae industrial strains with divergent performance at low temperature. We detected four genomic regions involved in the adaptation at low temperature, three of them located in the subtelomeric regions (chromosomes XIII, XV and XVI) and one in the chromosome XIV. The QTL analysis revealed that subtelomeric regions play a key role in defining individual variation, which emphasizes the importance of these regions' adaptive nature. The reciprocal hemizygosity analysis (RHA), run to validate the genes involved in low-temperature fermentation, showed that genetic variation in mitochondrial proteins, maintenance of correct asymmetry and distribution of phospholipid in the plasma membrane are key determinants of low-temperature adaptation.

  14. Metabolomic Comparison of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the Cryotolerant Species S. bayanus var. uvarum and S. kudriavzevii during Wine Fermentation at Low Temperature

    PubMed Central

    López-Malo, María; Querol, Amparo; Guillamon, José Manuel

    2013-01-01

    Temperature is one of the most important parameters affecting the length and rate of alcoholic fermentation and final wine quality. Wine produced at low temperature is often considered to have improved sensory qualities. However, there are certain drawbacks to low temperature fermentations such as reduced growth rate, long lag phase, and sluggish or stuck fermentations. To investigate the effects of temperature on commercial wine yeast, we compared its metabolome growing at 12°C and 28°C in a synthetic must. Some species of the Saccharomyces genus have shown better adaptation at low temperature than Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This is the case of the cryotolerant yeasts Saccharomyces bayanus var. uvarum and Saccharomyces kudriavzevii. In an attempt to detect inter-specific metabolic differences, we characterized the metabolome of these species growing at 12°C, which we compared with the metabolome of S. cerevisiae (not well adapted at low temperature) at the same temperature. Our results show that the main differences between the metabolic profiling of S. cerevisiae growing at 12°C and 28°C were observed in lipid metabolism and redox homeostasis. Moreover, the global metabolic comparison among the three species revealed that the main differences between the two cryotolerant species and S. cerevisiae were in carbohydrate metabolism, mainly fructose metabolism. However, these two species have developed different strategies for cold resistance. S. bayanus var. uvarum presented elevated shikimate pathway activity, while S. kudriavzevii displayed increased NAD+ synthesis. PMID:23527304

  15. Abolishment of N-glycan mannosylphosphorylation in glyco-engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae by double disruption of MNN4 and MNN14 genes.

    PubMed

    Kim, Yeong Hun; Kang, Ji-Yeon; Gil, Jin Young; Kim, Sang-Yoon; Shin, Keun Koo; Kang, Hyun Ah; Kim, Jeong-Yoon; Kwon, Ohsuk; Oh, Doo-Byoung

    2017-04-01

    Mannosylphosphorylated glycans are found only in fungi, including yeast, and the elimination of mannosylphosphates from glycans is a prerequisite for yeast glyco-engineering to produce human-compatible glycoproteins. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, MNN4 and MNN6 genes are known to play roles in mannosylphosphorylation, but disruption of these genes does not completely remove the mannosylphosphates in N-glycans. This study was performed to find unknown key gene(s) involved in N-glycan mannosylphosphorylation in S. cerevisiae. For this purpose, each of one MNN4 and five MNN6 homologous genes were deleted from the och1Δmnn1Δmnn4Δmnn6Δ strain, which lacks yeast-specific hyper-mannosylation and the immunogenic α(1,3)-mannose structure. N-glycan profile analysis of cell wall mannoproteins and a secretory recombinant protein produced in mutants showed that the MNN14 gene, an MNN4 paralog with unknown function, is essential for N-glycan mannosylphosphorylation. Double disruption of MNN4 and MNN14 genes was enough to eliminate N-glycan mannosylphosphorylation. Our results suggest that the S. cerevisiae och1Δmnn1Δmnn4Δmnn14Δ strain, in which all yeast-specific N-glycan structures including mannosylphosphorylation are abolished, may have promise as a useful platform for glyco-engineering to produce therapeutic glycoproteins with human-compatible N-glycans.

  16. Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts in sequential fermentations: Effect on phenolic acids of fermented Kei-apple (Dovyalis caffra L.) juice.

    PubMed

    Minnaar, P P; Jolly, N P; Paulsen, V; Du Plessis, H W; Van Der Rijst, M

    2017-09-18

    Kei-apple (Dovyalis caffra) is an evergreen tree indigenous to Southern Africa. The fruit contains high concentrations of l-malic acid, ascorbic acid, and phenolic acids. Kei-apple juice was sequentially inoculated with Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts. A reference fermentation using only S. cerevisiae was included. The fermentation was monitored by recording mass loss. At the end of fermentation, twelve untrained judges conducted free choice aroma profiling on the fruit wines. The Kei-apple juice and wines were analysed for total titratable acidity, total soluble solids, pH, alcohol, l-malic acid, and phenolic acids. Total titratable acidity was ca. 70% lower in Kei-apple wines produced with S. pombe+S. cerevisiae than in Kei-apple juice. Kei-apple wines produced with S. pombe+S. cerevisiae showed substantially lower concentrations of l-malic acid than Kei-apple wines produced with S. cerevisiae only. Wines produced with S. cerevisiae only proved higher in phenolic acid concentrations than wines produced with S. pombe+S. cerevisiae. Chlorogenic acid was the most abundant phenolic acid measured in the Kei-apple wines, followed by protocatechuic acid. Judges described the Kei-apple wines produced with S. pombe+S. cerevisiae as having noticeable off-odours, while wines produced with S. cerevisiae were described as fresh and fruity. Kei-apple wines (S. pombe+S. cerevisiae and S. cerevisiae) were of comparable vegetative and organic character. Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced Kei-apple wine with increased caffeic, chlorogenic, protocatechuic, and sinapic acids, whereas S. pombe+S. cerevisiae produced Kei-apple wines with increased ferulic, and p-coumaric acids and low l-malic acid. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Epidemiological Investigation of Vaginal Saccharomyces cerevisiae Isolates by a Genotypic Method

    PubMed Central

    McCullough, Michael J.; Clemons, Karl V.; Farina, Claudio; McCusker, John H.; Stevens, David A.

    1998-01-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a ubiquitous, ascomycetous yeast, and vaginitis caused by this organism has been reported only very rarely. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the epidemiological relatedness of a group of vaginal and commercial S. cerevisiae isolates by a previously reported genetic typing method, which divided the isolates into two broad groups with numerous subtypes. Nineteen S. cerevisiae isolates obtained from patients suffering from vaginitis and four isolates from commercial products in the same city were analyzed. The cellular DNA from each isolate was digested with the restriction endonuclease EcoRI, and restriction fragment length polymorphisms were generated by horizontal gel electrophoresis. The results showed that although vaginal isolates did not cluster in any particular genetic subtype, multiple patients were infected with indistinguishable strains (there were nine distinct strains among 23 isolates). For two of three patients, all three with two episodes of S. cerevisiae vaginitis, different strains were isolated during the recurrence of this disease. Three other patients with indistinguishable isolates were epidemiologically related in that two were practitioners in the same clinic and the third was a patient at this clinic. We also found that one commercial strain was indistinguishable from the strain isolated from three different women at the time that they were suffering from vaginitis. The findings of the present study suggest that some S. cerevisiae strains may possess properties permitting persistence in the human host. Furthermore, person-to-person contact and the proliferation of the use of S. cerevisiae as a health-food product, in home baking, and in home brewing may be a contributing factor in human colonization and infection with this organism. PMID:9466776

  18. Biogeographical characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast by molecular methods

    PubMed Central

    Tofalo, Rosanna; Perpetuini, Giorgia; Schirone, Maria; Fasoli, Giuseppe; Aguzzi, Irene; Corsetti, Aldo; Suzzi, Giovanna

    2013-01-01

    Biogeography is the descriptive and explanatory study of spatial patterns and processes involved in the distribution of biodiversity. Without biogeography, it would be difficult to study the diversity of microorganisms because there would be no way to visualize patterns in variation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, “the wine yeast,” is the most important species involved in alcoholic fermentation, and in vineyard ecosystems, it follows the principle of “everything is everywhere.” Agricultural practices such as farming (organic versus conventional) and floor management systems have selected different populations within this species that are phylogenetically distinct. In fact, recent ecological and geographic studies highlighted that unique strains are associated with particular grape varieties in specific geographical locations. These studies also highlighted that significant diversity and regional character, or ‘terroir,’ have been introduced into the winemaking process via this association. This diversity of wild strains preserves typicity, the high quality, and the unique flavor of wines. Recently, different molecular methods were developed to study population dynamics of S. cerevisiae strains in both vineyards and wineries. In this review, we will provide an update on the current molecular methods used to reveal the geographical distribution of S. cerevisiae wine yeast. PMID:23805132

  19. Expression of Pneumocystis jirovecii Major Surface Glycoprotein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Kutty, Geetha; England, Katherine J.; Kovacs, Joseph A.

    2013-01-01

    The major surface glycoprotein (Msg), which is the most abundant protein expressed on the cell surface of Pneumocystis organisms, plays an important role in the attachment of this organism to epithelial cells and macrophages. In the present study, we expressed Pneumocystis jirovecii Msg in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a phylogenetically related organism. Full-length P. jirovecii Msg was expressed with a DNA construct that used codons optimized for expression in yeast. Unlike in Pneumocystis organisms, recombinant Msg localized to the plasma membrane of yeast rather than to the cell wall. Msg expression was targeted to the yeast cell wall by replacing its signal peptide, serine-threonine–rich region, and glycophosphatidylinositol anchor signal region with the signal peptide of cell wall protein α-agglutinin of S. cerevisiae, the serine-threonine–rich region of epithelial adhesin (Epa1) of Candida glabrata, and the carboxyl region of the cell wall protein (Cwp2) of S. cerevisiae, respectively. Immunofluorescence analysis and treatment with β-1,3 glucanase demonstrated that the expressed Msg fusion protein localized to the yeast cell wall. Surface expression of Msg protein resulted in increased adherence of yeast to A549 alveolar epithelial cells. Heterologous expression of Msg in yeast will facilitate studies of the biologic properties of Pneumocystis Msg. PMID:23532098

  20. Force Sensitivity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Flocculins.

    PubMed

    Chan, Cho X J; El-Kirat-Chatel, Sofiane; Joseph, Ivor G; Jackson, Desmond N; Ramsook, Caleen B; Dufrêne, Yves F; Lipke, Peter N

    2016-01-01

    Many fungal adhesins have short, β-aggregation-prone sequences that play important functional roles, and in the Candida albicans adhesin Als5p, these sequences cluster the adhesins after exposure to shear force. Here, we report that Saccharomyces cerevisiae flocculins Flo11p and Flo1p have similar β-aggregation-prone sequences and are similarly stimulated by shear force, despite being nonhomologous. Shear from vortex mixing induced the formation of small flocs in cells expressing either adhesin. After the addition of Ca(2+), yeast cells from vortex-sheared populations showed greatly enhanced flocculation and displayed more pronounced thioflavin-bright surface nanodomains. At high concentrations, amyloidophilic dyes inhibited Flo1p- and Flo11p-mediated agar invasion and the shear-induced increase in flocculation. Consistent with these results, atomic force microscopy of Flo11p showed successive force-distance peaks characteristic of sequentially unfolding tandem repeat domains, like Flo1p and Als5p. Flo11p-expressing cells bound together through homophilic interactions with adhesion forces of up to 700 pN and rupture lengths of up to 600 nm. These results are consistent with the potentiation of yeast flocculation by shear-induced formation of high-avidity domains of clustered adhesins at the cell surface, similar to the activation of Candida albicans adhesin Als5p. Thus, yeast adhesins from three independent gene families use similar force-dependent interactions to drive cell adhesion. IMPORTANCE The Saccharomyces cerevisiae flocculins mediate the formation of cellular aggregates and biofilm-like mats, useful in clearing yeast from fermentations. An important property of fungal adhesion proteins, including flocculins, is the ability to form catch bonds, i.e., bonds that strengthen under tension. This strengthening is based, at least in part, on increased avidity of binding due to clustering of adhesins in cell surface nanodomains. This clustering depends on

  1. Maltotriose fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Zastrow, C R; Hollatz, C; de Araujo, P S; Stambuk, B U

    2001-07-01

    Maltotriose, the second most abundant sugar of brewer's wort, is not fermented but is respired by several industrial yeast strains. We have isolated a strain capable of growing on a medium containing maltotriose and the respiratory inhibitor, antimycin A. This strain produced equivalent amounts of ethanol from 20 g l(-1) glucose, maltose, or maltotriose. We performed a detailed analysis of the rates of active transport and intracellular hydrolysis of maltotriose by this strain, and by a strain that does not ferment this sugar. The kinetics of sugar hydrolysis by both strains was similar, and our results also indicated that yeast cells do not synthesize a maltotriose-specific alpha-glucosidase. However, when considering active sugar transport, a different pattern was observed. The maltotriose-fermenting strain showed the same rate of active maltose or maltotriose transport, while the strain that could not ferment maltotriose showed a lower rate of maltotriose transport when compared with the rates of active maltose transport. Thus, our results revealed that transport across the plasma membrane, and not intracellular hydrolysis, is the rate-limiting step for the fermentation of maltotriose by these Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells.

  2. Roles for the Rad27 Flap Endonuclease in Mitochondrial Mutagenesis and Double-Strand Break Repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Nagarajan, Prabha; Prevost, Christopher T; Stein, Alexis; Kasimer, Rachel; Kalifa, Lidza; Sia, Elaine A

    2017-06-01

    The structure-specific nuclease, Rad27p/FEN1, plays a crucial role in DNA repair and replication mechanisms in the nucleus. Genetic assays using the rad27-∆ mutant have shown altered rates of DNA recombination, microsatellite instability, and point mutation in mitochondria. In this study, we examined the role of Rad27p in mitochondrial mutagenesis and double-strand break (DSB) repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Our findings show that Rad27p is essential for efficient mitochondrial DSB repair by a pathway that generates deletions at a region flanked by direct repeat sequences. Mutant analysis suggests that both exonuclease and endonuclease activities of Rad27p are required for its role in mitochondrial DSB repair. In addition, we found that the nuclease activities of Rad27p are required for the prevention of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations, and in the generation of spontaneous mtDNA rearrangements. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of Rad27p in the maintenance of mtDNA, and demonstrate that it participates in multiple DNA repair pathways in mitochondria, unlinked to nuclear phenotypes. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

  3. Bioethanol strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae characterised by microsatellite and stress resistance.

    PubMed

    Reis, Vanda Renata; Antonangelo, Ana Teresa Burlamaqui Faraco; Bassi, Ana Paula Guarnieri; Colombi, Débora; Ceccato-Antonini, Sandra Regina

    Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae may display characteristics that are typical of rough-type colonies, made up of cells clustered in pseudohyphal structures and comprised of daughter buds that do not separate from the mother cell post-mitosis. These strains are known to occur frequently in fermentation tanks with significant lower ethanol yield when compared to fermentations carried out by smooth strains of S. cerevisiae that are composed of dispersed cells. In an attempt to delineate genetic and phenotypic differences underlying the two phenotypes, this study analysed 10 microsatellite loci of 22 S. cerevisiae strains as well as stress resistance towards high concentrations of ethanol and glucose, low pH and cell sedimentation rates. The results obtained from the phenotypic tests by Principal-Component Analysis revealed that unlike the smooth colonies, the rough colonies of S. cerevisiae exhibit an enhanced resistance to stressful conditions resulting from the presence of excessive glucose and ethanol and high sedimentation rate. The microsatellite analysis was not successful to distinguish between the colony phenotypes as phenotypic assays. The relevant industrial strain PE-2 was observed in close genetic proximity to rough-colony although it does not display this colony morphology. A unique genetic pattern specific to a particular phenotype remains elusive. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  4. Mobilization of steryl esters from lipid particles of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Andrea; Grillitsch, Karlheinz; Leitner, Erich; Daum, Günther

    2009-02-01

    In the yeast as in other eukaryotes, formation and hydrolysis of steryl esters (SE) are processes linked to lipid storage. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the three SE hydrolases Tgl1p, Yeh1p and Yeh2p contribute to SE mobilization from their site of storage, the lipid particles/droplets. Here, we provide evidence for enzymatic and cellular properties of these three hydrolytic enzymes. Using the respective single, double and triple deletion mutants and strains overexpressing the three enzymes, we demonstrate that each SE hydrolase exhibits certain substrate specificity. Interestingly, disturbance in SE mobilization also affects sterol biosynthesis in a type of feedback regulation. Sterol intermediates stored in SE and set free by SE hydrolases are recycled to the sterol biosynthetic pathway and converted to the final product, ergosterol. This recycling implies that the vast majority of sterol precursors are transported from lipid particles to the endoplasmic reticulum, where sterol biosynthesis is completed. Ergosterol formed through this route is then supplied to its subcellular destinations, especially the plasma membrane. Only a minor amount of sterol precursors are randomly distributed within the cell after cleavage from SE. Conclusively, SE storage and mobilization although being dispensable for yeast viability contribute markedly to sterol homeostasis and distribution.

  5. Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain for improved xylose utilization with a three-plasmid SUMO yeast expression system

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A three-plasmid yeast expression system utilizing the portable small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) vector set combined with the efficient endogenous yeast protease Ulp1 was developed for production of large amounts of soluble functional protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Each vector has a differ...

  6. Draft Genome Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Barra Grande (BG-1), a Brazilian Industrial Bioethanol-Producing Strain

    PubMed Central

    Coutouné, Natalia; Mulato, Aline Tieppo Nogueira

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae BG-1, a Brazilian industrial strain widely used for bioethanol production from sugarcane. The 11.7-Mb genome sequence consists of 216 scaffolds and harbors 5,607 predicted protein-coding genes. PMID:28360170

  7. Invasive Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a liver transplant patient: case report and review of infection in transplant recipients.

    PubMed

    Popiel, K Y; Wong, P; Lee, M J; Langelier, M; Sheppard, D C; Vinh, D C

    2015-06-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an ascosporogenous yeast commonly used in the production of food, is an emerging infection in immunocompromised patients. We report the case of a 60-year-old man whose orthotopic liver transplant was complicated by S. cerevisiae fungemia and peritoneal abscess, successfully treated with caspofungin and drainage. We also review the literature of invasive saccharomycoses in recipients of hematologic and solid organ transplants. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Saccharomyces cerevisiae KNU5377 stress response during high-temperature ethanol fermentation.

    PubMed

    Kim, Il-Sup; Kim, Young-Saeng; Kim, Hyun; Jin, Ingnyol; Yoon, Ho-Sung

    2013-03-01

    Fuel ethanol production is far more costly to produce than fossil fuels. There are a number of approaches to cost-effective fuel ethanol production from biomass. We characterized stress response of thermotolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae KNU5377 during glucose-based batch fermentation at high temperature (40°C). S. cerevisiae KNU5377 (KNU5377) transcription factors (Hsf1, Msn2/4, and Yap1), metabolic enzymes (hexokinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and alcohol dehydrogenase), antioxidant enzymes (thioredoxin 3, thioredoxin reductase, and porin), and molecular chaperones and its cofactors (Hsp104, Hsp82, Hsp60, Hsp42, Hsp30, Hsp26, Cpr1, Sti1, and Zpr1) are upregulated during fermentation, in comparison to S. cerevisiae S288C (S288C). Expression of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase increased significantly in KNU5377 cells. In addition, cellular hydroperoxide and protein oxidation, particularly lipid peroxidation of triosephosphate isomerase, was lower in KNU5377 than in S288C. Thus, KNU5377 activates various cell rescue proteins through transcription activators, improving tolerance and increasing alcohol yield by rapidly responding to fermentation stress through redox homeostasis and proteostasis.

  9. The Response to Heat Shock and Oxidative Stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Morano, Kevin A.; Grant, Chris M.; Moye-Rowley, W. Scott

    2012-01-01

    A common need for microbial cells is the ability to respond to potentially toxic environmental insults. Here we review the progress in understanding the response of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to two important environmental stresses: heat shock and oxidative stress. Both of these stresses are fundamental challenges that microbes of all types will experience. The study of these environmental stress responses in S. cerevisiae has illuminated many of the features now viewed as central to our understanding of eukaryotic cell biology. Transcriptional activation plays an important role in driving the multifaceted reaction to elevated temperature and levels of reactive oxygen species. Advances provided by the development of whole genome analyses have led to an appreciation of the global reorganization of gene expression and its integration between different stress regimens. While the precise nature of the signal eliciting the heat shock response remains elusive, recent progress in the understanding of induction of the oxidative stress response is summarized here. Although these stress conditions represent ancient challenges to S. cerevisiae and other microbes, much remains to be learned about the mechanisms dedicated to dealing with these environmental parameters. PMID:22209905

  10. Squalene epoxidase as a target for manipulation of squalene levels in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Garaiová, Martina; Zambojová, Veronika; Simová, Zuzana; Griač, Peter; Hapala, Ivan

    2014-03-01

    Squalene is a valuable natural substance with several biotechnological applications. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it is produced in the isoprenoid pathway as the first precursor dedicated to ergosterol biosynthesis. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of squalene epoxidase encoded by the ERG1 gene as the target for manipulating squalene levels in yeast. Highest squalene levels (over 1000 μg squalene per 10(9)  cells) were induced by specific point mutations in ERG1 gene that reduced activity of squalene epoxidase and caused hypersensitivity to terbinafine. This accumulation of squalene in erg1 mutants did not significantly disturb their growth. Treatment with squalene epoxidase inhibitor terbinafine revealed a limit in squalene accumulation at 700 μg squalene per 10(9)  cells which was associated with pronounced growth defects. Inhibition of squalene epoxidase activity by anaerobiosis or heme deficiency resulted in relatively low squalene levels. These levels were significantly increased by ergosterol depletion in anaerobic cells which indicated feedback inhibition of squalene production by ergosterol. Accumulation of squalene in erg1 mutants and terbinafine-treated cells were associated with increased cellular content and aggregation of lipid droplets. Our results prove that targeted genetic manipulation of the ERG1 gene is a promising tool for increasing squalene production in yeast. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. A dynamic flux balance model and bottleneck identification of glucose, xylose, xylulose co-fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Economically viable production of lignocellulosic ethanol requires efficient conversion of feedstock sugars to ethanol. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot ferment xylose, the main five-carbon sugars in biomass, but can ferment xylulose, an enzymatically derived isomer. Xylulose fermentation is slow rel...

  12. A new biological test of water toxicity-yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae conductometric test.

    PubMed

    Dolezalova, Jaroslava; Rumlova, Lubomira

    2014-11-01

    This new biological test of water toxicity is based on monitoring of specific conductivity changes of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae suspension as a result of yeast fermentation activity inhibition in toxic conditions. The test was verified on ten substances with various mechanisms of toxic effect and the results were compared with two standard toxicity tests based on Daphnia magna mobility inhibition (EN ISO 6341) and Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition (EN ISO 11348-2) and with the results of the S. cerevisiae lethal test (Rumlova and Dolezalova, 2012). The new biological test - S. cerevisiae conductometric test - is an express method developed primarily for field conditions. It is applicable in case of need of immediate information about water toxicity. Fast completion is an advantage of this test (time necessary for test completion is about 60min), the test is simple and the test organism - dried instant yeast - belongs among its biggest advantages because of its long-term storage life and broad availability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Glycerol positive promoters for tailored metabolic engineering of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Ho, Ping-Wei; Klein, Mathias; Futschik, Matthias; Nevoigt, Elke

    2018-05-01

    Glycerol offers several advantages as a substrate for biotechnological applications. An important step toward using the popular production host Saccharomyces cerevisiae for glycerol-based bioprocesses has been the fact that in recent studies commonly used S. cerevisiae strains were engineered to grow in synthetic medium containing glycerol as the sole carbon source. For metabolic engineering projects of S. cerevisiae growing on glycerol, characterized promoters are missing. In the current study, we used transcriptome analysis and a yECitrine-based fluorescence reporter assay to select and characterize 25 useful promoters. The promoters of the genes ALD4 and ADH2 showed 4.2-fold and 3-fold higher activities compared to the well-known strong TEF1 promoter. Moreover, the collection contains promoters with graded activities in synthetic glycerol medium and different degrees of glucose repression. To demonstrate the general applicability of the promoter collection, we successfully used a subset of the characterized promoters with graded activities in order to optimize growth on glycerol in an engineered derivative of CEN.PK, in which glycerol catabolism exclusively occurs via a non-native DHA pathway.

  14. Chromium (VI) biosorption by Saccharomyces cerevisiae subjected to chemical and thermal treatments.

    PubMed

    De Rossi, Andrea; Rigon, Magali Rejane; Zaparoli, Munise; Braido, Rafael Dalmas; Colla, Luciane Maria; Dotto, Guilherme Luiz; Piccin, Jeferson Steffanello

    2018-05-28

    The potential of chemically and thermally treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae as biosorbents for chromium (VI) was investigated in this work. The presence of this toxic metal in industrial effluents is harmful to the environment, so, it is important to develop environmental friendly methods for Cr(VI) removal from these effluents. Biosorption using microorganisms such as S. cerevisiae is a viable treatment option because this biomass is easily available as a residue of fermentation industries. In this study, the affecting variables on Cr(VI) biosorption were studied by constructing biosorption isotherms, using lyophilized yeast subjected to chemical and thermal treatments. S. cerevisiae was able to remove 99.66% of Cr(VI) from effluents by biosorption. The significant variables affecting biosorption were pH, initial Cr(VI) concentration, and contact time. The biosorption isotherms were represented by the Freundlich model for the untreated biomass, BET model for the chemically treated biomass, and Langmuir model for the heat-treated biomass. Thermal treatment increased the biosorption affinity of the biomass for chromium, while the chemical treatment facilitated the formation of a multilayer.

  15. Acquisition of thermotolerant yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by breeding via stepwise adaptation.

    PubMed

    Satomura, Atsushi; Katsuyama, Yoshiaki; Miura, Natsuko; Kuroda, Kouichi; Tomio, Ayako; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro; Ueda, Mitsuyoshi

    2013-01-01

    A thermotolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain, YK60-1, was bred from a parental strain, MT8-1, via stepwise adaptation. YK60-1 grew at 40°C, a temperature at which MT8-1 could not grow at all. YK60-1 exhibited faster growth than MT8-1 at 30°C. To investigate the mechanisms how MT8-1 acquired thermotolerance, DNA microarray analysis was performed. The analysis revealed the induction of stress-responsive genes such as those encoding heat shock proteins and trehalose biosynthetic enzymes in YK60-1. Furthermore, nontargeting metabolome analysis showed that YK60-1 accumulated more trehalose, a metabolite that contributes to stress tolerance in yeast, than MT8-1. In conclusion, S. cerevisiae MT8-1 acquired thermotolerance by induction of specific stress-responsive genes and enhanced intracellular trehalose levels. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  16. Transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe with linear plasmids containing 2 micron sequences.

    PubMed Central

    Guerrini, A M; Ascenzioni, F; Tribioli, C; Donini, P

    1985-01-01

    Linear plasmids were constructed by adding telomeres prepared from Tetrahymena pyriformis rDNA to a circular hybrid Escherichia coli-yeast vector and transforming Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The parental vector contained the entire 2 mu yeast circle and the LEU gene from S. cerevisiae. Three transformed clones were shown to contain linear plasmids which were characterized by restriction analysis and shown to be rearranged versions of the desired linear plasmids. The plasmids obtained were imperfect palindromes: part of the parental vector was present in duplicated form, part as unique sequences and part was absent. The sequences that had been lost included a large portion of the 2 mu circle. The telomeres were approximately 450 bp longer than those of T. pyriformis. DNA prepared from transformed S. cerevisiae clones was used to transform Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The transformed S. pombe clones contained linear plasmids identical in structure to their linear parents in S. cerevisiae. No structural re-arrangements or integration into S. pombe was observed. Little or no telomere growth had occurred after transfer from S. cerevisiae to S. pombe. A model is proposed to explain the genesis of the plasmids. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 4. PMID:3896773

  17. Global mapping of DNA conformational flexibility on Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Menconi, Giulia; Bedini, Andrea; Barale, Roberto; Sbrana, Isabella

    2015-04-01

    In this study we provide the first comprehensive map of DNA conformational flexibility in Saccharomyces cerevisiae complete genome. Flexibility plays a key role in DNA supercoiling and DNA/protein binding, regulating DNA transcription, replication or repair. Specific interest in flexibility analysis concerns its relationship with human genome instability. Enrichment in flexible sequences has been detected in unstable regions of human genome defined fragile sites, where genes map and carry frequent deletions and rearrangements in cancer. Flexible sequences have been suggested to be the determinants of fragile gene proneness to breakage; however, their actual role and properties remain elusive. Our in silico analysis carried out genome-wide via the StabFlex algorithm, shows the conserved presence of highly flexible regions in budding yeast genome as well as in genomes of other Saccharomyces sensu stricto species. Flexibile peaks in S. cerevisiae identify 175 ORFs mapping on their 3'UTR, a region affecting mRNA translation, localization and stability. (TA)n repeats of different extension shape the central structure of peaks and co-localize with polyadenylation efficiency element (EE) signals. ORFs with flexible peaks share common features. Transcripts are characterized by decreased half-life: this is considered peculiar of genes involved in regulatory systems with high turnover; consistently, their function affects biological processes such as cell cycle regulation or stress response. Our findings support the functional importance of flexibility peaks, suggesting that the flexible sequence may be derived by an expansion of canonical TAYRTA polyadenylation efficiency element. The flexible (TA)n repeat amplification could be the outcome of an evolutionary neofunctionalization leading to a differential 3'-end processing and expression regulation in genes with peculiar function. Our study provides a new support to the functional role of flexibility in genomes and a

  18. Global Mapping of DNA Conformational Flexibility on Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Menconi, Giulia; Bedini, Andrea; Barale, Roberto; Sbrana, Isabella

    2015-01-01

    In this study we provide the first comprehensive map of DNA conformational flexibility in Saccharomyces cerevisiae complete genome. Flexibility plays a key role in DNA supercoiling and DNA/protein binding, regulating DNA transcription, replication or repair. Specific interest in flexibility analysis concerns its relationship with human genome instability. Enrichment in flexible sequences has been detected in unstable regions of human genome defined fragile sites, where genes map and carry frequent deletions and rearrangements in cancer. Flexible sequences have been suggested to be the determinants of fragile gene proneness to breakage; however, their actual role and properties remain elusive. Our in silico analysis carried out genome-wide via the StabFlex algorithm, shows the conserved presence of highly flexible regions in budding yeast genome as well as in genomes of other Saccharomyces sensu stricto species. Flexibile peaks in S. cerevisiae identify 175 ORFs mapping on their 3’UTR, a region affecting mRNA translation, localization and stability. (TA)n repeats of different extension shape the central structure of peaks and co-localize with polyadenylation efficiency element (EE) signals. ORFs with flexible peaks share common features. Transcripts are characterized by decreased half-life: this is considered peculiar of genes involved in regulatory systems with high turnover; consistently, their function affects biological processes such as cell cycle regulation or stress response. Our findings support the functional importance of flexibility peaks, suggesting that the flexible sequence may be derived by an expansion of canonical TAYRTA polyadenylation efficiency element. The flexible (TA)n repeat amplification could be the outcome of an evolutionary neofunctionalization leading to a differential 3’-end processing and expression regulation in genes with peculiar function. Our study provides a new support to the functional role of flexibility in genomes and a

  19. Genomic Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae BAW-6, a Yeast Strain Optimal for Brewing Barley Shochu

    PubMed Central

    Mori, Kazuki; Tashiro, Kosuke; Higuchi, Yujiro; Takashita, Hideharu

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BAW-6, which is used for the production of barley shochu, a traditional Japanese spirit. This genomic information can be used to elucidate the genetic basis underlying the high alcohol production capacity and citric acid tolerance of shochu yeast. PMID:29622617

  20. Biosynthesis of levan, a bacterial extracellular polysaccharide, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Franken, Jaco; Brandt, Bianca A; Tai, Siew L; Bauer, Florian F

    2013-01-01

    Levans are fructose polymers synthesized by a broad range of micro-organisms and a limited number of plant species as non-structural storage carbohydrates. In microbes, these polymers contribute to the formation of the extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) matrix and play a role in microbial biofilm formation. Levans belong to a larger group of commercially important polymers, referred to as fructans, which are used as a source of prebiotic fibre. For levan, specifically, this market remains untapped, since no viable production strategy has been established. Synthesis of levan is catalysed by a group of enzymes, referred to as levansucrases, using sucrose as substrate. Heterologous expression of levansucrases has been notoriously difficult to achieve in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As a strategy, this study used an invertase (Δsuc2) null mutant and two separate, engineered, sucrose accumulating yeast strains as hosts for the expression of the levansucrase M1FT, previously cloned from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Intracellular sucrose accumulation was achieved either by expression of a sucrose synthase (Susy) from potato or the spinach sucrose transporter (SUT). The data indicate that in both Δsuc2 and the sucrose accumulating strains, the M1FT was able to catalyse fructose polymerisation. In the absence of the predicted M1FT secretion signal, intracellular levan accumulation was significantly enhanced for both sucrose accumulation strains, when grown on minimal media. Interestingly, co-expression of M1FT and SUT resulted in hyper-production and extracellular build-up of levan when grown in rich medium containing sucrose. This study presents the first report of levan production in S. cerevisiae and opens potential avenues for the production of levan using this well established industrial microbe. Furthermore, the work provides interesting perspectives when considering the heterologous expression of sugar polymerizing enzymes in yeast.

  1. Decarbonylated cyclophilin A Cpr1 protein protects Saccharomyces cerevisiae KNU5377Y when exposed to stress induced by menadione.

    PubMed

    Kim, Il-Sup; Jin, Ingnyol; Yoon, Ho-Sung

    2011-01-01

    Cyclophilins are conserved cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase that are implicated in protein folding and function as molecular chaperones. The accumulation of Cpr1 protein to menadione in Saccharomyces cerevisiae KNU5377Y suggests a possibility that this protein may participate in the mechanism of stress tolerance. Stress response of S. cerevisiae KNU5377Y cpr1Δ mutant strain was investigated in the presence of menadione (MD). The growth ability of the strain was confirmed in an oxidant-supplemented medium, and a relationship was established between diminishing levels of cell rescue enzymes and MD sensitivity. The results demonstrate the significant effect of CPR1 disruption in the cellular growth rate, cell viability and morphology, and redox state in the presence of MD and suggest the possible role of Cpr1p in acquiring sensitivity to MD and its physiological role in cellular stress tolerance. The in vivo importance of Cpr1p for antioxidant-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) neutralization and chaperone-mediated protein folding was confirmed by analyzing the expression changes of a variety of cell rescue proteins in a CPR1-disrupted strain. The cpr1Δ to the exogenous MD showed reduced expression level of antioxidant enzymes, molecular chaperones, and metabolic enzymes such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)- or adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-generating systems. More importantly, it was shown that cpr1Δ mutant caused imbalance in the cellular redox homeostasis and increased ROS levels in the cytosol as well as mitochondria and elevated iron concentrations. As a result of excess ROS production, the cpr1Δ mutant provoked an increase in oxidative damage and a reduction in antioxidant activity and free radical scavenger ability. However, there was no difference in the stress responses between the wild-type and the cpr1Δ mutant strains derived from S. cerevisiae BY4741 as a control strain under the same stress. Unlike BY4741, KNU5377Y Cpr1

  2. Torulaspora delbrueckii contribution in mixed brewing fermentations with different Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

    PubMed

    Canonico, Laura; Comitini, Francesca; Ciani, Maurizio

    2017-10-16

    In recent years, there has been growing demand for distinctive high quality beer. Fermentation management has a fundamental role in beer quality and the levels of aroma compounds. Use of non-conventional yeast has been proposed to enhance beer bioflavor. In the present work we investigated mixed fermentations using three commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, without and with addition of a selected Torulaspora delbrueckii strain evaluating their interactions, as well as the aroma profiles. At the S. cerevisiae/T. delbrueckii co-inoculation ratio of 1:20, viable cell counts indicated that T. delbrueckii dominated all of the three combinations. In the mixed fermentations, T. delbrueckii provided higher levels of higher alcohols (excepting of β-phenyl ethanol), in contrast to data obtained in winemaking, where higher alcohols had lower levels. Moreover, mixed fermentations showed significantly higher ethyl acetate (from 5 to 16mg/L) and isoamyl acetate (from 0.019 to 0.128mg/L), and were generally lower in ethyl hexanoate and ethyl octanoate. Therefore, irrespective of S. cerevisiae strain, T. delbrueckii influenced on all mixed fermentations. On the other hand, the mixed fermentations were also affected by each of the three S. cerevisiae strains, which resulted in beers with distinctive flavors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Vanillin Inhibits Translation and Induces Messenger Ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) Granule Formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Application and Validation of High-Content, Image-Based Profiling

    PubMed Central

    Suga, Yohei; Izawa, Shingo; Ohya, Yoshikazu

    2013-01-01

    Vanillin, generated by acid hydrolysis of lignocellulose, acts as a potent inhibitor of the growth of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we investigated the cellular processes affected by vanillin using high-content, image-based profiling. Among 4,718 non-essential yeast deletion mutants, the morphology of those defective in the large ribosomal subunit showed significant similarity to that of vanillin-treated cells. The defects in these mutants were clustered in three domains of the ribosome: the mRNA tunnel entrance, exit and backbone required for small subunit attachment. To confirm that vanillin inhibited ribosomal function, we assessed polysome and messenger ribonucleoprotein granule formation after treatment with vanillin. Analysis of polysome profiles showed disassembly of the polysomes in the presence of vanillin. Processing bodies and stress granules, which are composed of non-translating mRNAs and various proteins, were formed after treatment with vanillin. These results suggest that vanillin represses translation in yeast cells. PMID:23637899

  4. Stereochemistry of Furfural Reduction by a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Aldehyde Reductase That Contributes to In Situ Furfural Detoxification

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Ari1p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, recently identified as an intermediate subclass short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase, contributes in situ to the detoxification of furfural. Furfural inhibits efficient ethanol production by the yeast, particularly when the carbon source is acid-treated lignocell...

  5. DISRUPTION OF THE SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE GENE FOR NADPH-CYTOCHROME P450-REDUCTASE CAUSES INCREASED SENSITIVITY TO KETOCONAZOLE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae deleted in the NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase gene by transplacement are 200-fold more sensitive to ketoconazole, an inhibitor of the cytochrome P450 lanosterol 14-demethylase. Resistance is restored through complementation by the plasmid-born...

  6. Different Expression Levels of Human Mutant Ubiquitin B+1 (UBB+1) Can Modify Chronological Lifespan or Stress Resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Muñoz-Arellano, Ana Joyce; Chen, Xin; Molt, Andrea; Meza, Eugenio; Petranovic, Dina

    2018-01-01

    The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is the main pathway responsible for the degradation of misfolded proteins, and its dysregulation has been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). UBB+1, a mutant variant of ubiquitin B, was found to accumulate in neurons of AD patients and it has been linked to UPS dysfunction and neuronal death. Using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system, we constitutively expressed UBB+1 to evaluate its effects on proteasome function and cell death, particularly under conditions of chronological aging. We showed that the expression of UBB+1 caused inhibition of the three proteasomal proteolytic activities (caspase-like (β1), trypsin-like (β2) and chymotrypsin-like (β5) activities) in yeast. Interestingly, this inhibition did not alter cell viability of growing cells. Moreover, we showed that cells expressing UBB+1 at lower level displayed an increased capacity to degrade induced misfolded proteins. When we evaluated cells during chronological aging, UBB+1 expression at lower level, prevented cells to accumulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and avert apoptosis, dramatically increasing yeast life span. Since proteasome inhibition by UBB+1 has previously been shown to induce chaperone expression and thus protect against stress, we evaluated our UBB+1 model under heat shock and oxidative stress. Higher expression of UBB+1 caused thermotolerance in yeast due to induction of chaperones, which occurred to a lesser extent at lower expression level of UBB+1 (where we observed the phenotype of extended life span). Altering UPS capacity by differential expression of UBB+1 protects cells against several stresses during chronological aging. This system can be valuable to study the effects of UBB+1 on misfolded proteins involved in neurodegeneration and aging.

  7. Histone H3K36 methylation regulates pre-mRNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Sorenson, Matthew R.; Jha, Deepak K.; Ucles, Stefanie A.; Flood, Danielle M.; Strahl, Brian D.; Stevens, Scott W.; Kress, Tracy L.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Co-transcriptional splicing takes place in the context of a highly dynamic chromatin architecture, yet the role of chromatin restructuring in coordinating transcription with RNA splicing has not been fully resolved. To further define the contribution of histone modifications to pre-mRNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we probed a library of histone point mutants using a reporter to monitor pre-mRNA splicing. We found that mutation of H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) – a residue methylated by Set2 during transcription elongation – exhibited phenotypes similar to those of pre-mRNA splicing mutants. We identified genetic interactions between genes encoding RNA splicing factors and genes encoding the H3K36 methyltransferase Set2 and the demethylase Jhd1 as well as point mutations of H3K36 that block methylation. Consistent with the genetic interactions, deletion of SET2, mutations modifying the catalytic activity of Set2 or H3K36 point mutations significantly altered expression of our reporter and reduced splicing of endogenous introns. These effects were dependent on the association of Set2 with RNA polymerase II and H3K36 dimethylation. Additionally, we found that deletion of SET2 reduces the association of the U2 and U5 snRNPs with chromatin. Thus, our study provides the first evidence that H3K36 methylation plays a role in co-transcriptional RNA splicing in yeast. PMID:26821844

  8. POB3 is required for both transcription and replication in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    Schlesinger, M B; Formosa, T

    2000-01-01

    Spt16 and Pob3 form stable heterodimers in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and homologous proteins have also been purified as complexes from diverse eukaryotes. This conserved factor has been implicated in both transcription and replication and may affect both by altering the characteristics of chromatin. Here we describe the isolation and properties of a set of pob3 mutants and confirm that they have defects in both replication and transcription. Mutation of POB3 caused the Spt(-) phenotype, spt16 and pob3 alleles displayed severe synthetic defects, and elevated levels of Pob3 suppressed some spt16 phenotypes. These results are consistent with previous reports that Spt16 and Pob3 act in a complex that modulates transcription. Additional genetic interactions were observed between pob3 mutations and the genes encoding several DNA replication factors, including POL1, CTF4, DNA2, and CHL12. pob3 alleles caused sensitivity to the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor hydroxyurea, indicating a defect in a process requiring rapid dNTP synthesis. Mutation of the S phase checkpoint gene MEC1 caused pob3 mutants to lose viability rapidly under restrictive conditions, revealing defects in a process monitored by Mec1. Direct examination of DNA contents by flow cytometry showed that S phase onset and progression were delayed when POB3 was mutated. We conclude that Pob3 is required for normal replication as well as for transcription. PMID:10924459

  9. Mechanism and Regulation of Protein Synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Dever, Thomas E.; Kinzy, Terri Goss; Pavitt, Graham D.

    2016-01-01

    In this review, we provide an overview of protein synthesis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The mechanism of protein synthesis is well conserved between yeast and other eukaryotes, and molecular genetic studies in budding yeast have provided critical insights into the fundamental process of translation as well as its regulation. The review focuses on the initiation and elongation phases of protein synthesis with descriptions of the roles of translation initiation and elongation factors that assist the ribosome in binding the messenger RNA (mRNA), selecting the start codon, and synthesizing the polypeptide. We also examine mechanisms of translational control highlighting the mRNA cap-binding proteins and the regulation of GCN4 and CPA1 mRNAs. PMID:27183566

  10. Molecular cloning and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa of the invertase gene from Neurospora crassa.

    PubMed

    Carú, M; Cifuentes, V; Pincheira, G; Jiménez, A

    1989-10-01

    A plasmid (named pCN2) carrying a 7.6 kb BamHI DNA insert was isolated from a Neurospora crassa genomic library raised in the yeast vector YRp7. Saccharomyces cerevisiae suco and N. crassa inv strains transformed with pNC2 were able to grow on sucrose-based media and expressed invertase activity. Saccharomyces cerevisiae suco (pNC2) expressed a product which immunoreacted with antibody raised against purified invertase from wild type N. crassa, although S. cerevisiae suc+ did not. The cloned DNA hybridized with a 7.6 kb DNA fragment from BamHI-restricted wild type N. crassa DNA. Plasmid pNC2 transformed N. crassa Inv- to Inv+ by integration either near to the endogenous inv locus (40% events) or at other genomic sites (60% events). It appears therefore that the cloned DNA piece encodes the N. crassa invertase enzyme. A 3.8 kb XhoI DNA fragment, derived from pNC2, inserted in YRp7, in both orientation, was able to express invertase activity in yeast, suggesting that it contains an intact invertase gene which is not expressed from a vector promoter.

  11. Advancing Metabolic Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using the CRISPR/Cas System

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lian, Jiazhang; HamediRad, Mohammad; Zhao, Huimin

    Thanks to its ease of use, modularity, and scalability, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system has been increasingly used in the design and engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the most popular hosts for industrial biotechnology. This review summarizes the recent development of this disruptive technology for metabolic engineering applications, including CRISPR-mediated gene knock-out and knock-in as well as transcriptional activation and interference. More importantly, multi-functional CRISPR systems that combine both gain- and loss-of-function modulations for combinatorial metabolic engineering are highlighted.

  12. Advancing Metabolic Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using the CRISPR/Cas System

    DOE PAGES

    Lian, Jiazhang; HamediRad, Mohammad; Zhao, Huimin

    2018-04-18

    Thanks to its ease of use, modularity, and scalability, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system has been increasingly used in the design and engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the most popular hosts for industrial biotechnology. This review summarizes the recent development of this disruptive technology for metabolic engineering applications, including CRISPR-mediated gene knock-out and knock-in as well as transcriptional activation and interference. More importantly, multi-functional CRISPR systems that combine both gain- and loss-of-function modulations for combinatorial metabolic engineering are highlighted.

  13. Overexpressing enzymes of the Ehrlich pathway and deleting genes of the competing pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for increasing 2-phenylethanol production from glucose.

    PubMed

    Shen, Li; Nishimura, Yuya; Matsuda, Fumio; Ishii, Jun; Kondo, Akihiko

    2016-07-01

    2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) is a higher aromatic alcohol that is used in the cosmetics and food industries. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is considered to be a suitable host for the industrial production of higher alcohols, including 2-PE. To produce 2-PE from glucose in S. cerevisiae, we searched for suitable 2-keto acid decarboxylase (KDC) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes of the Ehrlich pathway for overexpression in strain YPH499, and found that overexpression of the ARO10 and/or ADH1 genes increased 2-PE production from glucose. Further, we screened ten BY4741 single-deletion mutants of genes involved in the competing pathways for 2-PE production, and found that strains aro8Δ and aat2Δ displayed increased 2-PE production. Based on these results, we engineered a BY4741 strain that overexpressed ARO10 and contained an aro8Δ deletion, and demonstrated that the strain produced 96 mg/L 2-PE from glucose as the sole carbon source. As this engineered S. cerevisiae strain showed a significant increase in 2-PE production from glucose without the addition of an intermediate carbon substrate, it is a promising candidate for the large-scale production of 2-PE. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Production of pyruvate from mannitol by mannitol-assimilating pyruvate decarboxylase-negative Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Shiori; Tanaka, Hideki; Hirayama, Makoto; Murata, Kousaku; Kawai, Shigeyuki

    2015-01-01

    Mannitol is contained in brown macroalgae up to 33% (w/w, dry weight), and thus is a promising carbon source for white biotechnology. However, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a key cell factory, is generally regarded to be unable to assimilate mannitol for growth. We have recently succeeded in producing S. cerevisiae that can assimilate mannitol through spontaneous mutations of Tup1-Cyc8, each of which constitutes a general corepressor complex. In this study, we demonstrate production of pyruvate from mannitol using this mannitol-assimilating S. cerevisiae through deletions of all 3 pyruvate decarboxylase genes. The resultant mannitol-assimilating pyruvate decarboxylase-negative strain produced 0.86 g/L pyruvate without use of acetate after cultivation for 4 days, with an overall yield of 0.77 g of pyruvate per g of mannitol (the theoretical yield was 79%). Although acetate was not needed for growth of this strain in mannitol-containing medium, addition of acetate had a significant beneficial effect on production of pyruvate. This is the first report of production of a valuable compound (other than ethanol) from mannitol using S. cerevisiae, and is an initial platform from which the productivity of pyruvate from mannitol can be improved.

  15. Expression of a Dianthus flavonoid glucosyltransferase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for whole-cell biocatalysis.

    PubMed

    Werner, Sean R; Morgan, John A

    2009-07-15

    Glycosyltransferases are promising biocatalysts for the synthesis of small molecule glycosides. In this study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing a flavonoid glucosyltransferase (GT) from Dianthus caryophyllus (carnation) was investigated as a whole-cell biocatalyst. Two yeast expression systems were compared using the flavonoid naringenin as a model substrate. Under in vitro conditions, naringenin-7-O-glucoside was formed and a higher specific glucosyl transfer activity was found using a galactose inducible expression system compared to a constitutive expression system. However, S. cerevisiae expressing the GT constitutively was significantly more productive than the galactose inducible system under in vivo conditions. Interestingly, the glycosides were recovered directly from the culture broth and did not accumulate intracellularly. A previously uncharacterized naringenin glycoside formed using the D. caryophyllus GT was identified as naringenin-4'-O-glucoside. It was found that S. cerevisiae cells hydrolyze naringenin-7-O-glucoside during whole-cell biocatalysis, resulting in a low final glycoside titer. When phloretin was added as a substrate to the yeast strain expressing the GT constitutively, the natural product phlorizin was formed. This study demonstrates S. cerevisiae is a promising whole-cell biocatalyst host for the production of valuable glycosides.

  16. Transcriptomics in human blood incubation reveals the importance of oxidative stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae clinical strains

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background In recent years an increasing number of yeast infections in humans have been related to certain clinical isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some clinical strains showed in vivo and in vitro virulence traits and were able to cause death in mice whereas other clinical strains were avirulent. Results In this work, we studied the transcriptional profiles of two S. cerevisiae clinical strains showing virulent traits and two control non-virulent strains during a blood incubation model and detected a specific transcriptional response of clinical strains. This response involves an mRNA levels increase of amino acid biosynthesis genes and especially oxidative stress related genes. We observed that the clinical strains were more resistant to reactive oxygen species in vitro. In addition, blood survival of clinical isolates was high, reaching similar levels to pathogenic Candida albicans strain. Furthermore, a virulent strain mutant in the transcription factor Yap1p, unable to grow in oxidative stress conditions, presented decreased survival levels in human blood compared with the wild type or YAP1 reconstituted strain. Conclusions Our data suggest that this enhanced oxidative stress response in virulent clinical isolates, presumably induced in response to oxidative burst from host defense cells, is important to increase survival in human blood and can help to infect and even produce death in mice models. PMID:22916735

  17. Transcriptomes of six mutants in the Sen1 pathway reveal combinatorial control of transcription termination across the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome

    PubMed Central

    Carver, Melissa N.; Müller, Ulrika; Bekiranov, Stefan; Auble, David T.

    2017-01-01

    Transcriptome studies on eukaryotic cells have revealed an unexpected abundance and diversity of noncoding RNAs synthesized by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), some of which influence the expression of protein-coding genes. Yet, much less is known about biogenesis of Pol II non-coding RNA than mRNAs. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, initiation of non-coding transcripts by Pol II appears to be similar to that of mRNAs, but a distinct pathway is utilized for termination of most non-coding RNAs: the Sen1-dependent or “NNS” pathway. Here, we examine the effect on the S. cerevisiae transcriptome of conditional mutations in the genes encoding six different essential proteins that influence Sen1-dependent termination: Sen1, Nrd1, Nab3, Ssu72, Rpb11, and Hrp1. We observe surprisingly diverse effects on transcript abundance for the different proteins that cannot be explained simply by differing severity of the mutations. Rather, we infer from our results that termination of Pol II transcription of non-coding RNA genes is subject to complex combinatorial control that likely involves proteins beyond those studied here. Furthermore, we identify new targets and functions of Sen1-dependent termination, including a role in repression of meiotic genes in vegetative cells. In combination with other recent whole-genome studies on termination of non-coding RNAs, our results provide promising directions for further investigation. PMID:28665995

  18. Identification of genes that function in the biogenesis and localization of small nucleolar RNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Qiu, Hui; Eifert, Julia; Wacheul, Ludivine; Thiry, Marc; Berger, Adam C; Jakovljevic, Jelena; Woolford, John L; Corbett, Anita H; Lafontaine, Denis L J; Terns, Rebecca M; Terns, Michael P

    2008-06-01

    Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) orchestrate the modification and cleavage of pre-rRNA and are essential for ribosome biogenesis. Recent data suggest that after nucleoplasmic synthesis, snoRNAs transiently localize to the Cajal body (in plant and animal cells) or the homologous nucleolar body (in budding yeast) for maturation and assembly into snoRNPs prior to accumulation in their primary functional site, the nucleolus. However, little is known about the trans-acting factors important for the intranuclear trafficking and nucleolar localization of snoRNAs. Here, we describe a large-scale genetic screen to identify proteins important for snoRNA transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We performed fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis to visualize U3 snoRNA localization in a collection of temperature-sensitive yeast mutants. We have identified Nop4, Prp21, Tao3, Sec14, and Htl1 as proteins important for the proper localization of U3 snoRNA. Mutations in genes encoding these proteins lead to specific defects in the targeting or retention of the snoRNA to either the nucleolar body or the nucleolus. Additional characterization of the mutants revealed impairment in specific steps of U3 snoRNA processing, demonstrating that snoRNA maturation and trafficking are linked processes.

  19. Efficient ethanol production from beetle-killed lodgepole pine using SPORL technology and Saccharomyces cerevisiae without detoxification

    Treesearch

    Junyong Zhu; Xiaolin Luo; Shen Tian; Roland Gleisner; Jose Negron; Eric Horn

    2011-01-01

    This study applied Sulfite Pretreatment to Overcome Recalcitrance of Lignocelluloses (SPORL) to evaluate the potential of mountain pine beetle-killed lodgepole pine for ethanol production using conventional Saccharomyces cerevisiae without hydrolysate detoxification. The results indicate that the beetle-killed trees are more susceptible to SPORL pretreatment than live...

  20. RNAseq-based transcriptome comparison of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from diverse fermentative environments.

    PubMed

    Ibáñez, Clara; Pérez-Torrado, Roberto; Morard, Miguel; Toft, Christina; Barrio, Eladio; Querol, Amparo

    2017-09-18

    Transcriptome analyses play a central role in unraveling the complexity of gene expression regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This species, one of the most important microorganisms for humans given its industrial applications, shows an astonishing degree of genetic and phenotypic variability among different strains adapted to specific environments. In order to gain novel insights into the Saccharomyces cerevisiae biology of strains adapted to different fermentative environments, we analyzed the whole transcriptome of three strains isolated from wine, flor wine or mezcal fermentations. An RNA-seq transcriptome comparison of the different yeasts in the samples obtained during synthetic must fermentation highlighted the differences observed in the genes that encode mannoproteins, and in those involved in aroma, sugar transport, glycerol and alcohol metabolism, which are important under alcoholic fermentation conditions. These differences were also observed in the physiology of the strains after mannoprotein and aroma determinations. This study offers an essential foundation for understanding how gene expression variations contribute to the fermentation differences of the strains adapted to unequal fermentative environments. Such knowledge is crucial to make improvements in fermentation processes and to define targets for the genetic improvement or selection of wine yeasts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.