Effect of NaCl and KCl on irradiated diploid yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amirtaev, K.G.; Lobachevskij, P.N.; Lyu Gvan Son

1984-01-01

Irradiated dipload yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae kept in NaCl and KCl solutions died more readily than nonirradiated cells: the death rate was a functaon of radiation Jose and temperature of exposure. It was suggested that the radiation-induced injury to mass cell structures was responsible for the death rate. It was shown that the postirradiataon recovery of cells from radiation damages proceeded in KCl solution two-three times slower than mn water, and it was inhibited completely in NaCl solution

Biotechnological production of high specific activity L-35S-cysteine and L-35S-methionine by using a diploid yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gajendiran, N.; Jayachandran, N.; Unny, V.K.P.; Thyagarajan, S.; Rao, B.S.

1994-01-01

High specific activity L- 3 5 S-cysteine and L- 35 S-methionine were synthesised by using a wild type diploid strain of baker's yeast-Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast cells were grown in a sulphur depleted synthetic medium in which Na 2 3 5 SO 4 (50 mCi/ml) was supplemented as the sole sulphur source. The level of incorporation was 60% on an average. The protein hydrolysate of the cultured cells was subjected to paper and column chromatographic separations to get the individual L- 3 5 S-aminoacids. The radiochemical yields of cysteine and methionine were 6-7% and 18-20% respectively. The radiochemical purity of the products was >95%. The highest specific activity for the products obtained by employing this method was 1100 Ci/mmole from the starting material, Na 2 35 SO 4 , with a specific activity of 1350 Ci/mmole. (Author)

Regularities of radiorace formation in yeasts. Comm.8. The role played by heterozygosis of diploid yeasts in radiorace formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korogodin, V.I.; Bliznik, K.M.; Kapul'tsevich, Yu.G.; Kondrat'eva, V.I.

1976-01-01

Tow strains of diploid yeasts, namely, high-homozygous 5x3B Saccharomyces cerevisiae and natural heterozygous Mergi 139-B Saccharomyces ellipsoideus, have been used to study the regularities of formation of new races under the action of ionizing radiation. It has been shown that the degree of heterozygosis of both strains does not substantially affect either the quantitative regularities of radiorace formation or the qualitative variations in the new-formed races. The differences between the strains in yielding new races after γ-irradiation with doses similar in biological effectiveness may be explained by different extrapolation numbers of their survival curves

Somatic cell nuclear transfer: Infinite reproduction of a unique diploid genome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishigami, Satoshi; Wakayama, Sayaka; Hosoi, Yoshihiko; Iritani, Akira; Wakayama, Teruhiko

2008-01-01

In mammals, a diploid genome of an individual following fertilization of an egg and a spermatozoon is unique and irreproducible. This implies that the generated unique diploid genome is doomed with the individual ending. Even as cultured cells from the individual, they cannot normally proliferate in perpetuity because of the 'Hayflick limit'. However, Dolly, the sheep cloned from an adult mammary gland cell, changes this scenario. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) enables us to produce offspring without germ cells, that is, to 'passage' a unique diploid genome. Animal cloning has also proven to be a powerful research tool for reprogramming in many mammals, notably mouse and cow. The mechanism underlying reprogramming, however, remains largely unknown and, animal cloning has been inefficient as a result. More momentously, in addition to abortion and fetal mortality, some cloned animals display possible premature aging phenotypes including early death and short telomere lengths. Under these inauspicious conditions, is it really possible for SCNT to preserve a diploid genome? Delightfully, in mouse and recently in primate, using SCNT we can produce nuclear transfer ES cells (ntES) more efficiently, which can preserve the eternal lifespan for the 'passage' of a unique diploid genome. Further, new somatic cloning technique using histone-deacetylase inhibitors has been developed which can significantly increase the previous cloning rates two to six times. Here, we introduce SCNT and its value as a preservation tool for a diploid genome while reviewing aging of cloned animals on cellular and individual levels

Somatic cell nuclear transfer: infinite reproduction of a unique diploid genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kishigami, Satoshi; Wakayama, Sayaka; Hosoi, Yoshihiko; Iritani, Akira; Wakayama, Teruhiko

2008-06-10

In mammals, a diploid genome of an individual following fertilization of an egg and a spermatozoon is unique and irreproducible. This implies that the generated unique diploid genome is doomed with the individual ending. Even as cultured cells from the individual, they cannot normally proliferate in perpetuity because of the "Hayflick limit". However, Dolly, the sheep cloned from an adult mammary gland cell, changes this scenario. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) enables us to produce offspring without germ cells, that is, to "passage" a unique diploid genome. Animal cloning has also proven to be a powerful research tool for reprogramming in many mammals, notably mouse and cow. The mechanism underlying reprogramming, however, remains largely unknown and, animal cloning has been inefficient as a result. More momentously, in addition to abortion and fetal mortality, some cloned animals display possible premature aging phenotypes including early death and short telomere lengths. Under these inauspicious conditions, is it really possible for SCNT to preserve a diploid genome? Delightfully, in mouse and recently in primate, using SCNT we can produce nuclear transfer ES cells (ntES) more efficiently, which can preserve the eternal lifespan for the "passage" of a unique diploid genome. Further, new somatic cloning technique using histone-deacetylase inhibitors has been developed which can significantly increase the previous cloning rates two to six times. Here, we introduce SCNT and its value as a preservation tool for a diploid genome while reviewing aging of cloned animals on cellular and individual levels.

Genetic effects of decay of radionuclides, products of nuclear fission, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korolev, V.G.; Gracheva, L.M.

1988-01-01

Decay of 89 Sr incorporated in yeast cells produces a pronounced inactivating effect. The transmutation mainly contributes (about 80%) to cell inactivation. Haploid cells are more sensitive to 89 Sr disintegration than diploid and tetraploid ones. A radiosensitive mutant XRS2, that is particularly sensitive to the transmutation effect of radionuclides, has proved to be sensitive to 89 Sr transmutation as well. At the same time, another radiosensitive mutant, rad 54, does not virtually differ from the wild-type strain by its sensitivity to 89 Sr decay

Cellular radiation effects and hyperthermia: Cytokinetic investigations with stationary phase yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fingerhut, R.; Otto, F.; Oldiges, H.; Kiefer, J.

1980-01-01

Wild type diploid yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 211, was subjected to 250 kV X-rays or 50 0 C heat treatment for 30 min or to a combination of both. X-ray exposure took place either in air or in nitrogen. Cell number, percentage of budding cells and cell cycle progression was followed for up to 12 h post irradiation. The distribution of cell cycle stages was determined by flow cytofluorometry. All treatments cause a retardation of cell division rate. Hyperthermia leads mainly to a lengthening of G 1 , whereas X-rays arrest the cells reversibly in G 2 . The effect of the combined treatment appears to be merely additive. No selective action of hyperthermia on hypoxic cells was found. (orig.) [de

Transcriptome analysis of functional differentiation between haploid and diploid cells of Emiliania huxleyi, a globally significant photosynthetic calcifying cell

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Background Eukaryotes are classified as either haplontic, diplontic, or haplo-diplontic, depending on which ploidy levels undergo mitotic cell division in the life cycle. Emiliania huxleyi is one of the most abundant phytoplankton species in the ocean, playing an important role in global carbon fluxes, and represents haptophytes, an enigmatic group of unicellular organisms that diverged early in eukaryotic evolution. This species is haplo-diplontic. Little is known about the haploid cells, but they have been hypothesized to allow persistence of the species between the yearly blooms of diploid cells. We sequenced over 38,000 expressed sequence tags from haploid and diploid E. huxleyi normalized cDNA libraries to identify genes involved in important processes specific to each life phase (2N calcification or 1N motility), and to better understand the haploid phase of this prominent haplo-diplontic organism. Results The haploid and diploid transcriptomes showed a dramatic differentiation, with approximately 20% greater transcriptome richness in diploid cells than in haploid cells and only ≤ 50% of transcripts estimated to be common between the two phases. The major functional category of transcripts differentiating haploids included signal transduction and motility genes. Diploid-specific transcripts included Ca2+, H+, and HCO3- pumps. Potential factors differentiating the transcriptomes included haploid-specific Myb transcription factor homologs and an unusual diploid-specific histone H4 homolog. Conclusions This study permitted the identification of genes likely involved in diploid-specific biomineralization, haploid-specific motility, and transcriptional control. Greater transcriptome richness in diploid cells suggests they may be more versatile for exploiting a diversity of rich environments whereas haploid cells are intrinsically more streamlined. PMID:19832986

Genetic control of radiosensitivity modification of some yeast strons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petin, V.G.; Zhurakovskaya, I.P.

1982-01-01

The genetic determination of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of densely ionizing particles and cysteamine's radioprotective effect on irradiated cells, demonstrated earlier on yeast cells of different genotype, has been proved on diploid wild-type cells of Saccharomyces cerevisial yeasts, solitary mutants, homozygous with respect to rad 2 and rad 54, and double mutant containing both locuses in homozygous state. It is shown that RBE of α-particles and radioprotector's efficiency depend on repair system's activity. A possible mechanism of the participation of postirradiation recovery processes in the modification of cell radiosensitivity is discussed [ru

Isolation of baker's yeast mutants with proline accumulation that showed enhanced tolerance to baking-associated stresses.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsolmonbaatar, Ariunzaya; Hashida, Keisuke; Sugimoto, Yukiko; Watanabe, Daisuke; Furukawa, Shuhei; Takagi, Hiroshi

2016-12-05

During bread-making processes, yeast cells are exposed to baking-associated stresses such as freeze-thaw, air-drying, and high-sucrose concentrations. Previously, we reported that self-cloning diploid baker's yeast strains that accumulate proline retained higher-level fermentation abilities in both frozen and sweet doughs than the wild-type strain. Although self-cloning yeasts do not have to be treated as genetically modified yeasts, the conventional methods for breeding baker's yeasts are more acceptable to consumers than the use of self-cloning yeasts. In this study, we isolated mutants resistant to the proline analogue azetidine-2-carboxylate (AZC) derived from diploid baker's yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some of the mutants accumulated a greater amount of intracellular proline, and among them, 5 mutants showed higher cell viability than that observed in the parent wild-type strain under freezing or high-sucrose stress conditions. Two of them carried novel mutations in the PRO1 gene encoding the Pro247Ser or Glu415Lys variant of γ-glutamyl kinase (GK), which is a key enzyme in proline biosynthesis in S. cerevisiae. Interestingly, we found that these mutations resulted in AZC resistance of yeast cells and desensitization to proline feedback inhibition of GK, leading to intracellular proline accumulation. Moreover, baker's yeast cells expressing the PRO1 P247S and PRO1 E415K gene were more tolerant to freezing stress than cells expressing the wild-type PRO1 gene. The approach described here could be a practical method for the breeding of proline-accumulating baker's yeasts with higher tolerance to baking-associated stresses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plasmid pKM101 mediated sensitization of Escherichia coli cells to ionizing radiation effect of the plasmid on viability and induced mutability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleshkin, G.I.; Samojlenko, I.I.; Skavronskaya, A.G.

1981-01-01

Diploid wild yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae has a powerful system of dark repair of DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) induced by gamma-irradiation of cells. Mutations in RAD 54 gene of the yeast diploid cells do not practically change their ability to eliminate the damages to DNA. To repair the gamma-irradiation induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in the wild yeast cells, an additional aeration is required. The haploid wild cells do not repair the DNA DSB under conditions in question. The DNA DSB repair in the yeast cells is suppressed by caffein during the 40 h incubation if the irradiated cells in phosphate buffer, which indicates that the recombination system participates in the process. Diploid yeast of a radiosensitive mutant RAD 54 strain does not repair the DNA DSB induced by gamma-irradiation of cells, which allows one to suppose that the mutation in RAD 54 gene involves the recombination system

Transcription factor genes essential for cell proliferation and replicative lifespan in budding yeast

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Kamei, Yuka; Tai, Akiko; Dakeyama, Shota; Yamamoto, Kaori; Inoue, Yamato; Kishimoto, Yoshifumi; Ohara, Hiroya; Mukai, Yukio, E-mail: y_mukai@nagahama-i-bio.ac.jp

2015-07-31

Many of the lifespan-related genes have been identified in eukaryotes ranging from the yeast to human. However, there is limited information available on the longevity genes that are essential for cell proliferation. Here, we investigated whether the essential genes encoding DNA-binding transcription factors modulated the replicative lifespan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Heterozygous diploid knockout strains for FHL1, RAP1, REB1, and MCM1 genes showed significantly short lifespan. {sup 1}H-nuclear magnetic resonance analysis indicated a characteristic metabolic profile in the Δfhl1/FHL1 mutant. These results strongly suggest that FHL1 regulates the transcription of lifespan related metabolic genes. Thus, heterozygous knockout strains could be the potential materials for discovering further novel lifespan genes. - Highlights: • Involvement of yeast TF genes essential for cell growth in lifespan was evaluated. • The essential TF genes, FHL1, RAP1, REB1, and MCM1, regulate replicative lifespan. • Heterozygous deletion of FHL1 changes cellular metabolism related to lifespan.

Accelerated heavy ions induced DNA double-strand breaks in yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akpa, T.C.

1993-01-01

Yeast cells of strain cerevisiae, were irradiated with monoenergetic heavy ions, X-rays and α particles and assayed for DNA double-strand breaks and cell survival. The method of neutral sucrose gradient velocity sedimentation was used for all heavy-ion experiments because it is a well established technique.The method of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used for X-rays, α particles and argon ions. Results show that within the range of LET of the particles used (300 - 10 5 KeV/μm) the induction cross-section for DNA double-strand break is constant between 300 and around 7000 KeV/μm and increases at higher LET values. The inactivation cross-section follow the same trend. The DSB-induction and inactivation cross-section was shown to be linearly related with a slope of (1.01±0.15)/109 gmol-i. The RBE for DSB -induced decreases with LET and tails off at high LET values also. These results when compared with results from literature shows that the trend of induction is first monotonic rise of rate of DSB-induction up to 100keV/μm, followed by a plateau and a further rise which is due to increased effect of energetic γ-rays formed as shown for survival studies and predicted is possible to separate the cell DNA contents into 13 to 15 chromosome bands. The relative decrease in DNA content of the first band as determined by ethidium bromide-UV fluorescence decreases exponentially. The cross-section for DSB-induction determined by this method are (9.8±0.01)dsb/10 12 gmol - 1 Gy - 1, for 80 kV X-rays in haploid 211 yeast strain; (0.04+0.003)dsb/109gmol - 1μm 2 for Am-radioisotope α particles in haploid cells, (0.184±0.034) dsb/10 9 gmol - 1μm 2 in diploid 211*B cells and (0.55±0.04) dsb/10 9 gmol - 1μm 2 for 7MeV Argon ion in the diploid cells. The values are comparable to those obtained with velocity sedimentation technique. However, the reason for the low value obtained for a particle induced DSB in haploid cells is not clear

Survival and DNA repair in ultraviolet-irradiated haploid and diploid cultured frog cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freed, J.J.; Hoess, R.H.; Angelosanto, F.A.; Massey, H.C. Jr.

1979-01-01

Survival and repair of DNA following ultraviolet (254-nm) radiation have been investigated in ICR 2A, a cultured cell line from haploid embryos of the grassfrog, Rana pipiens. Survival curves from cells recovering in the dark gave mean lethal dose value (D 0 ) in the range 1.5-1.7 Jm -2 for both haploid and diploid cell stocks. The only significant difference observed between haploids and diploids was in the extent of the shoulder at low fluence (Dsub(q)), the value for exponentially multiplying diploid cells (3.0 Jm -2 ) being higher than that found for haploids (1.2 Jm -2 ). Irradiation of cultures reversibly blocked in the G1 phase of the cell cycle gave survival-curve coefficients indistinguishable between haploids and diploids. Post-irradiation exposure to visible light restored colony-forming capacity and removed chromatographically estimated pyrimidine dimers from DNA at the same rates. After fluences killing 90% of the cells, complete restoration of survival was obtained after 60-min exposure to 500 foot-candles, indicating that in this range lethality is entirely photoreversible and therefore attributable to pyrimidine dimers in DNA. Dimer removal required illumination following ultraviolet exposure, intact cells and physiological temperature, implying that the photoreversal involved DNA photolyase activity. Excision-repair capacity was slight, since no loss of dimers could be detected chromoatographically during up to 48 h incubation in the dark and since autoradiographically detected 'unscheduled DNA synthesis' was limited to a 2-fold increase saturated at 10 Jm -2 . These properties make ICR 2A frog cells useful to explore how DNA-repair pathways influence mutant yield. (Auth.)

Diploid, but not haploid, human embryonic stem cells can be derived from microsurgically repaired tripronuclear human zygotes

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yong; Li, Rong; Huang, Jin; Yu, Yang; Qiao, Jie

2013-01-01

Human embryonic stem cells have shown tremendous potential in regenerative medicine, and the recent progress in haploid embryonic stem cells provides new insights for future applications of embryonic stem cells. Disruption of normal fertilized embryos remains controversial; thus, the development of a new source for human embryonic stem cells is important for their usefulness. Here, we investigated the feasibility of haploid and diploid embryo reconstruction and embryonic stem cell derivation using microsurgically repaired tripronuclear human zygotes. Diploid and haploid zygotes were successfully reconstructed, but a large proportion of them still had a tripolar spindle assembly. The reconstructed embryos developed to the blastocyst stage, although the loss of chromosomes was observed in these zygotes. Finally, triploid and diploid human embryonic stem cells were derived from tripronuclear and reconstructed zygotes (from which only one pronucleus was removed), but haploid human embryonic stem cells were not successfully derived from the reconstructed zygotes when two pronuclei were removed. Both triploid and diploid human embryonic stem cells showed the general characteristics of human embryonic stem cells. These results indicate that the lower embryo quality resulting from abnormal spindle assembly contributed to the failure of the haploid embryonic stem cell derivation. However, the successful derivation of diploid embryonic stem cells demonstrated that microsurgical tripronuclear zygotes are an alternative source of human embryonic stem cells. In the future, improving spindle assembly will facilitate the application of triploid zygotes to the field of haploid embryonic stem cells. PMID:23255130

X-ray-induced in vitro neoplastic transformation of human diploid cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borek, C.

1980-01-01

The neoplastic transformation, in vitro, of human diploid cells by x-ray irradiation into cells which can progress, in vitro, into advanced stages of neoplastic development is described. The cells are shown to form colonies in agar and to give rise to tumours when injected into nude mice. (U.K.)

A nutrient dependant switch explains mutually exclusive existence of meiosis and mitosis initiation in budding yeast.

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Wannige, C T; Kulasiri, D; Samarasinghe, S

2014-01-21

Nutrients from living environment are vital for the survival and growth of any organism. Budding yeast diploid cells decide to grow by mitosis type cell division or decide to create unique, stress resistant spores by meiosis type cell division depending on the available nutrient conditions. To gain a molecular systems level understanding of the nutrient dependant switching between meiosis and mitosis initiation in diploid cells of budding yeast, we develop a theoretical model based on ordinary differential equations (ODEs) including the mitosis initiator and its relations to budding yeast meiosis initiation network. Our model accurately and qualitatively predicts the experimentally revealed temporal variations of related proteins under different nutrient conditions as well as the diverse mutant studies related to meiosis and mitosis initiation. Using this model, we show how the meiosis and mitosis initiators form an all-or-none type bistable switch in response to available nutrient level (mainly nitrogen). The transitions to and from meiosis or mitosis initiation states occur via saddle node bifurcation. This bidirectional switch helps the optimal usage of available nutrients and explains the mutually exclusive existence of meiosis and mitosis pathways. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the mechanism of rapid postirradiation recovery of yeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glazunov, A.V.; Kapul'tsevich, Yu.G.

1983-01-01

Rapid postirradiation recovery of diploid yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is equally effective both in water and in a liquid nutrition medium. In the haploid strains, rapid recovery occurs more readily in the log phase than in the stationary phase of growth. In the diploid strains, rapid recovery is more effective in the log phase than in the stationary phase. Rapid recovery of yeast does not require an additional protein synthesis. Damages induced by UV-light are not sub ected to rapid recovery

Regularities of radiorace formation in yeasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korogodin, V.I.; Bliznik, K.M.; Kapul'tsevich, Yu.G.; Petin, V.G.; Akademiya Meditsinskikh Nauk SSSR, Obninsk. Nauchno-Issledovatel'skij Inst. Meditsinskoj Radiologii)

1977-01-01

Two strains of diploid yeast, namely, Saccharomyces ellipsoides, Megri 139-B, isolated under natural conditions, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae 5a x 3Bα, heterozygous by genes ade 1 and ade 2, were exposed to γ-quanta of Co 60 . The content of cells-saltants forming colonies with changed morphology, that of the nonviable cells, cells that are respiration mutants, and cells-recombinants by gene ade 1 and ade 2, has been determined. A certain regularity has been revealed in the distribution among the colonies of cells of the four types mentioned above: the higher the content of cells of some one of the types, the higher that of the cells having other hereditary changes

Genetic control of mitotic crossing over in yeast. 2. Influence of UV irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1982-01-01

UV-induced crossing-over and general mitotic segregation of the following strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts were studied: a wild-type diploid, diploids homozygous with respect to the radiosensitivity of rad 2, rad 15, rad 54, xrs 4, rad 2 rad 54, rad 15 rad 54. Wild-type diploids rad 2 and rad 15 have a high frequency of the induced mitotic crossing-over. Diploids rad 15, rad 54 can not cause UV-induced mitotic crossing-over. Reddish-pink and reddish-pink-white colonies ratio (the first appear if the crossing-over occurs during the first after the irradiation division, the second - during the second division) is 4.8:1 for the wild type, 1.6:1 for rad 2, and 1.1:1 for rad 15. Nonreciprocal mitotic segregation of high frequency was observed for the wild type rad 2, rad 15, xrs 4, and diploids rad 54, rad 2 rad 54, rad 15 rad 54 had a lower frequency. We suppose that after UV-irradiation there exist at least three types of repair in yeast diploid cells: excision repair, prereplication recombinating repair after the excision of dimers, and post-replication recombinating repair. Rad 2 and rad 15 mutations blow the first and second types, rad 54 mutation partially block the second and third parths. It seems that xrs 4 mutation does not block the recombinating capability but somehow changes the process of recombination in such a way that much nonreciprocal products recorded as seqregants are produced [ru

Yeast cell differentiation: Lessons from pathogenic and non-pathogenic yeasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Palková, Zdena; Váchová, Libuše

2016-09-01

Yeasts, historically considered to be single-cell organisms, are able to activate different differentiation processes. Individual yeast cells can change their life-styles by processes of phenotypic switching such as the switch from yeast-shaped cells to filamentous cells (pseudohyphae or true hyphae) and the transition among opaque, white and gray cell-types. Yeasts can also create organized multicellular structures such as colonies and biofilms, and the latter are often observed as contaminants on surfaces in industry and medical care and are formed during infections of the human body. Multicellular structures are formed mostly of stationary-phase or slow-growing cells that diversify into specific cell subpopulations that have unique metabolic properties and can fulfill specific tasks. In addition to the development of multiple protective mechanisms, processes of metabolic reprogramming that reflect a changed environment help differentiated individual cells and/or community cell constituents to survive harmful environmental attacks and/or to escape the host immune system. This review aims to provide an overview of differentiation processes so far identified in individual yeast cells as well as in multicellular communities of yeast pathogens of the Candida and Cryptococcus spp. and the Candida albicans close relative, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molecular mechanisms and extracellular signals potentially involved in differentiation processes are also briefly mentioned. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

X-ray-induced in vitro neoplastic transformation of human diploid cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borek, C.

1980-01-01

Techniques have recently been developed to identify and score quantitatively neoplastic transformation caused by x-rays in cultured cells derived from rodents. The present report describes for the first time the neoplastic transformation in vitro of human diploid cells by x-ray irradiation into cells which can progress in vitro into advanced stages of neoplastic development, namely, to form colonies in agar and give rise to tumors when injected into nude mice

Immobilization of yeast cells by radiation-induced polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimura, T.; Kaetsu, I.

1982-01-01

Radiation-induced polymerization method was applied to the immobilization of yeast cells. The effects of irradiation, cooling and monomer, which are neccessary for polymerization, were recovered completely by subsequent aerobical incubation of yeast cells. The ethanol productive in immobilized yeast cells increased with the increase of aerobical incubation period. The growth of yeast cells in immobilized yeast cells was indicated. The maximum ethanol productivity in immobilized yeast cell system was around three times as much as that in free yeast cell system. (orig.)

Dependence of the expression of the radiation-induced gene conversion to arginine independence in diploid yeast on the amino acid concentration: effect on allelic mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murthy, M.S.S.; Rao, B.S.; Deorukhakar, V.V.

1976-01-01

The yield of radiation-induced gene conversion to arginine independence in diploid yeast depended on the concentration of the amino acid both in the plating medium and in the intracellular pool. By depletion of the level of arginine in the intracellular pool of amino acid or by provision of arginine at 0.4 mg/l of the plating medium, the yield was varied by a factor as high as 20. This may be important in studies of the genetic mapping of alleles based on the slope of conversion frequency versus dose line

The Effect of Prolonged Culture of Chromosomally Abnormal Human Embryos on The Rate of Diploid Cells

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Masood Bazrgar

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: A decrease in aneuploidy rate following a prolonged co-culture of human blastocysts has been reported. As co-culture is not routinely used in assisted reproductive technology, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the prolonged single culture on the rate of diploid cells in human embryos with aneuploidies. Materials and Methods: In this cohort study, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH to reanalyze surplus blastocysts undergoing preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD on day 3 postfertilization. They were randomly studied on days 6 or 7 following fertilization. Results: Of the 30 analyzed blastocysts, mosaicism was observed in 26(86.6%, while 2(6.7% were diploid, and 2(6.7% were triploid. Of those with mosaicism, 23(88.5% were determined to be diploid-aneuploid and 3(11.5% were aneuploid mosaic. The total frequency of embryos with more than 50% diploid cells was 33.3% that was lower on day 7 in comparison with the related value on day 6 (P<0.05; however, there were no differences when the embryos were classified according to maternal age, blastocyst developmental stage, total cell number on day 3, and embryo quality. Conclusion: Although mosaicism is frequently observed in blastocysts, the prolonged single culture of blastocysts does not seem to increase the rate of normal cells.

Endoplasmic reticulum involvement in yeast cell death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicanor Austriaco, O.

2012-01-01

Yeast cells undergo programed cell death (PCD) with characteristic markers associated with apoptosis in mammalian cells including chromatin breakage, nuclear fragmentation, reactive oxygen species generation, and metacaspase activation. Though significant research has focused on mitochondrial involvement in this phenomenon, more recent work with both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe has also implicated the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in yeast PCD. This minireview provides an overview of ER stress-associated cell death (ER-SAD) in yeast. It begins with a description of ER structure and function in yeast before moving to a discussion of ER-SAD in both mammalian and yeast cells. Three examples of yeast cell death associated with the ER will be highlighted here including inositol starvation, lipid toxicity, and the inhibition of N-glycosylation. It closes by suggesting ways to further examine the involvement of the ER in yeast cell death.

Chronic action of gamma-radiation on growing cell population of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae at various dose rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zyuzikov, N.A.; Petin, V.G.

1996-01-01

Experimental data on the processes of division and death of haploid and diploid yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae of wild type and of their radiosensitive mutants exposed under optimal for reproduction conditions to chronic gamma-radiation at various dose rates are presented. It is shown that the dependence of the integral division/death process in time was exponential for all the studied strains. With dose rate increasing, the duration of the lag period and the probability of cell inactivation increased, while the multiplication rate decreased. These processes, for equal dose rates, were more expressed for the radiosensitive mutants

Selection of G1 Phase Yeast Cells for Synchronous Meiosis and Sporulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart, David T

2017-01-01

Centrifugal elutriation is a procedure that allows the fractionation of cell populations based upon their size and shape. This allows cells in distinct cell cycle stages can be captured from an asynchronous population. The technique is particularly helpful when performing an experiment to monitor the progression of cells through the cell cycle or meiosis. Yeast sporulation like gametogenesis in other eukaryotes initiates from the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Conveniently, S. cerevisiae arrest in G1 phase when starved for nutrients and so withdrawal of nitrogen and glucose allows cells to abandon vegetative growth in G1 phase before initiating the sporulation program. This simple starvation protocol yields a partial synchronization that has been used extensively in studies of progression through meiosis and sporulation. By using centrifugal elutriation it is possible to isolate a homogeneous population of G1 phase cells and induce them to sporulate synchronously, which is beneficial for investigating progression through meiosis and sporulation. An additionally benefit of this protocol is that cell populations can be isolated based upon size and both large and small cell populations can be tested for progression through meiosis and sporulation. Here we present a protocol for purification of G1 phase diploid cells for examining synchronous progression through meiosis and sporulation.

Novel near-diploid ovarian cancer cell line derived from a highly aneuploid metastatic ovarian tumor.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ester Rozenblum

Full Text Available A new ovarian near-diploid cell line, OVDM1, was derived from a highly aneuploid serous ovarian metastatic adenocarcinoma. A metastatic tumor was obtained from a 47-year-old Ashkenazi Jewish patient three years after the first surgery removed the primary tumor, both ovaries, and the remaining reproductive organs. OVDM1 was characterized by cell morphology, genotyping, tumorigenic assay, mycoplasma testing, spectral karyotyping (SKY, and molecular profiling of the whole genome by aCGH and gene expression microarray. Targeted sequencing of a panel of cancer-related genes was also performed. Hierarchical clustering of gene expression data clearly confirmed the ovarian origin of the cell line. OVDM1 has a near-diploid karyotype with a low-level aneuploidy, but samples of the original metastatic tumor were grossly aneuploid. A number of single nucleotide variations (SNVs/mutations were detected in OVDM1 and the metastatic tumor samples. Some of them were cancer-related according to COSMIC and HGMD databases (no founder mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been found. A large number of focal copy number alterations (FCNAs were detected, including homozygous deletions (HDs targeting WWOX and GATA4. Progression of OVDM1 from early to late passages was accompanied by preservation of the near-diploid status, acquisition of only few additional large chromosomal rearrangements and more than 100 new small FCNAs. Most of newly acquired FCNAs seem to be related to localized but massive DNA fragmentation (chromothripsis-like rearrangements. Newly developed near-diploid OVDM1 cell line offers an opportunity to evaluate tumorigenesis pathways/events in a minor clone of metastatic ovarian adenocarcinoma as well as mechanisms of chromothripsis.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

[Genetic control of mitotic crossing-over in yeasts. III. Induction by 8-methoxypsoralen and long-wave UV irradiation (lambda=365 nm)].

Science.gov (United States)

Fedorova, I V; Marfin, S V

1982-02-01

The lethal effect of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) plus 365 nm light has been studied in haploid radiosensitive strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The diploid of wild type and the diploid homozygous for the rad2 mutation (this mutation blocks the excision of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers) were more resistant to the lethal effect of 8-MOP plus 365 nm light than the haploid of wild type and rad2 haploid, respectively. The diploid homozygous for rad54 mutation (the mutation blocks the repair of double-strand breaks in DNA) was more sensitive than haploid rad54. The method of repeated irradiation allowed to study the capacity of radiosensitive diploids to remove monoadducts induced by 8-MOP in DNA. This process was very effective in diploids of wild type and in the rad54 rad54 diploid, while the rad2 rad2 diploid was characterized by nearly complete absence of monoadduct excision. The study of mitotic crossing over and mitotic segregation in yeast diploids, containing a pair of complementing alleles of the ade2 gene (red/pink) has shown a very high recombinogenic effect of 8-MOP plus 365 nm light. The rad2 mutation slightly increased the frequency of mitotic segregation and mitotic crossing over. The rad54 mutation decreased the frequency of mitotic segregation and entirely suppressed mitotic crossing over. The method of repeated irradiation showed that the cross-links, but not monoadducts, are the main cause of high recombinogenic effect of 8-MOP plus 365 nm light. The possible participation of different repair systems in recombinational processes induced by 8-MOP in yeast cells is discussed.

New Lager Brewery Strains Obtained by Crossing Techniques Using Cachaça (Brazilian Spirit) Yeasts

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Figueiredo, Bruna Inez Carvalho; Saraiva, Margarete Alice Fontes; de Souza Pimenta, Paloma Patrick; de Souza Testasicca, Miriam Conceição; Sampaio, Geraldo Magela Santos; da Cunha, Aureliano Claret; Afonso, Luis Carlos Crocco; Vieira de Queiroz, Marisa; de Miranda Castro, Ieso

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The development of hybrids has been an effective approach to generate novel yeast strains with optimal technological profile for use in beer production. This study describes the generation of a new yeast strain for lager beer production by direct mating between two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from cachaça distilleries: one that was strongly flocculent, and the other with higher production of acetate esters. The first step in this procedure was to analyze the sporulation ability and reproductive cycle of strains belonging to a specific collection of yeasts isolated from cachaça fermentation vats. Most strains showed high rates of sporulation, spore viability, and homothallic behavior. In order to obtain new yeast strains with desirable properties useful for lager beer production, we compare haploid-to-haploid and diploid-to-diploid mating procedures. Moreover, an assessment of parental phenotype traits showed that the segregant diploid C2-1d generated from a diploid-to-diploid mating experiment showed good fermentation performance at low temperature, high flocculation capacity, and desirable production of acetate esters that was significantly better than that of one type lager strain. Therefore, strain C2-1d might be an important candidate for the production of lager beer, with distinct fruit traces and originating using a non-genetically modified organism (GMO) approach. IMPORTANCE Recent work has suggested the utilization of hybridization techniques for the generation of novel non-genetically modified brewing yeast strains with combined properties not commonly found in a unique yeast strain. We have observed remarkable traits, especially low temperature tolerance, maltotriose utilization, flocculation ability, and production of volatile aroma compounds, among a collection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from cachaça distilleries, which allow their utilization in the production of beer. The significance of our research is in

Genetic effects of formaldehyde in yeast. Current status and limitations of the radiation equivalence concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chanet, R.; Magana-Schwencke, N.; Moustacchi, E.

1980-01-01

Values of radiation equivalents of chemicals have been calculated for formaldehyde (FA) from detailed data on its genetic effects on yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and compared with the effects induced by gamma radiation. For the haploid yeast strain, 1 (mmol FA.ltr -1 ).min (i.e. 1 mM FA.min) is equivalent to 9.6 rad, and for diploid yeast it is equivalent to 33 rad. These values are within the range of values calculated for E. coli and mammalian cells. Some major differences in the response to FA and radiation are encountered, depending upon the cellular physiological conditions, the genetic background and the degree of ploidy (haploid versus diploid) and growth phase (exponential versus stationary), among others. Difficulties encountered in the estimation of rad-equivalent values for specific chemicals and for defined biological end-points (e.g. rate of reverse mutation in the specific biochemical loci) are discussed. It is concluded that by exercising appropriate caution relating to the differences in the mechanisms of action of the chemical mutagens and radiations, meaningful rad-equivalent values could be estimated that could help express the comparative biological effects of chemicals in terms of radiation unit. (author)

Genes involved in yeast survival after irradiation with fast neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bozin, D.; Milosevic, M.J.

2001-01-01

Life on the Earth has evolved against a continuous background of ionizing radiation. It would be expected, therefore, that all possible mutations have been produced at some time or another; man-made radiation from medical or industrial sources will not result in any new types of mutation but will simply increase the whole spectrum of mutations that occur spontaneously. Any such lesion can be mutagenic and, in principle, lethal. To counteract the consequences of DNA damage, evolution has equipped all living cells with an intricate network of defense and repair systems. Together, these systems act as a kind of nuclear 'immune system' that is able to recognize and eliminate many types of DNA lesions. In the case of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in these processes over 30 RAD genes participate. We tested the survival of haploid and diploid rad1 yeast mutant strains at a dose of 15 Gy of γ or fast neutron radiation. We demonstrated that the lethality of rad1 mutants both haploid and diploid are significantly higher after fast neutron irradiation. The results indicate to the role and position of these genes in the DNA repair of damages specifically induced by fast neutrons. (authors)

In vivo evolutionary engineering for ethanol-tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid cells triggers diploidization.

Science.gov (United States)

Turanlı-Yıldız, Burcu; Benbadis, Laurent; Alkım, Ceren; Sezgin, Tuğba; Akşit, Arman; Gökçe, Abdülmecit; Öztürk, Yavuz; Baykal, Ahmet Tarık; Çakar, Zeynep Petek; François, Jean M

2017-09-01

Microbial ethanol production is an important alternative energy resource to replace fossil fuels, but at high level, this product is highly toxic, which hampers its efficient production. Towards increasing ethanol-tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the so far best industrial ethanol-producer, we evaluated an in vivo evolutionary engineering strategy based on batch selection under both constant (5%, v v -1 ) and gradually increasing (5-11.4%, v v -1 ) ethanol concentrations. Selection under increasing ethanol levels yielded evolved clones that could tolerate up to 12% (v v -1 ) ethanol and had cross-resistance to other stresses. Quite surprisingly, diploidization of the yeast population took place already at 7% (v v -1 ) ethanol level during evolutionary engineering, and this event was abolished by the loss of MKT1, a gene previously identified as being implicated in ethanol tolerance (Swinnen et al., Genome Res., 22, 975-984, 2012). Transcriptomic analysis confirmed diploidization of the evolved clones with strong down-regulation in mating process, and in several haploid-specific genes. We selected two clones exhibiting the highest viability on 12% ethanol, and found productivity and titer of ethanol significantly higher than those of the reference strain under aerated fed-batch cultivation conditions. This higher fermentation performance could be related with a higher abundance of glycolytic and ribosomal proteins and with a relatively lower respiratory capacity of the evolved strain, as revealed by a comparative transcriptomic and proteomic analysis between the evolved and the reference strains. Altogether, these results emphasize the efficiency of the in vivo evolutionary engineering strategy for improving ethanol tolerance, and the link between ethanol tolerance and diploidization. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radiation-induced diploid spermatids in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hacker-Klom, U.; Heiden, Th.; Otto, F.J.; Goehde, W.; Mauro, F.

1989-01-01

Diploid elongated spermatids of mice were enriched by flow cytometry and cell sorting using a new type of sorter (Partec). The sorted abnormal spermatids were identified morphologically and by nuclear area integration. The radiation-induced increase in the frequency of diploid elongated spermatids was monitored with time following acute X-ray exposure of mice. Dose-response curves for acute 60 Co-gamma and 14 MeV neutron irradiations yielded an RBE value of 4.3 for the doubling of the control level. (author)

Radiation-induced diploid spermatids in mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hacker-Klom, U; Heiden, Th; Otto, F J; Goehde, W; Mauro, F

1989-05-01

Diploid elongated spermatids of mice were enriched by flow cytometry and cell sorting using a new type of sorter (Partec). The sorted abnormal spermatids were identified morphologically and by nuclear area integration. The radiation-induced increase in the frequency of diploid elongated spermatids was monitored with time following acute X-ray exposure of mice. Dose-response curves for acute /sup 60/Co-gamma and 14 MeV neutron irradiations yielded an RBE value of 4.3 for the doubling of the control level. (author).

Yeast cell wall chitin reduces wine haze formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndlovu, Thulile; Divol, Benoit; Bauer, Florian F

2018-04-27

Protein haze formation in bottled wines is a significant concern for the global wine industry and wine clarification before bottling is therefore a common but expensive practice. Previous studies have shown that wine yeast strains can reduce haze formation through the secretion of certain mannoproteins, but it has been suggested that other yeast-dependent haze protective mechanisms exist. On the other hand, addition of chitin has been shown to reduce haze formation, likely because grape chitinases have been shown to be the major contributors to haze. In this study, Chardonnay grape must fermented by various yeast strains resulted in wines with different protein haze levels indicating differences in haze protective capacities of the strains. The cell wall chitin levels of these strains were determined, and a strong correlation between cell wall chitin levels and haze protection capability was observed. To further evaluate the mechanism of haze protection, Escherichia coli -produced GFP-tagged grape chitinase was shown to bind efficiently to yeast cell walls in a cell wall chitin concentration-dependent manner, while commercial chitinase was removed from synthetic wine in quantities also correlated with the cell wall chitin levels of the strains. Our findings suggest a new mechanism of reducing wine haze, and propose a strategy for optimizing wine yeast strains to improve wine clarification. Importance In this study, we establish a new mechanism by which wine yeast strains can impact on the protein haze formation of wines, and demonstrate that yeast cell wall chitin binds grape chitinase in a chitin-concentration dependent manner. We also show that yeast can remove this haze-forming protein from wine. Chitin has in the past been shown to efficiently reduce wine haze formation when added to the wine in high concentration as a clarifying agent. Our data suggest that the selection of yeast strains with high levels of cell wall chitin can reduce protein haze. We also

Comparisons of radiosensitivity and damage repair potential between mutants from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain of yeast and laboratory-bred wild yeasts with particular attention being given to giant cell formation after X-radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinen, A.

1988-01-01

Yeast cells were exposed to X-rays at dose levels up to 10 kGy to induce damage to the DNA and investigate its effects on cellular growth patterns. For this purpose, comparisons were carried out between one diploid strain and six haploid strains of the Saccharomyces uvarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae species, which permitted the individual recovery and damage repair pathways to be described in more detail. The laboratory-bred wild strains ATCC 9080, 211 and 706 were judged to have unimpaired repair mechanisms as compared to the auxotrophs, which fact was evident from the higher radiosensitivity of the latter. A further parameter in this evaluation of growth behaviours was giant cell formation. The results here provided evidence in confirmation of deviations between wild strains and mutants. Even though the ceiling values for the formation of giant cells were similarly high in all strains, impairments of cell division and initial development were observed for the mutants already at considerably lower dose levels. (orig./MG) [de

Genetic control of x-ray resistance in budding yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benathen, I.A.; Beam, C.A.

1977-01-01

Five x-ray-sensitive mutants were selected from 10,000 colonies arising from survivors of ultraviolet light. These were named XS5, XS6, XS7, XS8, and XS9. Mutant XS1 was donated by Nakai. These mutations affect the resistant budding cell survival component of the survival curve and, in diploids, the low-dose interdivisional cell shoulder. They are of two types: Class I, in which budding cells lack resistance; and Class II, in which budding cells show reduced resistance. When crossed with one another, they show a complex complementation pattern. Gene dosage effects are seen in XS1 heterozygotes, while budding but not between divisions. No direct correlation between radiation sensitivity, meiosis, and sporulation is observed; genes which influence radiation sensitivity do not affect meiotic recombination. A single mutation (XS1 or XS5) suppresses the shoulders of the survival curves of both budding haploid cells and diploid nonbudding cells

Dielectric modelling of cell division for budding and fission yeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asami, Koji; Sekine, Katsuhisa

2007-01-01

The frequency dependence of complex permittivity or the dielectric spectrum of a system including a cell in cell division has been simulated by a numerical technique based on the three-dimensional finite difference method. Two different types of cell division characteristic of budding and fission yeast were examined. The yeast cells are both regarded as a body of rotation, and thus have anisotropic polarization, i.e. the effective permittivity of the cell depends on the orientation of the cell to the direction of an applied electric field. In the perpendicular orientation, where the rotational axis of the cell is perpendicular to the electric field direction, the dielectric spectra for both yeast cells included one dielectric relaxation and its intensity depended on the cell volume. In the parallel orientation, on the other hand, two dielectric relaxations appeared with bud growth for budding yeast and with septum formation for fission yeast. The low-frequency relaxation was shifted to a lower frequency region by narrowing the neck between the bud and the mother cell for budding yeast and by increasing the degree of septum formation for fission yeast. After cell separation, the low-frequency relaxation disappeared. The simulations well interpreted the oscillation of the relative permittivity of culture broth found for synchronous cell growth of budding yeast

Genetic Screens in Yeast to Identify BRCA1 Modifiers

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Plon, Sharon E

2005-01-01

.... The yeast RAD9 protein has similar functions and sequence motifs as BRCA1 and we proposed to identify haploinsufficient mutations at a second locus that alters the chromosome loss rate of our rad9-/- diploid strains...

Effect of salt hyperosmotic stress on yeast cell viability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Logothetis Stelios

2007-01-01

Full Text Available During fermentation for ethanol production, yeasts are subjected to different kinds of physico-chemical stresses such as: initially high sugar concentration and low temperature; and later, increased ethanol concentrations. Such conditions trigger a series of biological responses in an effort to maintain cell cycle progress and yeast cell viability. Regarding osmostress, many studies have been focused on transcriptional activation and gene expression in laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The overall aim of this present work was to further our understanding of wine yeast performance during fermentations under osmotic stress conditions. Specifically, the research work focused on the evaluation of NaCl-induced stress responses of an industrial wine yeast strain S. cerevisiae (VIN 13, particularly with regard to yeast cell growth and viability. The hypothesis was that osmostress conditions energized specific genes to enable yeast cells to survive under stressful conditions. Experiments were designed by pretreating cells with different sodium chloride concentrations (NaCl: 4%, 6% and 10% w/v growing in defined media containing D-glucose and evaluating the impact of this on yeast growth and viability. Subsequent fermentation cycles took place with increasing concentrations of D-glucose (20%, 30%, 40% w/v using salt-adapted cells as inocula. We present evidence that osmostress induced by mild salt pre-treatments resulted in beneficial influences on both cell viability and fermentation performance of an industrial wine yeast strain.

Guidelines and recommendations on yeast cell death nomenclature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Didac Carmona-Gutierrez

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Elucidating the biology of yeast in its full complexity has major implications for science, medicine and industry. One of the most critical processes determining yeast life and physiology is cellular demise. However, the investigation of yeast cell death is a relatively young field, and a widely accepted set of concepts and terms is still missing. Here, we propose unified criteria for the definition of accidental, regulated, and programmed forms of cell death in yeast based on a series of morphological and biochemical criteria. Specifically, we provide consensus guidelines on the differential definition of terms including apoptosis, regulated necrosis, and autophagic cell death, as we refer to additional cell death routines that are relevant for the biology of (at least some species of yeast. As this area of investigation advances rapidly, changes and extensions to this set of recommendations will be implemented in the years to come. Nonetheless, we strongly encourage the authors, reviewers and editors of scientific articles to adopt these collective standards in order to establish an accurate framework for yeast cell death research and, ultimately, to accelerate the progress of this vibrant field of research.

Guidelines and recommendations on yeast cell death nomenclature

Science.gov (United States)

Carmona-Gutierrez, Didac; Bauer, Maria Anna; Zimmermann, Andreas; Aguilera, Andrés; Austriaco, Nicanor; Ayscough, Kathryn; Balzan, Rena; Bar-Nun, Shoshana; Barrientos, Antonio; Belenky, Peter; Blondel, Marc; Braun, Ralf J.; Breitenbach, Michael; Burhans, William C.; Büttner, Sabrina; Cavalieri, Duccio; Chang, Michael; Cooper, Katrina F.; Côrte-Real, Manuela; Costa, Vítor; Cullin, Christophe; Dawes, Ian; Dengjel, Jörn; Dickman, Martin B.; Eisenberg, Tobias; Fahrenkrog, Birthe; Fasel, Nicolas; Fröhlich, Kai-Uwe; Gargouri, Ali; Giannattasio, Sergio; Goffrini, Paola; Gourlay, Campbell W.; Grant, Chris M.; Greenwood, Michael T.; Guaragnella, Nicoletta; Heger, Thomas; Heinisch, Jürgen; Herker, Eva; Herrmann, Johannes M.; Hofer, Sebastian; Jiménez-Ruiz, Antonio; Jungwirth, Helmut; Kainz, Katharina; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P.; Ludovico, Paula; Manon, Stéphen; Martegani, Enzo; Mazzoni, Cristina; Megeney, Lynn A.; Meisinger, Chris; Nielsen, Jens; Nyström, Thomas; Osiewacz, Heinz D.; Outeiro, Tiago F.; Park, Hay-Oak; Pendl, Tobias; Petranovic, Dina; Picot, Stephane; Polčic, Peter; Powers, Ted; Ramsdale, Mark; Rinnerthaler, Mark; Rockenfeller, Patrick; Ruckenstuhl, Christoph; Schaffrath, Raffael; Segovia, Maria; Severin, Fedor F.; Sharon, Amir; Sigrist, Stephan J.; Sommer-Ruck, Cornelia; Sousa, Maria João; Thevelein, Johan M.; Thevissen, Karin; Titorenko, Vladimir; Toledano, Michel B.; Tuite, Mick; Vögtle, F.-Nora; Westermann, Benedikt; Winderickx, Joris; Wissing, Silke; Wölfl, Stefan; Zhang, Zhaojie J.; Zhao, Richard Y.; Zhou, Bing; Galluzzi, Lorenzo; Kroemer, Guido; Madeo, Frank

2018-01-01

Elucidating the biology of yeast in its full complexity has major implications for science, medicine and industry. One of the most critical processes determining yeast life and physiology is cellular demise. However, the investigation of yeast cell death is a relatively young field, and a widely accepted set of concepts and terms is still missing. Here, we propose unified criteria for the definition of accidental, regulated, and programmed forms of cell death in yeast based on a series of morphological and biochemical criteria. Specifically, we provide consensus guidelines on the differential definition of terms including apoptosis, regulated necrosis, and autophagic cell death, as we refer to additional cell death routines that are relevant for the biology of (at least some species of) yeast. As this area of investigation advances rapidly, changes and extensions to this set of recommendations will be implemented in the years to come. Nonetheless, we strongly encourage the authors, reviewers and editors of scientific articles to adopt these collective standards in order to establish an accurate framework for yeast cell death research and, ultimately, to accelerate the progress of this vibrant field of research. PMID:29354647

Lipid raft involvement in yeast cell growth and death

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mollinedo, Faustino, E-mail: fmollin@usal.es [Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Centro de Investigación del Cáncer, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca (Spain)

2012-10-10

The notion that cellular membranes contain distinct microdomains, acting as scaffolds for signal transduction processes, has gained considerable momentum. In particular, a class of such domains that is rich in sphingolipids and cholesterol, termed as lipid rafts, is thought to compartmentalize the plasma membrane, and to have important roles in survival and cell death signaling in mammalian cells. Likewise, yeast lipid rafts are membrane domains enriched in sphingolipids and ergosterol, the yeast counterpart of mammalian cholesterol. Sterol-rich membrane domains have been identified in several fungal species, including the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as well as the pathogens Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Yeast rafts have been mainly involved in membrane trafficking, but increasing evidence implicates rafts in a wide range of additional cellular processes. Yeast lipid rafts house biologically important proteins involved in the proper function of yeast, such as proteins that control Na{sup +}, K{sup +}, and pH homeostasis, which influence many cellular processes, including cell growth and death. Membrane raft constituents affect drug susceptibility, and drugs interacting with sterols alter raft composition and membrane integrity, leading to yeast cell death. Because of the genetic tractability of yeast, analysis of yeast rafts could be an excellent model to approach unanswered questions of mammalian raft biology, and to understand the role of lipid rafts in the regulation of cell death and survival in human cells. A better insight in raft biology might lead to envisage new raft-mediated approaches to the treatment of human diseases where regulation of cell death and survival is critical, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Lipid raft involvement in yeast cell growth and death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mollinedo, Faustino

2012-01-01

The notion that cellular membranes contain distinct microdomains, acting as scaffolds for signal transduction processes, has gained considerable momentum. In particular, a class of such domains that is rich in sphingolipids and cholesterol, termed as lipid rafts, is thought to compartmentalize the plasma membrane, and to have important roles in survival and cell death signaling in mammalian cells. Likewise, yeast lipid rafts are membrane domains enriched in sphingolipids and ergosterol, the yeast counterpart of mammalian cholesterol. Sterol-rich membrane domains have been identified in several fungal species, including the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as well as the pathogens Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Yeast rafts have been mainly involved in membrane trafficking, but increasing evidence implicates rafts in a wide range of additional cellular processes. Yeast lipid rafts house biologically important proteins involved in the proper function of yeast, such as proteins that control Na + , K + , and pH homeostasis, which influence many cellular processes, including cell growth and death. Membrane raft constituents affect drug susceptibility, and drugs interacting with sterols alter raft composition and membrane integrity, leading to yeast cell death. Because of the genetic tractability of yeast, analysis of yeast rafts could be an excellent model to approach unanswered questions of mammalian raft biology, and to understand the role of lipid rafts in the regulation of cell death and survival in human cells. A better insight in raft biology might lead to envisage new raft-mediated approaches to the treatment of human diseases where regulation of cell death and survival is critical, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Nonlinear Dielectric Properties of Yeast Cells Cultured in Different Environmental Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Kawanishi, Gomon; Fukuda, Naoki; Muraji, Masafumi

The harmonics of the electric current through yeast suspensions, the nonlinear dielectric properties of yeast cells, have particular patterns according to the biological activity of the cells and the measurement of these patterns is a technique for determining the activity of living cells. The concentration of glucose and oxygen in yeast culture medium influences the manifestation of fermentation or respiration of yeast cells. Measurements were made with yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cultured aerobically and anaerobically in sufficient glucose concentration, aerobic fermentation and anaerobic fermentation, and aerobically in limited glucose concentration, respiration. The results showed that the harmonics were barely apparent for yeast cells in aerobic fermentation and respiratory; however, cells in the anaerobic fermentation displayed substantial third and fifth harmonics. We can say that environmental condition affects the yeast cells' nonlinear properties, from another viewpoint, the measurements of the nonlinear properties are available to determine the activity of yeast cells adjusted to the conditions of their cultivation.

Genetic study on yeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mortimer, R.K.

1981-01-01

Research during the past year has moved ahead on several fronts. A major compilation of all the genetic mapping data for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been completed. The map describes the location of over 300 genes on 17 chromosomes. A report on this work will appear in Microbiological Reviews in December 1980. Recombinant DNA procedures have been introduced into the experiments and RAD52 (one of the genes involved in recombination and repair damage), has been successfully cloned. This clone will be used to determine the gene product. Diploid cells homozygous for RAD52 have exceptionally high frequencies of mitotic loss of chromosomes. This loss is stimulated by ionizing radiation. This effect is a very significant finding. The effect has also been seen with certain other RAD mutants

Guidelines and recommendations on yeast cell death nomenclature

OpenAIRE

Carmona-Gutierrez, Didac; Bauer, Maria Anna; Zimmermann, Andreas; Aguilera, Andres; Austriaco, Nicanor; Sigrist, Stephan J.

2018-01-01

Elucidating the biology of yeast in its full complexity has major implications for science, medicine and industry. One of the most critical processes determining yeast life and physiology is cellular demise. However, the investigation of yeast cell death is a relatively young field, and a widely accepted set of concepts and terms is still missing. Here, we propose unified criteria for the definition of accidental, regulated, and programmed forms of cell death in yeast based on a series of mor...

Yeast cells proliferation on various strong static magnetic fields and temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otabe, E S; Kuroki, S; Nikawa, J; Matsumoto, Y; Ooba, T; Kiso, K; Hayashi, H

2009-01-01

The effect of strong magnetic fields on activities of yeast cells were investigated. Experimental yeast cells were cultured in 5 ml of YPD(Yeast extract Peptone Dextrose) for the number density of yeast cells of 5.0 ±0.2 x 10 6 /ml with various temperatures and magnetic fields up to 10 T. Since the yeast cells were placed in the center of the superconducting magnet, the effect of magnetic force due to the diamagnetism and magnetic gradient was negligibly small. The yeast suspension was opened to air and cultured in shaking condition. The number of yeast cells in the yeast suspension was counted by a counting plate with an optical microscope, and the time dependence of the number density of yeast cells was measured. The time dependence of the number density of yeast cells, ρ, of initial part is analyzed in terms of Malthus equation as given by ρ = ρo exp(kt), where k is the growth coefficient. It is found that, the growth coefficient under the magnetic field is suppressed compared with the control. The growth coefficient decreasing as increasing magnetic field and is saturated at about 5 T. On the other hand, it is found that the suppression of growth of yeast cells by the magnetic field is diminished at high temperatures.

Oxidative Stress and Programmed Cell Death in Yeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farrugia, Gianluca; Balzan, Rena

2012-01-01

Yeasts, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have long served as useful models for the study of oxidative stress, an event associated with cell death and severe human pathologies. This review will discuss oxidative stress in yeast, in terms of sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS), their molecular targets, and the metabolic responses elicited by cellular ROS accumulation. Responses of yeast to accumulated ROS include upregulation of antioxidants mediated by complex transcriptional changes, activation of pro-survival pathways such as mitophagy, and programmed cell death (PCD) which, apart from apoptosis, includes pathways such as autophagy and necrosis, a form of cell death long considered accidental and uncoordinated. The role of ROS in yeast aging will also be discussed.

Sporulation in the Budding Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Science.gov (United States)

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

Mitochondrial fission proteins regulate programmed cell death in yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Fannjiang, Yihru; Cheng, Wen-Chih; Lee, Sarah J; Qi, Bing; Pevsner, Jonathan; McCaffery, J Michael; Hill, R Blake; Basañez, Gorka; Hardwick, J Marie

2004-11-15

The possibility that single-cell organisms undergo programmed cell death has been questioned in part because they lack several key components of the mammalian cell death machinery. However, yeast encode a homolog of human Drp1, a mitochondrial fission protein that was shown previously to promote mammalian cell death and the excessive mitochondrial fragmentation characteristic of apoptotic mammalian cells. In support of a primordial origin of programmed cell death involving mitochondria, we found that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog of human Drp1, Dnm1, promotes mitochondrial fragmentation/degradation and cell death following treatment with several death stimuli. Two Dnm1-interacting factors also regulate yeast cell death. The WD40 repeat protein Mdv1/Net2 promotes cell death, consistent with its role in mitochondrial fission. In contrast to its fission function in healthy cells, Fis1 unexpectedly inhibits Dnm1-mediated mitochondrial fission and cysteine protease-dependent cell death in yeast. Furthermore, the ability of yeast Fis1 to inhibit mitochondrial fission and cell death can be functionally replaced by human Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Together, these findings indicate that yeast and mammalian cells have a conserved programmed death pathway regulated by a common molecular component, Drp1/Dnm1, that is inhibited by a Bcl-2-like function.

Photosensitization of human diploid cell cultures by intracellular flavins and protection by antioxidants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, O.M.; Smith, J.R.; Packer, L.

1976-01-01

The damaging effects of near ultraviolet and visible light on WI-38 human diploid lung fibroblasts were investigated. WI-38 cells in culture were killed by light doses ranging from 2 to 10 x 10 3 W/m 2 h. There was an inverse correlation between culture age, i.e. population doubling level and photosensitivity. However, this effect could not be related to capacity for DNA synthesis and cell division. Flavins were clearly implicated as endogenous photosensitizers, and antioxidants such as d,l-α-tocopherol (vitamin E), BHT and ascorbic acid were found to afford the cells protection from light damage. Furthermore, products of lipid peroxidation could be detected in cell homogenates irradiated in the presence of riboflavin. (author)

Interactions of Condensed Tannins with Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast Cells and Cell Walls: Tannin Location by Microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mekoue Nguela, Julie; Vernhet, Aude; Sieczkowski, Nathalie; Brillouet, Jean-Marc

2015-09-02

Interactions between grape tannins/red wine polyphenols and yeast cells/cell walls was previously studied within the framework of red wine aging and the use of yeast-derived products as an alternative to aging on lees. Results evidenced a quite different behavior between whole cells (biomass grown to elaborate yeast-derived products, inactivated yeast, and yeast inactivated after autolysis) and yeast cell walls (obtained from mechanical disruption of the biomass). Briefly, whole cells exhibited a high capacity to irreversibly adsorb grape and wine tannins, whereas only weak interactions were observed for cell walls. This last point was quite unexpected considering the literature and called into question the real role of cell walls in yeasts' ability to fix tannins. In the present work, tannin location after interactions between grape and wine tannins and yeast cells and cell walls was studied by means of transmission electron microscopy, light epifluorescence, and confocal microscopy. Microscopy observations evidenced that if tannins interact with cell walls, and especially cell wall mannoproteins, they also diffuse freely through the walls of dead cells to interact with their plasma membrane and cytoplasmic components.

A model for cell wall dissolution in mating yeast cells: polarized secretion and restricted diffusion of cell wall remodeling enzymes induces local dissolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Huberman, Lori B; Murray, Andrew W

2014-01-01

Mating of the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, occurs when two haploid cells of opposite mating types signal using reciprocal pheromones and receptors, grow towards each other, and fuse to form a single diploid cell. To fuse, both cells dissolve their cell walls at the point of contact. This event must be carefully controlled because the osmotic pressure differential between the cytoplasm and extracellular environment causes cells with unprotected plasma membranes to lyse. If the cell wall-degrading enzymes diffuse through the cell wall, their concentration would rise when two cells touched each other, such as when two pheromone-stimulated cells adhere to each other via mating agglutinins. At the surfaces that touch, the enzymes must diffuse laterally through the wall before they can escape into the medium, increasing the time the enzymes spend in the cell wall, and thus raising their concentration at the point of attachment and restricting cell wall dissolution to points where cells touch each other. We tested this hypothesis by studying pheromone treated cells confined between two solid, impermeable surfaces. This confinement increases the frequency of pheromone-induced cell death, and this effect is diminished by reducing the osmotic pressure difference across the cell wall or by deleting putative cell wall glucanases and other genes necessary for efficient cell wall fusion. Our results support the model that pheromone-induced cell death is the result of a contact-driven increase in the local concentration of cell wall remodeling enzymes and suggest that this process plays an important role in regulating cell wall dissolution and fusion in mating cells.

A Model for Cell Wall Dissolution in Mating Yeast Cells: Polarized Secretion and Restricted Diffusion of Cell Wall Remodeling Enzymes Induces Local Dissolution

Science.gov (United States)

Huberman, Lori B.; Murray, Andrew W.

2014-01-01

Mating of the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, occurs when two haploid cells of opposite mating types signal using reciprocal pheromones and receptors, grow towards each other, and fuse to form a single diploid cell. To fuse, both cells dissolve their cell walls at the point of contact. This event must be carefully controlled because the osmotic pressure differential between the cytoplasm and extracellular environment causes cells with unprotected plasma membranes to lyse. If the cell wall-degrading enzymes diffuse through the cell wall, their concentration would rise when two cells touched each other, such as when two pheromone-stimulated cells adhere to each other via mating agglutinins. At the surfaces that touch, the enzymes must diffuse laterally through the wall before they can escape into the medium, increasing the time the enzymes spend in the cell wall, and thus raising their concentration at the point of attachment and restricting cell wall dissolution to points where cells touch each other. We tested this hypothesis by studying pheromone treated cells confined between two solid, impermeable surfaces. This confinement increases the frequency of pheromone-induced cell death, and this effect is diminished by reducing the osmotic pressure difference across the cell wall or by deleting putative cell wall glucanases and other genes necessary for efficient cell wall fusion. Our results support the model that pheromone-induced cell death is the result of a contact-driven increase in the local concentration of cell wall remodeling enzymes and suggest that this process plays an important role in regulating cell wall dissolution and fusion in mating cells. PMID:25329559

Transcriptional Waves in the Yeast Cell Cycle

OpenAIRE

Oliva, Anna; Rosebrock, Adam; Ferrezuelo, Francisco; Pyne, Saumyadipta; Chen, Haiying; Skiena, Steve; Futcher, Bruce; Leatherwood, Janet

2005-01-01

Many genes are regulated as an innate part of the eukaryotic cell cycle, and a complex transcriptional network helps enable the cyclic behavior of dividing cells. This transcriptional network has been studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) and elsewhere. To provide more perspective on these regulatory mechanisms, we have used microarrays to measure gene expression through the cell cycle of Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast). The 750 genes with the most significant oscillat...

Synergistic reduction of toluylene blue induced by acetaldehyde and menadione in yeast cell suspension: Application to determination of yeast cell activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shiro Yamashoji

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Membrane permeant acetaldehyde and menadione induced the synergistic reduction of toluylene blue (TB acting as non-membrane permeant redox indicator in yeast cell suspension. NADH and acetaldehyde also induced the synergistic TB reduction in permeabilized yeast cells and phosphate buffer, but menadione had no ability to promote TB reduction. The pre-incubation of acetaldehyde inhibited the above synergistic reduction of TB in intact and permeabilized yeast cell suspension. The pre-incubation of acetaldehyde might promote NADH oxidation by alcohol dehydrogenase, because acetaldehyde decreased the intracellular NAD(PH concentration. The above facts indicate that the synergistic reduction of TB is controlled by the order of addition of menadione and acetaldehyde. The synergistic reduction of TB by menadione and acetaldehyde was proportional to viable yeast cell number from 104 to 2×106 cells/ml, and this assay was applicable to cytotoxicity test. The time required for the above assay was only 2 min.

Occurrence of diploid and polyploid microspores in Sorghum bicolor ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Analysis of 230 pollen mother cells at first metaphase stage showed 73.91% haploid (n=10), 10.43% diploid (n=20), ... Pollen diameters showed that the cytomictic cells differed from the normal cells. These results ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

Induction and evaluation of mutations for improved protein production in certain species of yeasts in the Philippines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borromeo, J.D.

1976-02-01

The species of yeasts included in the studies are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rhodeterula rubra, Rhodeterula pilimane and those isolated from fruits such as citrus, papaya and banana. Part of the project involved induction of sporulation to obtain haploid cells for crossing to produce stable disploids exhibiting improved protein production. Although S. cerevisiae produce less protein than Rhodeterula, it produces ascesperes which are haploid cells. These haploid cells can be used to obtain stable diploids with the desirable characteristics by crossing cultures. Rhodeterula, a fungus that does not produce ascesperes will be subjected to certain adverse conditions to induce, hopefully, sperulation

Guidelines and recommendations on yeast cell death nomenclature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carmona-Gutierrez, Didac; Bauer, Maria Anna; Zimmermann, Andreas; Aguilera, Andrés; Austriaco, Nicanor; Ayscough, Kathryn; Balzan, Rena; Bar-Nun, Shoshana; Barrientos, Antonio; Belenky, Peter; Blondel, Marc; Braun, Ralf J; Breitenbach, Michael; Burhans, William C; Büttner, Sabrina; Cavalieri, Duccio; Chang, Michael; Cooper, Katrina F; Côrte-Real, Manuela; Costa, Vítor; Cullin, Christophe; Dawes, Ian; Dengjel, Jörn; Dickman, Martin B; Eisenberg, Tobias; Fahrenkrog, Birthe; Fasel, Nicolas; Fröhlich, Kai-Uwe; Gargouri, Ali; Giannattasio, Sergio; Goffrini, Paola; Gourlay, Campbell W; Grant, Chris M; Greenwood, Michael T; Guaragnella, Nicoletta; Heger, Thomas; Heinisch, Jürgen; Herker, Eva; Herrmann, Johannes M; Hofer, Sebastian; Jiménez-Ruiz, Antonio; Jungwirth, Helmut; Kainz, Katharina; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P; Ludovico, Paula; Manon, Stéphen; Martegani, Enzo; Mazzoni, Cristina; Megeney, Lynn A; Meisinger, Chris; Nielsen, Jens; Nyström, Thomas; Osiewacz, Heinz D; Outeiro, Tiago F; Park, Hay-Oak; Pendl, Tobias; Petranovic, Dina; Picot, Stephane; Polčic, Peter; Powers, Ted; Ramsdale, Mark; Rinnerthaler, Mark; Rockenfeller, Patrick; Ruckenstuhl, Christoph; Schaffrath, Raffael; Segovia, Maria; Severin, Fedor F; Sharon, Amir; Sigrist, Stephan J; Sommer-Ruck, Cornelia; Sousa, Maria João; Thevelein, Johan M; Thevissen, Karin; Titorenko, Vladimir; Toledano, Michel B; Tuite, Mick; Vögtle, F-Nora; Westermann, Benedikt; Winderickx, Joris; Wissing, Silke; Wölfl, Stefan; Zhang, Zhaojie J; Zhao, Richard Y; Zhou, Bing; Galluzzi, Lorenzo; Kroemer, Guido; Madeo, Frank

2018-01-01

Elucidating the biology of yeast in its full complexity has major implications for science, medicine and industry. One of the most critical processes determining yeast life and physiology is cel-lular demise. However, the investigation of yeast cell death is a relatively young field, and a widely

Heavy ion effects on yeast: Inhibition of ribosomal RNA synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, K.J.; Schneider, E.; Kiefer, J.; Kraft, G.

1990-01-01

Diploid wild-type yeast cells were exposed to beams of heavy ions covering a wide range of linear energy transfer (LET) (43-13,700 keV/microns). Synthesis of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was assessed as a functional measure of damage produced by particle radiation. An exponential decrease of relative rRNA synthesis with particle fluence was demonstrated in all cases. The inactivation cross sections derived were found to increase with LET over the entire range of LET studied. The corresponding values for relative biological effectiveness were slightly less than unity. Maximum cross sections measured were close to 1 micron 2, implying that some larger structure within the yeast nucleus (e.g., the nucleolus) might represent the target for an impairment of synthetic activity by very heavy ions rather than the genes coding for rRNA. Where tested, an oxygen effect for rRNA synthesis could not be demonstrated

Comparative cytogenetic analysis of diploid and hexaploid Chenopodium album Agg

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bożena Kolano

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Two cytotypes of Chenopodium album, diploid (2n=2x=18 and hexaploid (2n=6x=54, were analysed using flow cytometry and a FISH experiment. The genome size was indicated as 1.795 pg for the diploid and 3.845 pg for the hexaploid plants which suggested genome downsizing in the evolution of hexaploid cytotype. Double FISH with 25S rDNA and 5S rDNA allowed three to five homologue chromosome pairs to be distinguished depending on the cytotype. The Variation in size and number of rDNA sites between the polyploid C. album and its putative diploid ancestor indicated that rDNA loci underwent rearrangements after polyploidization. Flow cytometry measurements of the relative nuclear DNA content in the somatic tissue of C. album revealed extensive endopolyploidization resulting in tissues comprising a mixture of cells with a different DNA content (from 2C to 32C in varying proportions. The pattern of endopolyploidy was characteristic for the developmental stage of the plant and for the individual organ. Polysomaty was not observed in the embryo tissues however endopolyploidization had taken place in most tested organs of seedlings. The endopolyploidy in diploid and hexaploid C. album was compared to find any relationship between the pattern of polysomaty and polyploidy level in this species. This revealed that polyploid plants showed a decline in the number of endocycles as well as in the frequency of endopolyploidy cells compared to diploid plants.

Engineered CRISPR/Cas9 system for multiplex genome engineering of polyploid industrial yeast strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Lian, Jiazhang; Bao, Zehua; Hu, Sumeng; Zhao, Huimin

2018-06-01

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been widely used for multiplex genome engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, its application in manipulating industrial yeast strains is less successful, probably due to the genome complexity and low copy numbers of gRNA expression plasmids. Here we developed an efficient CRISPR/Cas9 system for industrial yeast strain engineering by using our previously engineered plasmids with increased copy numbers. Four genes in both a diploid strain (Ethanol Red, 8 alleles in total) and a triploid strain (ATCC 4124, 12 alleles in total) were knocked out in a single step with 100% efficiency. This system was used to construct xylose-fermenting, lactate-producing industrial yeast strains, in which ALD6, PHO13, LEU2, and URA3 were disrupted in a single step followed by the introduction of a xylose utilization pathway and a lactate biosynthetic pathway on auxotrophic marker plasmids. The optimized CRISPR/Cas9 system provides a powerful tool for the development of industrial yeast based microbial cell factories. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effect of ultraviolet light on arrested human diploid cell populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantor, G.J.; Warner, C.; Hull, D.R.

1977-01-01

The results of the experiments to determine an effect of UV (254 nm) on human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) arrested with respect to division by using 0.5% fetal calf serum in the culture medium are reported. A fraction of cells from irradiated arrested populations, maintained in the arrested state post-irradiation, was lost from the populations. The extent of cell loss was fluence-dependent and cell strain specific. A Xeroderma pigmentosum cell strain was more sensitive to UV than were normal HDF. No difference in sensitivity were observed when arrested populations established from normal HDF populations of various in vitro ages were used. The length of the pre-irradiation arrested period affected the sensitivity of normal HDF, which appeared more resistant at longer arrested periods, but not the sensitivity of arrested Xeroderma populations. These results suggest that DNA repair processes play a role in maintaining irradiated cells in the arrested state. The suggestion is made that the lethal event caused by UV is an effect on transcription leading to an inhibition of required protein synthesis. (author)

Immobilisation increases yeast cells' resistance to dehydration-rehydration treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Borovikova, Diana; Rozenfelde, Linda; Pavlovska, Ilona; Rapoport, Alexander

2014-08-20

This study was performed with the goal of revealing if the dehydration procedure used in our new immobilisation method noticeably decreases the viability of yeast cells in immobilised preparations. Various yeasts were used in this research: Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells that were rather sensitive to dehydration and had been aerobically grown in an ethanol-containing medium, a recombinant strain of S. cerevisiae grown in aerobic conditions which were completely non-resistant to dehydration and an anaerobically grown bakers' yeast strain S. cerevisiae, as well as a fairly resistant Pichia pastoris strain. Experiments performed showed that immobilisation of all these strains essentially increased their resistance to a dehydration-rehydration treatment. The increase of cells' viability (compared with control cells dehydrated in similar conditions) was from 30 to 60%. It is concluded that a new immobilisation method, which includes a dehydration stage, does not lead to an essential loss of yeast cell viability. Correspondingly, there is no risk of losing the biotechnological activities of immobilised preparations. The possibility of producing dry, active yeast preparations is shown, for those strains that are very sensitive to dehydration and which can be used in biotechnology in an immobilised form. Finally, the immobilisation approach can be used for the development of efficient methods for the storage of recombinant yeast strains. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Kinetics of the oxygen effect in yeast irradiated in dry and wet conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiefer, J.; Schoepfer, F.; Luggen-Hoelscher, J.

1981-01-01

There are indications that the radiobiological oxygen-effect consists of more than one component: in dry bacterial spores three different classes can be separated depending on exposure- and after-treatment conditions, the dependence of the oxygen-enhancement ratio (OER) on oxygen concentration shows breaks in various systems, and it has been suggested that type O and type N damage are localized in different parts of the cells. These questions were studied in the simple eucaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae using two approaches: the dependence of OER on oxygen tension was determined both for survivial and mutation induction. Since a forward mutation was used a haploid strain had to be employed in this case. In order to assess whether also in yeast cells more than one component may exist, the techniques originally developed for bacterial spores were adapted for dried diploid yeast cells. The results show that the dependence on oxygen concentration is the same for survival and mutation within error limits, implicating DNA as the main target and that also in our system three classes of oxygen dependent damage exist

Effect of Yeast Cell Morphology, Cell Wall Physical Structure and Chemical Composition on Patulin Adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Ying; Wang, Jianguo; Liu, Bin; Wang, Zhouli; Yuan, Yahong; Yue, Tianli

2015-01-01

The capability of yeast to adsorb patulin in fruit juice can aid in substantially reducing the patulin toxic effect on human health. This study aimed to investigate the capability of yeast cell morphology and cell wall internal structure and composition to adsorb patulin. To compare different yeast cell morphologies, cell wall internal structure and composition, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and ion chromatography were used. The results indicated that patulin adsorption capability of yeast was influenced by cell surface areas, volume, and cell wall thickness, as well as 1,3-β-glucan content. Among these factors, cell wall thickness and 1,3-β-glucan content serve significant functions. The investigation revealed that patulin adsorption capability was mainly affected by the three-dimensional network structure of the cell wall composed of 1,3-β-glucan. Finally, patulin adsorption in commercial kiwi fruit juice was investigated, and the results indicated that yeast cells could adsorb patulin from commercial kiwi fruit juice efficiently. This study can potentially simulate in vitro cell walls to enhance patulin adsorption capability and successfully apply to fruit juice industry.

Reduced Self-Diploidization and Improved Survival of Semi-cloned Mice Produced from Androgenetic Haploid Embryonic Stem Cells through Overexpression of Dnmt3b

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenteng He

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Summary: Androgenetic haploid embryonic stem cells (AG-haESCs hold great promise for exploring gene functions and generating gene-edited semi-cloned (SC mice. However, the high incidence of self-diploidization and low efficiency of SC mouse production are major obstacles preventing widespread use of these cells. Moreover, although SC mice generation could be greatly improved by knocking out the differentially methylated regions of two imprinted genes, 50% of the SC mice did not survive into adulthood. Here, we found that the genome-wide DNA methylation level in AG-haESCs is extremely low. Subsequently, downregulation of both de novo methyltransferase Dnmt3b and other methylation-related genes was determined to be responsible for DNA hypomethylation. We further demonstrated that ectopic expression of Dnmt3b in AG-haESCs could effectively improve DNA methylation level, and the high incidence of self-diploidization could be markedly rescued. More importantly, the developmental potential of SC embryos was improved, and most SC mice could survive into adulthood. : Ectopic expression of Dnmt3b could rescue DNA methylation level in repetitive sequences of hypomethylated AG-haESCs, suppress high incidence of self-diploidization, and promote developmental potential of SC embryos, and most SC mice could survive into adulthood. Keywords: androgenetic haploid embryonic stem cells, self-diploidization, semi-cloned mice, DNA methylation, Dnmt3b

Correlating yeast cell stress physiology to changes in the cell surface morphology: atomic force microscopic studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Canetta, Elisabetta; Walker, Graeme M; Adya, Ashok K

2006-07-06

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has emerged as a powerful biophysical tool in biotechnology and medicine to investigate the morphological, physical, and mechanical properties of yeasts and other biological systems. However, properties such as, yeasts' response to environmental stresses, metabolic activities of pathogenic yeasts, cell-cell/cell-substrate adhesion, and cell-flocculation have rarely been investigated so far by using biophysical tools. Our recent results obtained by AFM on one strain each of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe show a clear correlation between the physiology of environmentally stressed yeasts and the changes in their surface morphology. The future directions of the AFM related techniques in relation to yeasts are also discussed.

Assay for mutagenesis in heterozygous diploid human lymphoblasts

Science.gov (United States)

Skopek, Thomas R.; Liber, Howard L.; Penman, Bruce W.; Thilly, William G.; Hoppe, IV, Henry

1981-01-01

An assay is disclosed for determining mutagenic damage caused by the administration of a known or suspected mutagen to diploid human lymphoblastoid cell lines. The gene locus employed for this assay is the gene for thymidine kinase, uridine kinase, or cytidine deaminase. Since human lymphoblastoid cells contain two genes for these enzymes, heterozygotes of human lymphoblastoid cells are used in this assay.

The Yeast Deletion Collection: A Decade of Functional Genomics

Science.gov (United States)

Giaever, Guri; Nislow, Corey

2014-01-01

The yeast deletion collections comprise >21,000 mutant strains that carry precise start-to-stop deletions of ∼6000 open reading frames. This collection includes heterozygous and homozygous diploids, and haploids of both MATa and MATα mating types. The yeast deletion collection, or yeast knockout (YKO) set, represents the first and only complete, systematically constructed deletion collection available for any organism. Conceived during the Saccharomyces cerevisiae sequencing project, work on the project began in 1998 and was completed in 2002. The YKO strains have been used in numerous laboratories in >1000 genome-wide screens. This landmark genome project has inspired development of numerous genome-wide technologies in organisms from yeast to man. Notable spinoff technologies include synthetic genetic array and HIPHOP chemogenomics. In this retrospective, we briefly describe the yeast deletion project and some of its most noteworthy biological contributions and the impact that these collections have had on the yeast research community and on genomics in general. PMID:24939991

Liquid holding recovery kinetics in wild-type and radiosensitive mutants of the yeast Saccharomyces exposed to low- and high-LET radiations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petin, Vladislav G. [Biophysical Laboratory, Medical Radiological Research Center, 249036 Obninsk (Russian Federation); Kim, Jin Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150 Deokjin-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of)]. E-mail: jkkim@kaeri.re.kr

2005-02-15

Three wild-type diploid yeast strains Saccharomyces ellipsoideus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and five radiosensitive mutants of S. cerevisiae in the diploid state were irradiated with {gamma}-rays from {sup 60}Co and {alpha}-particles from {sup 239}Pu in the stationary phase of growth. Survival curves and the kinetics of the liquid holding recovery were measured. It was shown that the irreversible component was enhanced for the densely ionizing radiation in comparison to the low-LET radiation while the probability of the recovery was identical for both the low- and high-LET radiations for all the strains investigated. It means that the recovery process itself is not damaged after densely ionizing radiation and the enhanced RBE of the high-LET radiation may be caused by the increased yield of the irreversible damage. A parent diploid strain and all its radiosensitive mutants showed the same probability for recovery from radiation damage. Thus, the mechanism of the enhanced radiosensitivity of the mutant cells might not be related to the damage of the repair systems themselves but with the production of some kind of radiation damage from which cells are incapable to recover.

Effect of Yeast Cell Morphology, Cell Wall Physical Structure and Chemical Composition on Patulin Adsorption.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Luo

Full Text Available The capability of yeast to adsorb patulin in fruit juice can aid in substantially reducing the patulin toxic effect on human health. This study aimed to investigate the capability of yeast cell morphology and cell wall internal structure and composition to adsorb patulin. To compare different yeast cell morphologies, cell wall internal structure and composition, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and ion chromatography were used. The results indicated that patulin adsorption capability of yeast was influenced by cell surface areas, volume, and cell wall thickness, as well as 1,3-β-glucan content. Among these factors, cell wall thickness and 1,3-β-glucan content serve significant functions. The investigation revealed that patulin adsorption capability was mainly affected by the three-dimensional network structure of the cell wall composed of 1,3-β-glucan. Finally, patulin adsorption in commercial kiwi fruit juice was investigated, and the results indicated that yeast cells could adsorb patulin from commercial kiwi fruit juice efficiently. This study can potentially simulate in vitro cell walls to enhance patulin adsorption capability and successfully apply to fruit juice industry.

Immobilization of microbial cell and yeast cell and its application to biomass conversion using radiation techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaetsu, Isao; Kumakura, Minoru; Fujimura, Takashi; Kasai, Noboru; Tamada, Masao

1987-01-01

The recent results of immobilization of cellulase-producing cells and ethanol-fermentation yeast by radiation were reported. The enzyme of cellulase produced by immobilized cells was used for saccharification of lignocellulosic wastes and immobilized yeast cells were used for fermentation reaction from glucose to ethanol. The wastes such as chaff and bagasse were treated by γ-ray or electron-beam irradiation in the presence of alkali and subsequent mechanical crushing, to form a fine powder less than 50 μm in diameter. On the other hand, Trichoderma reesei as a cellulase-producing microbial cell was immobilized on a fibrous carrier having a specific porous structure and cultured to produce cellulase. The enzymatic saccharification of the pretreated waste was carried out using the produced cellulase. The enhanced fermentation process to produce ethanol from glucose with the immobilized yeast by radiation was also studied. The ethanol productivity of immobilized growing yeast cells thus obtained was thirteen times that of free yeast cells in a 1:1 volume of liquid medium to immobilized yeast cells. (author)

Immobilization of microbial cell and yeast cell and its application to biomass conversion using radiation techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Kaetsu, Isao; Kumakura, Minoru; Fujimura, Takashi; Kasai, Noboru; Tamada, Masao

The recent results of immobilization of cellulase-producing cells and ethanol-fermentation yeast by radiation were reported. The enzyme of cellulase produced by immobilized cells was used for saccharification of lignocellulosic wastes and immobilized yeast cells were used for fermentation reaction from glucose to ethanol. The wastes such as chaff and bagasse were treated by γ-ray or electron-beam irradiation in the presence of alkali and subsequent mechanical crushing, to form a fine powder less than 50 μm in diameter. On the other hand, Trichoderma reesei as a cellulase-producing microbial cell was immobilized on a fibrous carrier having a specific porous structure and cultured to produce cellulase. The enzymatic saccharification of the pretreated waste was carried out using the produced cellulase. The enhanced fermentation process to produce ethanol from glucose with the immobilized yeast by radiation was also studied. The ethanol productivity of immobilized growing yeast cells thus obtained was thirteen times that of free yeast cells in a 1:1 volume of liquid medium to immobilized yeast cells.

Mitotic recombination induced by chemical and physical agents in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, P.J.; Evans, W.E.; Parry, J.M.

1975-01-01

The treatment of diploid cultures of yeast with ultraviolet light (uv), γ-rays, nitrous acid (na) and ethyl methane sulphonate (ems) results in increases in cell death, mitotic gene conversion and crossing-over. Acridine orange (ao) treatment, in contrast, was effective only in increasing the frequency of gene conversion. The individual mutagens were effective in the order uv>na>γ-rays>ao>ems. Prior treatment of yeast cultures in starvation medium produced a significant reduction in the yield of induced gene conversion. The results have been interpreted on the basis of a general model of mitotic gene conversion which involves the post-replication repair of induced lesions involving de novo DNA synthesis without genetic exchange. In contrast mitotic crossing-over appears to involve the action of a repair system independent from excision or post-replication repair which involves genetic exchange between homologous chromosomes

Cell wall trapping of autocrine peptides for human G-protein-coupled receptors on the yeast cell surface.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Ishii

Full Text Available G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs regulate a wide variety of physiological processes and are important pharmaceutical targets for drug discovery. Here, we describe a unique concept based on yeast cell-surface display technology to selectively track eligible peptides with agonistic activity for human GPCRs (Cell Wall Trapping of Autocrine Peptides (CWTrAP strategy. In our strategy, individual recombinant yeast cells are able to report autocrine-positive activity for human GPCRs by expressing a candidate peptide fused to an anchoring motif. Following expression and activation, yeast cells trap autocrine peptides onto their cell walls. Because captured peptides are incapable of diffusion, they have no impact on surrounding yeast cells that express the target human GPCR and non-signaling peptides. Therefore, individual yeast cells can assemble the autonomous signaling complex and allow single-cell screening of a yeast population. Our strategy may be applied to identify eligible peptides with agonistic activity for target human GPCRs.

Development of a liquid-holding technique for the study of DNA-repair in human diploid fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simons, J.W.I.M.

1979-01-01

Liquid-holding conditions can be obtained for human diploid skin fibro-blasts by keeping confluent cultures stationary over periods of 7 days or longer by means of conditioned medium. Under this condition recovery of radiation damage induced by ultraviolet light or X-rays is observed as an increase in cloning efficiency. The amount of recovery when expressed in a dose-modifying-factor appears higher than in bacteria and yeast. The repair-deficient human cell strains XP25Ro and XP7Be (xeroderma pigmentosum from complementation groups A and D respectively) exhibit less but still discernible recovery after UV-irradiation and the same was observed for AT5Bi (ataxia telangiectasia) after X-irradiation. Experiments on mutation induction indicated that the repair which takes place during liquid holding of UV-irradiated XP7Be cells reduces the mutant frequency considerably while after liquid holding of UV-irradiated wild-type cells the same or lower mutant frequencies were found for the lower exposures and the same or higher mutant frequencies for the higher exposures. (Auth.)

Sharing the cell's bounty - organelle inheritance in yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Knoblach, Barbara; Rachubinski, Richard A

2015-02-15

Eukaryotic cells replicate and partition their organelles between the mother cell and the daughter cell at cytokinesis. Polarized cells, notably the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are well suited for the study of organelle inheritance, as they facilitate an experimental dissection of organelle transport and retention processes. Much progress has been made in defining the molecular players involved in organelle partitioning in yeast. Each organelle uses a distinct set of factors - motor, anchor and adaptor proteins - that ensures its inheritance by future generations of cells. We propose that all organelles, regardless of origin or copy number, are partitioned by the same fundamental mechanism involving division and segregation. Thus, the mother cell keeps, and the daughter cell receives, their fair and equitable share of organelles. This mechanism of partitioning moreover facilitates the segregation of organelle fragments that are not functionally equivalent. In this Commentary, we describe how this principle of organelle population control affects peroxisomes and other organelles, and outline its implications for yeast life span and rejuvenation. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Sorption of strontium by magnetically modified yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Yantao; Ji Yanqin; Tian Qing; Shao Xianzhang; Shi Jianhe; Ivo Safarik; Zhang Shengdong; Li Jinying

2008-01-01

Magnetically modified fodder's yeast (Kluyveromyces fragilis) cells using water based magnetic fluid, were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). The sorption-desorption properties of Sr 2+ by these yeast cells from nitrate salt of Sr 2+ were studied. The results demonstrated that the Sr 2+ sorption volume by these cells enhanced with increasing pH and reached a plateau between pH 4.0 and 7.0. A minor effect by temperature was observed. The sorption volumes are 19.5 mg/g and 53.5 mg/g from 10 ppm and 40 ppm Sr 2+ solution respectively within 20 min. The sorption of Sr 2+ in these cells can be desorbed under 0.1 mol/L HNO 3 solution. The maximum Sr 2+ sorption volume is 96.7 mg/g at 20℃. The sorption characteristic fits Langmuir model well with 140.8 mg/g calculated maximum sorption volume by these yeast cells. (authors)

A study on immobilized ethanol yeast cells by radiation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhengkui; Zhang Bosen

1994-01-01

Hydrophilic monomer 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and a series of polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate monomers were copolymerized by radiation technique at low temperature (-78 degree C) and hydrophilic hydrogels were obtained. The immobilization of yeast cells with these copolymer carriers led to a higher ethanol productivity than free cells. Of all copolymer carriers, the ethanol yield with poly (HEA-14 G) was the highest, about 2.45 times as high as that of free yeast cells. In addition, the ethanol productivity of 12 batch repeated reactions with poly (HEA-14G) carrier was all higher than that of free yeast cells. The ethanol productivity of immobilized yeast cells was dependent on the proportion of hydrophilic monomer to other monomers in copolymer systems, the chain length of the bifunctional monomer, the degree of hydration of copolymer carriers, the structure of copolymer carriers and porosity in the internal structure of carriers. The ethanol yield of immobilized cells depended on swelling ability and porosity of copolymer carriers

High power density yeast catalyzed microbial fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ganguli, Rahul

Microbial fuel cells leverage whole cell biocatalysis to convert the energy stored in energy-rich renewable biomolecules such as sugar, directly to electrical energy at high efficiencies. Advantages of the process include ambient temperature operation, operation in natural streams such as wastewater without the need to clean electrodes, minimal balance-of-plant requirements compared to conventional fuel cells, and environmentally friendly operation. These make the technology very attractive as portable power sources and waste-to-energy converters. The principal problem facing the technology is the low power densities compared to other conventional portable power sources such as batteries and traditional fuel cells. In this work we examined the yeast catalyzed microbial fuel cell and developed methods to increase the power density from such fuel cells. A combination of cyclic voltammetry and optical absorption measurements were used to establish significant adsorption of electron mediators by the microbes. Mediator adsorption was demonstrated to be an important limitation in achieving high power densities in yeast-catalyzed microbial fuel cells. Specifically, the power densities are low for the length of time mediator adsorption continues to occur. Once the mediator adsorption stops, the power densities increase. Rotating disk chronoamperometry was used to extract reaction rate information, and a simple kinetic expression was developed for the current observed in the anodic half-cell. Since the rate expression showed that the current was directly related to microbe concentration close to the electrode, methods to increase cell mass attached to the anode was investigated. Electrically biased electrodes were demonstrated to develop biofilm-like layers of the Baker's yeast with a high concentration of cells directly connected to the electrode. The increased cell mass did increase the power density 2 times compared to a non biofilm fuel cell, but the power density

Anhydrobiosis in yeast: cell wall mannoproteins are important for yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistance to dehydration.

Science.gov (United States)

Borovikova, Diana; Teparić, Renata; Mrša, Vladimir; Rapoport, Alexander

2016-08-01

The state of anhydrobiosis is linked with the reversible delay of metabolism as a result of strong dehydration of cells, and is widely distributed in nature. A number of factors responsible for the maintenance of organisms' viability in these conditions have been revealed. This study was directed to understanding how changes in cell wall structure may influence the resistance of yeasts to dehydration-rehydration. Mutants lacking various cell wall mannoproteins were tested to address this issue. It was revealed that mutants lacking proteins belonging to two structurally and functionally unrelated groups (proteins non-covalently attached to the cell wall, and Pir proteins) possessed significantly lower cell resistance to dehydration-rehydration than the mother wild-type strain. At the same time, the absence of the GPI-anchored cell wall protein Ccw12 unexpectedly resulted in an increase of cell resistance to this treatment; this phenomenon is explained by the compensatory synthesis of chitin. The results clearly indicate that the cell wall structure/composition relates to parameters strongly influencing yeast viability during the processes of dehydration-rehydration, and that damage to cell wall proteins during yeast desiccation can be an important factor leading to cell death. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The impact of metabolism on aging and cell size in single yeast cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huberts, Daphne

2015-01-01

The aim of this thesis was to determine how metabolism affects yeast aging in single yeast cells using a novel microfluidic device. We first review how cells are able to sense nutrients in their environment and then describe the use of the microfluidic dissection platform that greatly improves our

Two pathways of DNA double-strand break repair in G1 cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glazunov, A.V.

1988-01-01

The G1 cells of the diploid yeast Saccharomyces cerevislae are known to be capable of a slow repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) during holding the cells in a non-nutrient medium. In the present paper, it has been shown that S. cerevislae cells γ-irradiated in the G1 phase of cell cycle are capable of fast repair of DNA DSB; this process is completed within 30-40 min of holding the cells in water at 28 deg C. For this reason, the kinetics of DNA DSB repair during holding the cells in a non-nutrient medium are biphasic, i.e., the first, ''fast'' phase is completed within 30-40 min; wheras the second, ''slow'' one, within 48 h. Mutations rad51, rad52, rad54 and rad55 inhibit the fast repair of DNA DSB, whereas mutations rad50, rad53 and rad57 do not practically influence this process. It has been shown that the observed fast and slow repair of DNA DSB in the G1 diploid cells of S, cerevislae are separate pathways of DNA DSB repair in yeast

Yeast cell surface display for lipase whole cell catalyst and its applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yun; Zhang, Rui; Lian, Zhongshuai; Wang, Shihui; Wright, Aaron T.

2014-08-01

The cell surface display technique allows for the expression of target proteins or peptides on the microbial cell surface by fusing an appropriate protein as an anchoring motif. Yeast display systems, such as Pichia pastoris, Yarowia lipolytica and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are ideal, alternative and extensive display systems with the advantage of simple genetic manipulation and post-translational modification of expressed heterologous proteins. Engineered yeasts show high performance characteristics and variant utilizations. Herein, we comprehensively summarize the variant factors affecting lipase whole cell catalyst activity and display efficiency, including the structure and size of target proteins, screening anchor proteins, type and chain length of linkers, and the appropriate matching rules among the above-mentioned display units. Furthermore, we also address novel approaches to enhance stability and activity of recombinant lipases, such as VHb gene co-expression, multi-enzyme co-display technique, and the micro-environmental interference and self-assembly techniques. Finally, we represent the variety of applications of whole cell surface displayed lipases on yeast cells in non-aqueous phases, including synthesis of esters, PUFA enrichment, resolution of chiral drugs, organic synthesis and biofuels. We demonstrate that the lipase surface display technique is a powerful tool for functionalizing yeasts to serve as whole cell catalysts, and increasing interest is providing an impetus for broad application of this technique.

Diploid male production in a leaf-cutting ant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Armitage, S.; Boomsma, J.; Baer, Boris

2010-01-01

1. In haplodiploid social insects where males are haploid and females are diploid, inbreeding depression is expressed as the production of diploid males when homozygosity at the sex-determining locus results in the production of diploid individuals with a male phenotype. Diploid males are often a...

Selecting Schizosaccharomyces pombe diploids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ekwall, Karl; Thon, Genevieve

2017-01-01

Here we describe procedures for the selection of diploid Schizosaccharomyces pombe. ade6-M210/ade6-M216 heteroallelic complementation is widely used to select for Ade+ diploids. Such diploids will readily sporulate when starved of nitrogen. For some investigations, stable diploids are preferable (e.......g., for genetic complementation tests), and in these cases mating an h− strain with an h90 mat2-Pi-102 strain can be used to prevent sporulation. When ade6-M210/ade6-M216 mutations impact on, or show synthetic interactions with, the gene of interest, two different auxotrophic markers can be used to select...

Nuclear-Cytoplasmic male-sterility in diploid dandelions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hulst, R.G.M.; Meirmans, P.; van Tienderen, P.H.; Van Damme, J.M.M.

2004-01-01

Male-sterility was found in diploid dandelions from two widely separated populations from France, and its inheritance was analysed by crossing a diploid male-sterile dandelion to diploid sexuals and triploid apomicts. Nuclear genetic variation, found in full-sib families, segregated for

Nuclear-cytoplasmic male-sterility in diploid dandelions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hulst, R.G.M.; Meirmans, P.G.; van Tienderen, P.H.; van Damme, J.M.M.

2004-01-01

Male-sterility was found in diploid dandelions from two widely separated populations from France, and its inheritance was analysed by crossing a diploid male-sterile dandelion to diploid sexuals and triploid apomicts. Nuclear genetic variation, found in full-sib families, segregated for male

Salt stress causes cell wall damage in yeast cells lacking mitochondrial DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Qiuqiang; Liou, Liang-Chun; Ren, Qun; Bao, Xiaoming; Zhang, Zhaojie

2014-03-03

The yeast cell wall plays an important role in maintaining cell morphology, cell integrity and response to environmental stresses. Here, we report that salt stress causes cell wall damage in yeast cells lacking mitochondrial DNA (ρ 0 ). Upon salt treatment, the cell wall is thickened, broken and becomes more sensitive to the cell wall-perturbing agent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Also, SCW11 mRNA levels are elevated in ρ 0 cells. Deletion of SCW11 significantly decreases the sensitivity of ρ 0 cells to SDS after salt treatment, while overexpression of SCW11 results in higher sensitivity. In addition, salt stress in ρ 0 cells induces high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which further damages the cell wall, causing cells to become more sensitive towards the cell wall-perturbing agent.

Induction of ploidy level increments in an asporogenous industrial strain of the yeast Saccaromyces cerevisiae by UV irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Takashi

1992-01-01

Cells of an asporogenous industrial strain of the yeast Saccaromyces cerevisiae were irradiated with UV light by using a method that was developed previously. This treatment gave rise to large-cell clones among the surviving cells, from which colonies consisting of cells with a normal morphology and a prototropic property were obtained. The large-cell trait of these was stably inheritable, with the cell volumes being about twice that of the parent for 7 years on a slant agar medium at 4C with repeated transfers. The cellular DNA content of these clones, in comparison to those of two authentic haploid strains, was determined by chemical analysis. The ratio of the DNA contents showed that the parent and its large-cell derivatives were a diploid and tetraploids, respectively. No abnormality was found in the chromosomal DNA patterns of the large-cell clones, at least as determined by agarose gel electrophoresis with a CHEF-DR II pulsed-field electrophoresis system. These findings led to the conclusion that the UV light method is applicable for inducing ploidy level increments in the widely used yeast species S. cerevisiae

Toxicity of Aromatic Ketone to Yeast Cell and Improvement of the Asymmetric Reduction of Aromatic Ketone Catalyzed by Yeast Cell with the Introduction of Resin Adsorption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhong-Hua Yang

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Asymmetric reduction of the prochiral aromatic ketone catalyzed by yeast cells is one of the most promising routes to produce its corresponding enantiopure aromatic alcohol, but the space-time yield does not meet people’s expectations. Therefore, the toxicity of aromatic ketone and aromatic alcohol to the yeast cell is investigated in this work. It has been found that the aromatic compounds are poisonous to the yeast cell. The activity of yeast cell decreases steeply when the concentration of acetophenone (ACP is higher than 30.0 mmol/L. Asymmetric reduction of acetophenone to chiral S-α-phenylethyl alcohol (PEA catalyzed by the yeast cell was chosen as the model reaction to study in detail the promotion effect of the introduction of the resin adsorption on the asymmetric reduction reaction. The resin acts as the substrate reservoir and product extraction agent in situ. It has been shown that this reaction could be remarkably improved with this technique when the appropriate kind of resin is applied. The enantioselectivity and yield are acceptable even though the initial ACP concentration reaches 72.2 mmol/L.

Single-particle tracking of quantum dot-conjugated prion proteins inside yeast cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuji, Toshikazu; Kawai-Noma, Shigeko [Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B56, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501 (Japan); Pack, Chan-Gi [Cellular Informatics Laboratory, RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Terajima, Hideki [Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B56, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501 (Japan); Yajima, Junichiro; Nishizaka, Takayuki [Department of Physics, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588 (Japan); Kinjo, Masataka [Laboratory of Molecular Cell Dynamics, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021 (Japan); Taguchi, Hideki, E-mail: taguchi@bio.titech.ac.jp [Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B56, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501 (Japan)

2011-02-25

Research highlights: {yields} We develop a method to track a quantum dot-conjugated protein in yeast cells. {yields} We incorporate the conjugated quantum dot proteins into yeast spheroplasts. {yields} We track the motions by conventional or 3D tracking microscopy. -- Abstract: Yeast is a model eukaryote with a variety of biological resources. Here we developed a method to track a quantum dot (QD)-conjugated protein in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We chemically conjugated QDs with the yeast prion Sup35, incorporated them into yeast spheroplasts, and tracked the motions by conventional two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking microscopy. The method paves the way toward the individual tracking of proteins of interest inside living yeast cells.

Single-particle tracking of quantum dot-conjugated prion proteins inside yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, Toshikazu; Kawai-Noma, Shigeko; Pack, Chan-Gi; Terajima, Hideki; Yajima, Junichiro; Nishizaka, Takayuki; Kinjo, Masataka; Taguchi, Hideki

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → We develop a method to track a quantum dot-conjugated protein in yeast cells. → We incorporate the conjugated quantum dot proteins into yeast spheroplasts. → We track the motions by conventional or 3D tracking microscopy. -- Abstract: Yeast is a model eukaryote with a variety of biological resources. Here we developed a method to track a quantum dot (QD)-conjugated protein in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We chemically conjugated QDs with the yeast prion Sup35, incorporated them into yeast spheroplasts, and tracked the motions by conventional two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking microscopy. The method paves the way toward the individual tracking of proteins of interest inside living yeast cells.

Apoptosis-like yeast cell death in response to DNA damage and replication defects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burhans, William C.; Weinberger, Martin; Marchetti, Maria A.; Ramachandran, Lakshmi; D' Urso, Gennaro; Huberman, Joel A

2003-11-27

In budding (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fission (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) yeast and other unicellular organisms, DNA damage and other stimuli can induce cell death resembling apoptosis in metazoans, including the activation of a recently discovered caspase-like molecule in budding yeast. Induction of apoptotic-like cell death in yeasts requires homologues of cell cycle checkpoint proteins that are often required for apoptosis in metazoan cells. Here, we summarize these findings and our unpublished results which show that an important component of metazoan apoptosis recently detected in budding yeast - reactive oxygen species (ROS) - can also be detected in fission yeast undergoing an apoptotic-like cell death. ROS were detected in fission and budding yeast cells bearing conditional mutations in genes encoding DNA replication initiation proteins and in fission yeast cells with mutations that deregulate cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). These mutations may cause DNA damage by permitting entry of cells into S phase with a reduced number of replication forks and/or passage through mitosis with incompletely replicated chromosomes. This may be relevant to the frequent requirement for elevated CDK activity in mammalian apoptosis, and to the recent discovery that the initiation protein Cdc6 is destroyed during apoptosis in mammals and in budding yeast cells exposed to lethal levels of DNA damage. Our data indicate that connections between apoptosis-like cell death and DNA replication or CDK activity are complex. Some apoptosis-like pathways require checkpoint proteins, others are inhibited by them, and others are independent of them. This complexity resembles that of apoptotic pathways in mammalian cells, which are frequently deregulated in cancer. The greater genetic tractability of yeasts should help to delineate these complex pathways and their relationships to cancer and to the effects of apoptosis-inducing drugs that inhibit DNA replication.

Apoptosis-like yeast cell death in response to DNA damage and replication defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burhans, William C.; Weinberger, Martin; Marchetti, Maria A.; Ramachandran, Lakshmi; D'Urso, Gennaro; Huberman, Joel A.

2003-01-01

In budding (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fission (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) yeast and other unicellular organisms, DNA damage and other stimuli can induce cell death resembling apoptosis in metazoans, including the activation of a recently discovered caspase-like molecule in budding yeast. Induction of apoptotic-like cell death in yeasts requires homologues of cell cycle checkpoint proteins that are often required for apoptosis in metazoan cells. Here, we summarize these findings and our unpublished results which show that an important component of metazoan apoptosis recently detected in budding yeast - reactive oxygen species (ROS) - can also be detected in fission yeast undergoing an apoptotic-like cell death. ROS were detected in fission and budding yeast cells bearing conditional mutations in genes encoding DNA replication initiation proteins and in fission yeast cells with mutations that deregulate cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). These mutations may cause DNA damage by permitting entry of cells into S phase with a reduced number of replication forks and/or passage through mitosis with incompletely replicated chromosomes. This may be relevant to the frequent requirement for elevated CDK activity in mammalian apoptosis, and to the recent discovery that the initiation protein Cdc6 is destroyed during apoptosis in mammals and in budding yeast cells exposed to lethal levels of DNA damage. Our data indicate that connections between apoptosis-like cell death and DNA replication or CDK activity are complex. Some apoptosis-like pathways require checkpoint proteins, others are inhibited by them, and others are independent of them. This complexity resembles that of apoptotic pathways in mammalian cells, which are frequently deregulated in cancer. The greater genetic tractability of yeasts should help to delineate these complex pathways and their relationships to cancer and to the effects of apoptosis-inducing drugs that inhibit DNA replication

Construction of the yeast whole-cell Rhizopus oryzae lipase biocatalyst with high activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mei-ling; Guo, Qin; Wang, Rui-zhi; Xu, Juan; Zhou, Chen-wei; Ruan, Hui; He, Guo-qing

2011-07-01

Surface display is effectively utilized to construct a whole-cell biocatalyst. Codon optimization has been proven to be effective in maximizing production of heterologous proteins in yeast. Here, the cDNA sequence of Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) was optimized and synthesized according to the codon bias of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and based on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell surface display system with α-agglutinin as an anchor, recombinant yeast displaying fully codon-optimized ROL with high activity was successfully constructed. Compared with the wild-type ROL-displaying yeast, the activity of the codon-optimized ROL yeast whole-cell biocatalyst (25 U/g dried cells) was 12.8-fold higher in a hydrolysis reaction using p-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) as the substrate. To our knowledge, this was the first attempt to combine the techniques of yeast surface display and codon optimization for whole-cell biocatalyst construction. Consequently, the yeast whole-cell ROL biocatalyst was constructed with high activity. The optimum pH and temperature for the yeast whole-cell ROL biocatalyst were pH 7.0 and 40 °C. Furthermore, this whole-cell biocatalyst was applied to the hydrolysis of tributyrin and the resulted conversion of butyric acid reached 96.91% after 144 h.

Hydrothermal decomposition of yeast cells for production of proteins and amino acids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lamoolphak, Wiwat [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Goto, Motonobu [Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 850-8555 (Japan); Sasaki, Mitsuru [Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 850-8555 (Japan); Suphantharika, Manop [Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand); Muangnapoh, Chirakarn [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Prommuag, Chattip [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Shotipruk, Artiwan [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand)]. E-mail: artiwan.s@chula.ac.th

2006-10-11

This study examines hydrothermal decomposition of Baker's yeast cells, used as a model for spent Brewer's yeast waste, into protein and amino acids. The reaction was carried out in a closed batch reactor at various temperatures between 100 and 250 deg. C. The reaction products were separated into water-soluble and solid residue. The results demonstrated that the amount of yeast residue decreased with increasing hydrolysis temperature. After 20 min reaction in water at 250 deg. C, 78% of yeast was decomposed. The highest amount of protein produced was also obtained at this condition and was found to be 0.16 mg/mg dry yeast. The highest amount of amino acids (0.063 mg/mg dry yeast) was found at the lowest temperature tested after 15 min. The hydrolysis product obtained at 200 deg. C was tested as a nutrient source for yeast growth. The growth of yeast cells in the culture medium containing 2 w/v% of this product was comparable to that of the cells grown in the medium containing commercial yeast extract at the same concentration. These results demonstrated the feasibility of using subcritical water to potentially decompose proteinaceous waste such as spent Brewer's yeast while recovering more useful products.

Hydrothermal decomposition of yeast cells for production of proteins and amino acids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamoolphak, Wiwat; Goto, Motonobu; Sasaki, Mitsuru; Suphantharika, Manop; Muangnapoh, Chirakarn; Prommuag, Chattip; Shotipruk, Artiwan

2006-01-01

This study examines hydrothermal decomposition of Baker's yeast cells, used as a model for spent Brewer's yeast waste, into protein and amino acids. The reaction was carried out in a closed batch reactor at various temperatures between 100 and 250 deg. C. The reaction products were separated into water-soluble and solid residue. The results demonstrated that the amount of yeast residue decreased with increasing hydrolysis temperature. After 20 min reaction in water at 250 deg. C, 78% of yeast was decomposed. The highest amount of protein produced was also obtained at this condition and was found to be 0.16 mg/mg dry yeast. The highest amount of amino acids (0.063 mg/mg dry yeast) was found at the lowest temperature tested after 15 min. The hydrolysis product obtained at 200 deg. C was tested as a nutrient source for yeast growth. The growth of yeast cells in the culture medium containing 2 w/v% of this product was comparable to that of the cells grown in the medium containing commercial yeast extract at the same concentration. These results demonstrated the feasibility of using subcritical water to potentially decompose proteinaceous waste such as spent Brewer's yeast while recovering more useful products

Effects of Antioxidants and Vitamins on the Proliferation of Human Diploid Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaziza Dаnlybaeva

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Microelements, essential nutrients that are needed in small amounts including minerals such as calcium, zinc, iron and other vitamins (A, B, C, and etc., are macronutrients necessary for a healthy life. The role of micronutrients in vivo is well known, and there are several publications that have examined the effects of micronutrients on genomic stability. Furthermore, a number of vitamins and microelements are substrates and/or cofactors in metabolic pathways, which regulate DNA synthesis and/or repair and gene expression. A deficiency in such nutrients may result in disruption of genomic integrity and alterations in DNA methylation patterns, linking cellular nutrition with change in gene expression. For example, lack of vitamin C is known to cause increased DNA oxidation and chromosomal damage. Vitamin A, as well as other micronutrients, have a protective effect, whereas higher concentrations are associated with increased DNA damage. Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10 and dihydroquercetin are used in therapy as antioxidant compounds and electron carriers, which reduce lipid peroxidation of cell membranes. However, previous studies indicate that various ubiquinone analogs may cause a divergent effect on oxidative stress and oxidative phosphorylation. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of vitamins A and C, coenzyme Q10, and dihydroquercetin on the proliferative potential of cultured human embryonic diploid fibroblasts (M-22. Methods: In the first series of experiments, nontoxic concentrations of vitamins for the cells were identified using MTT assay. Results: Vitamins A and C, dihydroquercetin of 1µM, and coenzyme Q10 of 5µM were nontoxic for human skin fibroblasts. In the second series of experiments, cell cultivation was carried out with nontoxic concentrations. A vitamin C concentration of 1µM for 7 consecutive passages increased the proliferation index (PI compared to the control. Thus, the average PI in the

Yeast CUP1 protects HeLa cells against copper-induced stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, X.X. [Department of Animal Sciences, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Shanghai (China); College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou (China); Ma, Y.F.; Wang, Q.S.; Chen, Z.L.; Liao, R.R.; Pan, Y.C. [Department of Animal Sciences, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Shanghai (China)

2015-06-12

As an essential trace element, copper can be toxic in mammalian cells when present in excess. Metallothioneins (MTs) are small, cysteine-rich proteins that avidly bind copper and thus play an important role in detoxification. YeastCUP1 is a member of the MT gene family. The aim of this study was to determine whether yeast CUP1 could bind copper effectively and protect cells against copper stress. In this study,CUP1 expression was determined by quantitative real-time PCR, and copper content was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated using the 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay. Cellular viability was detected using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and the cell cycle distribution of CUP1 was analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The data indicated that overexpression of yeast CUP1 in HeLa cells played a protective role against copper-induced stress, leading to increased cellular viability (P<0.05) and decreased ROS production (P<0.05). It was also observed that overexpression of yeast CUP1 reduced the percentage of G1 cells and increased the percentage of S cells, which suggested that it contributed to cell viability. We found that overexpression of yeast CUP1 protected HeLa cells against copper stress. These results offer useful data to elucidate the mechanism of the MT gene on copper metabolism in mammalian cells.

Cell wall staining with Trypan blue enables quantitative analysis of morphological changes in yeast cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liesche, Johannes; Marek, Magdalena; Günther-Pomorski, Thomas

2015-01-01

staining with fluorescent dyes is a valuable tool. Furthermore, cell wall staining is used to facilitate sub-cellular localization experiments with fluorescently-labeled proteins and the detection of yeast cells in non-fungal host tissues. Here, we report staining of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall......Yeast cells are protected by a cell wall that plays an important role in the exchange of substances with the environment. The cell wall structure is dynamic and can adapt to different physiological states or environmental conditions. For the investigation of morphological changes, selective...... with Trypan Blue, which emits strong red fluorescence upon binding to chitin and yeast glucan; thereby, it facilitates cell wall analysis by confocal and super-resolution microscopy. The staining pattern of Trypan Blue was similar to that of the widely used UV-excitable, blue fluorescent cell wall stain...

Immobilization of yeast cells with ionic hydrogel produced by radiation polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Zhaoxin; Fujimura, T.

1990-01-01

The mixture of an ionic monomer of 2-acrylamido 2-methylpropane-sulfonic acid and a series of polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate monomer were polymerized at-78 deg C with 60 Co γ-rays and were used for immobilization of yeast cells. The immobilized yeast cells with these carriers had higher ethanol productivity than that without any carriers. The yield of ethanol with poly TBAS-14G carrier was the highest, and increased by 3.5 times compared with the free yeast cells. It was found that the ethanol yield increased with the increase of the glycol number in polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The state of the immobilized cells was observed with microscope and it was found that the difference in the ethanol productivity was mainly due to the difference in the internal structure and the properties of polymer carrier. It was considered that the polymer carrier had a proper hydrophilicity, swelling ability, cation in the surface and porousity in the internal structure for immobilizing yeast cells

A Predictive Model for Yeast Cell Polarization in Pheromone Gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Nicolas; Piel, Matthieu; Calvez, Vincent; Voituriez, Raphaël; Gonçalves-Sá, Joana; Guo, Chin-Lin; Jiang, Xingyu; Murray, Andrew; Meunier, Nicolas

2016-04-01

Budding yeast cells exist in two mating types, a and α, which use peptide pheromones to communicate with each other during mating. Mating depends on the ability of cells to polarize up pheromone gradients, but cells also respond to spatially uniform fields of pheromone by polarizing along a single axis. We used quantitative measurements of the response of a cells to α-factor to produce a predictive model of yeast polarization towards a pheromone gradient. We found that cells make a sharp transition between budding cycles and mating induced polarization and that they detect pheromone gradients accurately only over a narrow range of pheromone concentrations corresponding to this transition. We fit all the parameters of the mathematical model by using quantitative data on spontaneous polarization in uniform pheromone concentration. Once these parameters have been computed, and without any further fit, our model quantitatively predicts the yeast cell response to pheromone gradient providing an important step toward understanding how cells communicate with each other.

Computer simulation of arising of diploid genomes

Science.gov (United States)

Tretyakov, Victor S.; Tretyakov, Nikolay P.

2008-07-01

The haploid-diploid cycle where, under unfavorable conditions the population becomes diploid, is modeled by a Monte-Carlo method in the framework of the Jan-Stauffer-Moseley hypothesis. Diploidy and sex may have first arisen as a way to escape death, when a simple unicellular individual is threatened by too many deleterious mutations. Using a bit string model, we find that in a system where competition is present (through the Verhulst factor), diploids dominate. In this case the transition from haploid to essentially diploid population takes place in a short time interval reminiscent of phase transitions in physical systems.

Genomewide identification of pheromone-targeted transcription in fission yeast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wright Anthony

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Fission yeast cells undergo sexual differentiation in response to nitrogen starvation. In this process haploid M and P cells first mate to form diploid zygotes, which then enter meiosis and sporulate. Prior to mating, M and P cells communicate with diffusible mating pheromones that activate a signal transduction pathway in the opposite cell type. The pheromone signalling orchestrates mating and is also required for entry into meiosis. Results Here we use DNA microarrays to identify genes that are induced by M-factor in P cells and by P-factor in M-cells. The use of a cyr1 genetic background allowed us to study pheromone signalling independently of nitrogen starvation. We identified a total of 163 genes that were consistently induced more than two-fold by pheromone stimulation. Gene disruption experiments demonstrated the involvement of newly discovered pheromone-induced genes in the differentiation process. We have mapped Gene Ontology (GO categories specifically associated with pheromone induction. A direct comparison of the M- and P-factor induced expression pattern allowed us to identify cell-type specific transcripts, including three new M-specific genes and one new P-specific gene. Conclusion We found that the pheromone response was very similar in M and P cells. Surprisingly, pheromone control extended to genes fulfilling their function well beyond the point of entry into meiosis, including numerous genes required for meiotic recombination. Our results suggest that the Ste11 transcription factor is responsible for the majority of pheromone-induced transcription. Finally, most cell-type specific genes now appear to be identified in fission yeast.

Yeast cell differentiation: Lessons from pathogenic and non-pathogenic yeasts

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pálková, Z.; Váchová, Libuše

2016-01-01

Roč. 57, SEP (2016), s. 110-119 ISSN 1084-9521 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-08605S; GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0109 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : Pathogenic yeasts * Biofilms and colonies * Cell differentiation Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 6.614, year: 2016

Effects of gamma radiation on Sporothrix schenckii yeast cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lacerda, Camila M. de Sousa; Martins, Estefania Mara Nascimento; Andrade, Antero S.R. [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)], e-mail: cmsl@cdtn.br, e-mail: estefaniabio@yahoo.com.br, e-mail: antero@cdtn.br; Resende, Maria Aparecida de [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Dept. de Microbiologia], e-mail: maressend@mono.icb.ufmg.br

2009-07-01

Sporotrichosis is a subacute or chronic infection caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii. Zoonotic transmission can occur after scratches or bites of animals, mainly cats, rodents, and armadillos. Up to the moment, no approved vaccine was reported for S. schenckii or to any important pathogenic fungi infection in humans, indicating the need to expand the research in this field and to explore new alternatives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of gamma radiation in the viability, metabolic activity and reproductive ability of S. schenckii yeast cells for further studies on the development of a vaccine for immunization of cats and dogs. The culture of S. schenckii, in solid medium, was irradiated at doses ranging from 1.0 to 9.0 kGy. After each dose the reproductive capacity, viability and protein synthesis were estimated. The results showed that a reduction of 6 log{sub 10} cycles in the number of colonies was achieved at 6.0 kGy and after 8.0 kGy no colonies could be recovered. The viability analysis indicated that yeast cells remained viable up to 9.0 kGy. The results of protein synthesis analysis showed that the yeast cells, irradiated up to 9.0 kGy, were able to synthesize proteins. Our preliminary results indicated that for the yeast cells of S. schenckii, it is possible to find an absorbed dose in which the pathogen loses its reproductive ability, while retaining its viability, a necessary condition for the development of a radioattenuated yeast vaccine. (author)

Effects of gamma radiation on Sporothrix schenckii yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacerda, Camila M. de Sousa; Martins, Estefania Mara Nascimento; Andrade, Antero S.R.; Resende, Maria Aparecida de

2009-01-01

Sporotrichosis is a subacute or chronic infection caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii. Zoonotic transmission can occur after scratches or bites of animals, mainly cats, rodents, and armadillos. Up to the moment, no approved vaccine was reported for S. schenckii or to any important pathogenic fungi infection in humans, indicating the need to expand the research in this field and to explore new alternatives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of gamma radiation in the viability, metabolic activity and reproductive ability of S. schenckii yeast cells for further studies on the development of a vaccine for immunization of cats and dogs. The culture of S. schenckii, in solid medium, was irradiated at doses ranging from 1.0 to 9.0 kGy. After each dose the reproductive capacity, viability and protein synthesis were estimated. The results showed that a reduction of 6 log 10 cycles in the number of colonies was achieved at 6.0 kGy and after 8.0 kGy no colonies could be recovered. The viability analysis indicated that yeast cells remained viable up to 9.0 kGy. The results of protein synthesis analysis showed that the yeast cells, irradiated up to 9.0 kGy, were able to synthesize proteins. Our preliminary results indicated that for the yeast cells of S. schenckii, it is possible to find an absorbed dose in which the pathogen loses its reproductive ability, while retaining its viability, a necessary condition for the development of a radioattenuated yeast vaccine. (author)

Cell-surface display of enzymes by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for synthetic biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Tsutomu; Kondo, Akihiko

2015-02-01

In yeast cell-surface displays, functional proteins, such as cellulases, are genetically fused to an anchor protein and expressed on the cell surface. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is often utilized as a cell factory for the production of fuels, chemicals, and proteins, is the most commonly used yeast for cell-surface display. To construct yeast cells with a desired function, such as the ability to utilize cellulose as a substrate for bioethanol production, cell-surface display techniques for the efficient expression of enzymes on the cell membrane need to be combined with metabolic engineering approaches for manipulating target pathways within cells. In this Minireview, we summarize the recent progress of biorefinery fields in the development and application of yeast cell-surface displays from a synthetic biology perspective and discuss approaches for further enhancing cell-surface display efficiency. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permission@oup.com.

Yeast modulation of human dendritic cell cytokine secretion: an in vitro study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ida M Smith

Full Text Available Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. The concept of individual microorganisms influencing the makeup of T cell subsets via interactions with intestinal dendritic cells (DCs appears to constitute the foundation for immunoregulatory effects of probiotics, and several studies have reported probiotic strains resulting in reduction of intestinal inflammation through modulation of DC function. Consequent to a focus on Saccharomyces boulardii as the fundamental probiotic yeast, very little is known about hundreds of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in terms of their interaction with the human gastrointestinal immune system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate 170 yeast strains representing 75 diverse species for modulation of inflammatory cytokine secretion by human DCs in vitro, as compared to cytokine responses induced by a S. boulardii reference strain with probiotic properties documented in clinical trials. Furthermore, we investigated whether cytokine inducing interactions between yeasts and human DCs are dependent upon yeast viability or rather a product of membrane interactions regardless of yeast metabolic function. We demonstrate high diversity in yeast induced cytokine profiles and employ multivariate data analysis to reveal distinct clustering of yeasts inducing similar cytokine profiles in DCs, highlighting clear species distinction within specific yeast genera. The observed differences in induced DC cytokine profiles add to the currently very limited knowledge of the cross-talk between yeasts and human immune cells and provide a foundation for selecting yeast strains for further characterization and development toward potentially novel yeast probiotics. Additionally, we present data to support a hypothesis that the interaction between yeasts and human DCs does not solely depend on yeast viability, a concept which may suggest a need for further classifications

Yeast Modulation of Human Dendritic Cell Cytokine Secretion: An In Vitro Study

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Ida M.; Christensen, Jeffrey E.; Arneborg, Nils; Jespersen, Lene

2014-01-01

Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. The concept of individual microorganisms influencing the makeup of T cell subsets via interactions with intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) appears to constitute the foundation for immunoregulatory effects of probiotics, and several studies have reported probiotic strains resulting in reduction of intestinal inflammation through modulation of DC function. Consequent to a focus on Saccharomyces boulardii as the fundamental probiotic yeast, very little is known about hundreds of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in terms of their interaction with the human gastrointestinal immune system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate 170 yeast strains representing 75 diverse species for modulation of inflammatory cytokine secretion by human DCs in vitro, as compared to cytokine responses induced by a S. boulardii reference strain with probiotic properties documented in clinical trials. Furthermore, we investigated whether cytokine inducing interactions between yeasts and human DCs are dependent upon yeast viability or rather a product of membrane interactions regardless of yeast metabolic function. We demonstrate high diversity in yeast induced cytokine profiles and employ multivariate data analysis to reveal distinct clustering of yeasts inducing similar cytokine profiles in DCs, highlighting clear species distinction within specific yeast genera. The observed differences in induced DC cytokine profiles add to the currently very limited knowledge of the cross-talk between yeasts and human immune cells and provide a foundation for selecting yeast strains for further characterization and development toward potentially novel yeast probiotics. Additionally, we present data to support a hypothesis that the interaction between yeasts and human DCs does not solely depend on yeast viability, a concept which may suggest a need for further classifications beyond the current

The role of mitochondria in yeast programmed cell death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guaragnella, Nicoletta; Ždralević, Maša; Antonacci, Lucia; Passarella, Salvatore; Marra, Ersilia; Giannattasio, Sergio

2012-01-01

Mammalian apoptosis and yeast programmed cell death (PCD) share a variety of features including reactive oxygen species production, protease activity and a major role played by mitochondria. In view of this, and of the distinctive characteristics differentiating yeast and multicellular organism PCD, the mitochondrial contribution to cell death in the genetically tractable yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been intensively investigated. In this mini-review we report whether and how yeast mitochondrial function and proteins belonging to oxidative phosphorylation, protein trafficking into and out of mitochondria, and mitochondrial dynamics, play a role in PCD. Since in PCD many processes take place over time, emphasis will be placed on an experimental model based on acetic acid-induced PCD (AA-PCD) which has the unique feature of having been investigated as a function of time. As will be described there are at least two AA-PCD pathways each with a multifaceted role played by mitochondrial components, in particular by cytochrome c.

Methods for Synchronization and Analysis of the Budding Yeast Cell Cycle.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosebrock, Adam P

2017-01-03

Like other eukaryotes, budding yeast temporally separate cell growth and division. DNA synthesis is distinct from chromosome segregation. Storage carbohydrates are accumulated slowly and then rapidly liquidated once per cycle. Cyclin-dependent kinase associates with multiple different transcriptionally and posttranslationally regulated cyclins to drive the cell cycle. These and other crucial events of cellular growth and division are limited to narrow windows of the cell cycle. Many experiments in the yeast laboratory treat a culture of cells as a homogeneous mixture. Measurements of asynchronous cultures are, however, confounded by the presence of cells in various cell cycle stages; measuring a population average in unsynchronized cells provides at best a decreased signal and at worst an artifactual result. A number of experimentally tractable methods have been developed to generate populations of yeast cells that are synchronized with respect to cell cycle phase. Robust methods for determining cell cycle position have also been developed. These methods are introduced here. © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Binding kinetics of magnetic nanoparticles on latex beads and yeast cells studied by magnetorelaxometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberbeck, Dietmar; Bergemann, Christian; Hartwig, Stefan; Steinhoff, Uwe; Trahms, Lutz

2005-01-01

The ion exchange mediated binding of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) to modified latex spheres and yeast cells was quantified using magnetorelaxometry. By fitting subsequently recorded relaxation curves, the kinetics of the binding reactions was extracted. The signal of MNP with weak ion exchanger groups bound to latex and yeast cells scales linearly with the concentration of latex beads or yeast cells whereas that of MNP with strong ion exchanger groups is proportional to the square root of concentration. The binding of the latter leads to a much stronger aggregation of yeast cells than the former MNP

Characteristics of the distant effect of γ-irradiation of seeds for diploid and poliploid plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olimpienko, G.S.; Pavlova, N.A.; Lebedeva, O.N.; Nikolaevskaya, T.S.; Tikhonov, P.V.

1995-01-01

In comparative radiobiological and cytogenetic study of three species of grasses (Festuca pratensis Huds., 2x=14, Dactylis glomerata L., 2x=28. Festuca rubra L., 2x=42) it was found that the distant cytogenetic effects of γ-irradiation of seeds were different in diploids and polyploids. The rate of abberant cells was higher in poliploids. The latter is connected with delay of cell division that is unequally expressed for diploids and polyploids. We suggest that cytogenetic effects dependency on division delay and interphase death of cells is spreaded to more than one generation. 7 refs.; 2 figs.; 3 tabs

A study of ethanol production of yeast cells immobilized with polymer carrier produced by radiation polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Zhaoxin; Fujimura, Takashi

1993-01-01

Polymer carriers, poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate(HEA)-methoxy polyethylene glycol methylacrylate (M-23G)) and poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate(HEA)-glycidyl methylacrylate (GMA)) used for the immobilization of yeast cells were prepared by radiation polymerization at low temperature. Yeast cells were immobilized through adhesion and multiplication of yeast cells. The ethanol productivity of immobilized yeast cells with these carriers was related to the monomer composition of polymers and the optimum monomer composition was 20%:10% in poly(HEA-M-23G) and 17%:6% in poly(HEA-GMA). In this case, the ethanol productivity of immobilized yeast cells was about 4 times that of cells in free system. The relationship between the activity of immobilized yeast cells and the water content of the polymer carrier were also discussed. (author)

Possibility for simultaneous electricity generation and bioremediation by using Candida melibiosica yeast in biofuel cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hubenova, Yolina; Georgiev, Danail; Mitov, Mario

2013-01-01

Recently, we have proved that Candida melibiosica 2491 yeast strain possesses electrogenic properties and could be used as a biocatalyst in yeast-based biofuel cells. In this paper we demonstrate that when the yeast is cultivated under polarization conditions in a biofuel cell its phytase activity exceeds that obtained during cultivation in a conventional bioreactor. Furthermore, there is a correlation between the yeast phytase activity and the electrical characteristic of the biofuel cell during the different yeast growth phases. The obtained results reveal a possibility for application of C.melibiosica for simultaneous electricity generation and bioremediation of hardly degradable polyphosphates, especially in the regions with intensive stock-farming. Keywords: Biofuel cells, yeast, Candida melibiosica, electricity generation, bioremediation

A high-throughput method for quantifying metabolically active yeast cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nandy, Subir Kumar; Knudsen, Peter Boldsen; Rosenkjær, Alexander

2015-01-01

By redesigning the established methylene blue reduction test for bacteria and yeast, we present a cheap and efficient methodology for quantitative physiology of eukaryotic cells applicable for high-throughput systems. Validation of themethod in fermenters and highthroughput systems proved....... The drop in metabolic activity associated with the diauxic shift in yeast proved more pronounced for the MBRT-derived curve compared with OD curves, consistent with a dramatic shift in the ratio between live and dead cells at this metabolic event. This method provides a tool with numerous applications, e.......g. characterizing the death phase of stationary phase cultures, or in drug screens with pathogenic yeasts....

Adhesion of yeast cells on surface of polymers produced by radiation polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Zhaoxin; Takehisa, Masaaki; Xie Zongchuan.

1995-01-01

The adhesion of yeast (Saccharomyces formesences) cells on polymers was studied thermodynamically. The polymers were laminally prepared by means of radiation polymerization. By measuring contact angles, we calculated dispersion component and polar component of surface free energy of the polymers and the cells, and interfacial free energy between the polymer and the cells. Then interfacial free energy change of the cell adhesion to surface of the polymer was evaluated. The adhesion behavior of yeast cells on the polymers was observed by optical microscope. From above results, we conclude that the initial adhesion of the cells is related to the surface free energy of the polymer, but the irreversible adhesion may be close to the polar component in surface free energy. The high polar component is favourable the irreversible adhesion of yeast cells. (author)

Structural specificity in the lethal and mutagenic activity of furocoumarins in yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Averbeck, D.; Chandra, P.; Biswas, R.K.; Gesellschaft fuer Strahlen- und Umweltforschung m.b.H., Frankfurt am Main

1975-01-01

Using monofunctional (Angelicin) and bifunctional furocoumarins (Psoralen and 8 Methoxypsoralen) plus 365 nm light it is shown that both kinds of damage, the induced monoadducts and/or crosslinks in DNA, provoke lethal and mutagenic effects in haploid and diploid cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Bifunctional furocoumarins are about 20 times more effective in cell killing than Angelicin. Diploid cells are always more resistant than haploid cells. Dark repair (agar holding) increases survival. This effect can be at least in part correlated to the release of bound material from DNA in dark repair conditions. Bifunctional psoralens (10 μg/ml) are at least 10-fold more effective in inducing nuclear gene back mutations (his - to HIS + ) than Angelicin (10 μg/ml) plus 365 nm light or 254 nm ultraviolet light. In contrast cytoplasmic 'petite' (rho-) mutations are about as frequently induced by Angelicin plus 365 nm light as by 254 nm UV light. Bifunctional furocoumarins are less effective. The frequency of cytoplasmic 'petite' mutations per survivors decreases during dark repair conditions more efficiently after Angelicin than after Psoralen plus 365 nm light treatment. (orig.) [de

Fixation Probability in a Haploid-Diploid Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Bessho, Kazuhiro; Otto, Sarah P

2017-01-01

Classical population genetic theory generally assumes either a fully haploid or fully diploid life cycle. However, many organisms exhibit more complex life cycles, with both free-living haploid and diploid stages. Here we ask what the probability of fixation is for selected alleles in organisms with haploid-diploid life cycles. We develop a genetic model that considers the population dynamics using both the Moran model and Wright-Fisher model. Applying a branching process approximation, we obtain an accurate fixation probability assuming that the population is large and the net effect of the mutation is beneficial. We also find the diffusion approximation for the fixation probability, which is accurate even in small populations and for deleterious alleles, as long as selection is weak. These fixation probabilities from branching process and diffusion approximations are similar when selection is weak for beneficial mutations that are not fully recessive. In many cases, particularly when one phase predominates, the fixation probability differs substantially for haploid-diploid organisms compared to either fully haploid or diploid species. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

Warburg effect and translocation-induced genomic instability: two yeast models for cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosato, Valentina; Grüning, Nana-Maria; Breitenbach, Michael; Arnak, Remigiusz; Ralser, Markus; Bruschi, Carlo V.

2013-01-01

Yeast has been established as an efficient model system to study biological principles underpinning human health. In this review we focus on yeast models covering two aspects of cancer formation and progression (i) the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK), which recapitulates metabolic features of cancer cells, including the Warburg effect, and (ii) chromosome bridge-induced translocation (BIT) mimiking genome instability in cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model to study cancer cell metabolism, as exponentially growing yeast cells exhibit many metabolic similarities with rapidly proliferating cancer cells. The metabolic reconfiguration includes an increase in glucose uptake and fermentation, at the expense of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation (the Warburg effect), and involves a broad reconfiguration of nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Both in yeast and humans, the regulation of this process seems to have a central player, PK, which is up-regulated in cancer, and to occur mostly on a post-transcriptional and post-translational basis. Furthermore, BIT allows to generate selectable translocation-derived recombinants (“translocants”), between any two desired chromosomal locations, in wild-type yeast strains transformed with a linear DNA cassette carrying a selectable marker flanked by two DNA sequences homologous to different chromosomes. Using the BIT system, targeted non-reciprocal translocations in mitosis are easily inducible. An extensive collection of different yeast translocants exhibiting genome instability and aberrant phenotypes similar to cancer cells has been produced and subjected to analysis. In this review, we hence provide an overview upon two yeast cancer models, and extrapolate general principles for mimicking human disease mechanisms in yeast.

Warburg effect and translocation-induced genomic instability: two yeast models for cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tosato, Valentina [International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste (Italy); Grüning, Nana-Maria [Cambridge System Biology Center, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Breitenbach, Michael [Division of Genetics, Department of Cell Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg (Austria); Arnak, Remigiusz [International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste (Italy); Ralser, Markus [Cambridge System Biology Center, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Bruschi, Carlo V., E-mail: bruschi@icgeb.org [International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste (Italy)

2013-01-18

Yeast has been established as an efficient model system to study biological principles underpinning human health. In this review we focus on yeast models covering two aspects of cancer formation and progression (i) the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK), which recapitulates metabolic features of cancer cells, including the Warburg effect, and (ii) chromosome bridge-induced translocation (BIT) mimiking genome instability in cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model to study cancer cell metabolism, as exponentially growing yeast cells exhibit many metabolic similarities with rapidly proliferating cancer cells. The metabolic reconfiguration includes an increase in glucose uptake and fermentation, at the expense of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation (the Warburg effect), and involves a broad reconfiguration of nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Both in yeast and humans, the regulation of this process seems to have a central player, PK, which is up-regulated in cancer, and to occur mostly on a post-transcriptional and post-translational basis. Furthermore, BIT allows to generate selectable translocation-derived recombinants (“translocants”), between any two desired chromosomal locations, in wild-type yeast strains transformed with a linear DNA cassette carrying a selectable marker flanked by two DNA sequences homologous to different chromosomes. Using the BIT system, targeted non-reciprocal translocations in mitosis are easily inducible. An extensive collection of different yeast translocants exhibiting genome instability and aberrant phenotypes similar to cancer cells has been produced and subjected to analysis. In this review, we hence provide an overview upon two yeast cancer models, and extrapolate general principles for mimicking human disease mechanisms in yeast.

WARBURG EFFECT AND TRANSLOCATION-INDUCED GENOMIC INSTABILITY: TWO YEAST MODELS FOR CANCER CELLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina eTosato

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Yeast has been established as an efficient model system to study biological principles underpinning human health. In this review we focus on yeast models covering two aspects of cancer formation and progression i the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK, which recapitulates metabolic features of cancer cells, including the Warburg effect, and ii Bridge-Induced chromosome Translocation (BIT mimicking genome instability in cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model to study cancer cell metabolism, as exponentially growing yeast cells exhibit many metabolic similarities with rapidly proliferating cancer cells. The metabolic reconfiguration includes an increase in glucose uptake and fermentation, at the expense of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation (the Warburg effect, and involves a broad reconfiguration of nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Both in yeast and humans, the regulation of this process seems to have a central player, pyruvate kinase, which is up-regulated in cancer, and to occur mostly on a post-transcriptional and posttranslational basis. Furthermore, BIT allows to generate selectable translocation-derived recombinants (translocants, between any two desired chromosomal locations, in wild-type yeast strains transformed with a linear DNA cassette carrying a selectable marker flanked by two DNA sequences homologous to different chromosomes. Using the Bridge-Induced Translocation system, targeted non-reciprocal translocations in mitosis are easily inducible. An extensive collection of different yeast translocants exhibiting genome instability and aberrant phenotypes similar to cancer cells has been produced and subjected to analysis. In this review, we hence provide an overview upon two yeast cancer models, and extrapolate general principles for mimicking human disease mechanisms in yeast.

Yeast cells contain a heterogeneous population of peroxisomes that segregate asymmetrically during cell division

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kumar, Sanjeev; de Boer, Rinse; van der Klei, Ida J

2018-01-01

Here we used fluorescence microscopy and a peroxisome-targeted tandem fluorescent protein timer to determine the relative age of peroxisomes in yeast. Our data indicate that yeast cells contain a heterogeneous population of relatively old and younger peroxisomes. During budding the peroxisome

QTL mapping of sake brewing characteristics of yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Katou, Taku; Namise, Masahiro; Kitagaki, Hiroshi; Akao, Takeshi; Shimoi, Hitoshi

2009-04-01

A haploid sake yeast strain derived from the commercial diploid sake yeast strain Kyokai no. 7 showed better characteristics for sake brewing compared to the haploid laboratory yeast strain X2180-1B, including higher production of ethanol and aromatic components. A hybrid of these two strains showed intermediate characteristics in most cases. After sporulation of the hybrid strain, we obtained 100 haploid segregants of the hybrid. Small-scale sake brewing tests of these segregants showed a smooth continuous distribution of the sake brewing characteristics, suggesting that these traits are determined by multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs). To examine these sake brewing characteristics at the genomic level, we performed QTL analysis of sake brewing characteristics using 142 DNA markers that showed heterogeneity between the two parental strains. As a result, we identified 25 significant QTLs involved in the specification of sake brewing characteristics such as ethanol fermentation and the production of aromatic components.

Assessing phagotrophy in the mixotrophic ciliate Paramecium bursaria using GFP-expressing yeast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Miura, Takashi; Moriya, Hisao; Iwai, Sosuke

2017-07-03

We used cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) as fluorescently labelled prey to assess the phagocytic activities of the mixotrophic ciliate Paramecium bursaria, which harbours symbiotic Chlorella-like algae. Because of different fluorescence spectra of GFP and algal chlorophyll, ingested GFP-expressing yeast cells can be distinguished from endosymbiotic algal cells and directly counted in individual P. bursaria cells using fluorescence microscopy. By using GFP-expressing yeast cells, we found that P. bursaria altered ingestion activities under different physiological conditions, such as different growth phases or the presence/absence of endosymbionts. Use of GFP-expressing yeast cells allowed us to estimate the digestion rates of live prey of the ciliate. In contrast to the ingestion activities, the digestion rate within food vacuoles was not affected by the presence of endosymbionts, consistent with previous findings that food and perialgal vacuoles are spatially and functionally separated in P. bursaria. Thus, GFP-expressing yeast may provide a valuable tool to assess both ingestion and digestion activities of ciliates that feed on eukaryotic organisms. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Yeast cell surface display: An efficient strategy for improvement of bioethanol fermentation performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xianzhong

2017-03-04

The cell surface serves as a functional interface between the inside and the outside of the cell. Within the past 20 y the ability of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to display heterologous proteins on the cell surface has been demonstrated. Furthermore, S. cerevisiae has been both developed and applied in expression of various proteins on the cell surface. Using this novel and useful strategy, proteins and peptides of various kinds can be displayed on the yeast cell surface by fusing the protein of interest with the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchoring system. Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) using S. cerevisiae represents a promising technology for bioethanol production. However, further work is needed to improve the fermentation performance. There is some excellent previous research regarding construction of yeast biocatalyst using the surface display system to decrease cost, increase efficiency of ethanol production and directly utilize starch or biomass for fuel production. In this commentary, we reviewed the yeast surface display system and highlighted recent work. Additionally, the strategy for decrease of phytate phosphate content in dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) by display of phytase on the yeast cell surface is discussed.

Use of non-conventional cell disruption method for extraction of proteins from black yeasts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja eLeitgeb

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The influence of pressure and treatment time on cells disruption of different black yeasts and on activities of extracted proteins using supercritical carbon dioxide process was studied. The cells of three different black yeasts Phaeotheca triangularis, Trimatostroma salinum and Wallemia ichthyophaga were exposed to supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO2 by varying pressure at fixed temperature (35 °C. The black yeasts cell walls were disrupted and the content of the cells was spilled into the liquid medium. The impact of SC CO2 conditions on secretion of enzymes and proteins from black yeast cells suspension was studied. The residual activity of the enzymes cellulase, β-glucosidase, α-amylase and protease was studied by enzymatic assay. The viability of black yeast cells was determined by measuring the optical density of the cell suspension at 600 nm. The total protein concentration in the suspension was determined on UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 595 nm. The release of intracellular and extracellular products from black yeast cells was achieved. Also, the observation by an environmental scanning electron microscopy shows major morphological changes with SC CO2 treated cells. The advantages of the proposed method are in a simple use which is also possible for heat sensitive materials on one hand and on the other hand integration of the extraction of enzymes and their use in biocatalytical reactions.

Use of Non-Conventional Cell Disruption Method for Extraction of Proteins from Black Yeasts

Science.gov (United States)

Čolnik, Maja; Primožič, Mateja; Knez, Željko; Leitgeb, Maja

2016-01-01

The influence of pressure and treatment time on cells disruption of different black yeasts and on activities of extracted proteins using supercritical carbon dioxide process was studied. The cells of three different black yeasts Phaeotheca triangularis, Trimatostroma salinum, and Wallemia ichthyophaga were exposed to supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO2) by varying pressure at fixed temperature (35°C). The black yeasts cell walls were disrupted, and the content of the cells was spilled into the liquid medium. The impact of SC CO2 conditions on secretion of enzymes and proteins from black yeast cells suspension was studied. The residual activity of the enzymes cellulase, β-glucosidase, α-amylase, and protease was studied by enzymatic assay. The viability of black yeast cells was determined by measuring the optical density of the cell suspension at 600 nm. The total protein concentration in the suspension was determined on UV–Vis spectrophotometer at 595 nm. The release of intracellular and extracellular products from black yeast cells was achieved. Also, the observation by an environmental scanning electron microscopy shows major morphological changes with SC CO2-treated cells. The advantages of the proposed method are in a simple use, which is also possible for heat-sensitive materials on one hand and on the other hand integration of the extraction of enzymes and their use in biocatalytical reactions. PMID:27148527

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

Cell wall staining with Trypan blue enables quantitative analysis of morphological changes in yeast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Liesche, Johannes; Marek, Magdalena; Günther-Pomorski, Thomas

2015-01-01

Yeast cells are protected by a cell wall that plays an important role in the exchange of substances with the environment. The cell wall structure is dynamic and can adapt to different physiological states or environmental conditions. For the investigation of morphological changes, selective staining with fluorescent dyes is a valuable tool. Furthermore, cell wall staining is used to facilitate sub-cellular localization experiments with fluorescently-labeled proteins and the detection of yeast cells in non-fungal host tissues. Here, we report staining of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall with Trypan Blue, which emits strong red fluorescence upon binding to chitin and yeast glucan; thereby, it facilitates cell wall analysis by confocal and super-resolution microscopy. The staining pattern of Trypan Blue was similar to that of the widely used UV-excitable, blue fluorescent cell wall stain Calcofluor White. Trypan Blue staining facilitated quantification of cell size and cell wall volume when utilizing the optical sectioning capacity of a confocal microscope. This enabled the quantification of morphological changes during growth under anaerobic conditions and in the presence of chemicals, demonstrating the potential of this approach for morphological investigations or screening assays.

Cell wall staining with Trypan Blue enables quantitative analysis of morphological changes in yeast cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johannes eLiesche

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Yeast cells are protected by a cell wall that plays an important role in the exchange of substances with the environment. The cell wall structure is dynamic and can adapt to different physiological states or environmental conditions. For the investigation of morphological changes, selective staining with fluorescent dyes is a valuable tool. Furthermore, cell wall staining is used to facilitate sub-cellular localization experiments with fluorescently-labeled proteins and the detection of yeast cells in non-fungal host tissues. Here, we report staining of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall with Trypan Blue, which emits strong red fluorescence upon binding to chitin and yeast glucan; thereby, it facilitates cell wall analysis by confocal and super-resolution microscopy. The staining pattern of Trypan Blue was similar to that of the widely used UV-excitable, blue fluorescent cell wall stain Calcofluor White. Trypan Blue staining facilitated quantification of cell size and cell wall volume when utilizing the optical sectioning capacity of a confocal microscope. This enabled the quantification of morphological changes during growth under anaerobic conditions and in the presence of chemicals, demonstrating the potential of this approach for morphological investigations or screening assays.

Modifying infrared scattering effects of single yeast cells with plasmonic metal mesh

Science.gov (United States)

Malone, Marvin A.; Prakash, Suraj; Heer, Joseph M.; Corwin, Lloyd D.; Cilwa, Katherine E.; Coe, James V.

2010-11-01

The scattering effects in the infrared (IR) spectra of single, isolated bread yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on a ZnSe substrate and in metal microchannels have been probed by Fourier transform infrared imaging microspectroscopy. Absolute extinction [(3.4±0.6)×10-7 cm2 at 3178 cm-1], scattering, and absorption cross sections for a single yeast cell and a vibrational absorption spectrum have been determined by comparing it to the scattering properties of single, isolated, latex microspheres (polystyrene, 5.0 μm in diameter) on ZnSe, which are well modeled by the Mie scattering theory. Single yeast cells were then placed into the holes of the IR plasmonic mesh, i.e., metal films with arrays of subwavelength holes, yielding "scatter-free" IR absorption spectra, which have undistorted vibrational lineshapes and a rising generic IR absorption baseline. Absolute extinction, scattering, and absorption spectral profiles were determined for a single, ellipsoidal yeast cell to characterize the interplay of these effects.

Study on immobilized yeast cells with hydrophilic polymer carrier by radiation-induced copolymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhengkui; Zhang Bosen

1993-01-01

Various kinds of monomers 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) and methoxy polyethylene glycol methylacrylate (M-23G) are copolymerized by radiation technique at low temperature (-78 degree C) and several kinds of copolymer carriers were obtained. Yeast cells are immobilized through adhesion and multiplication of yeast cells themselves on these carriers. The ethanol productivity of immobilized yeast cells with these carriers was related to the monomer composition and water content of copolymer carriers and the optimum monomer composition was 20%:10% in poly (HEA-M23G). In this case, the ethanol productivity of immobilized yeast cells was 26 mg/(ml · h), which was 4 times as high as that of free cells. Effect of adding crosslinking reagent (4G) in lower monomer composition of poly(HEA-M23G) on the ethanol productivity of immobilized cells was better than that in higher one in this work

Bacterial toxin-antitoxin gene system as containment control in yeast cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristoffersen, P.; Jensen, G. B.; Gerdes, K.

2000-01-01

The potential of a bacterial toxin-antitoxin gene system for use in containment control in eukaryotes was explored. The Escherichia coli relE and relB genes were expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Expression of the relE gene was highly toxic to yeast cells. However, expression...... fermentation processes in which the escape of genetically modified cells would be considered highly risky....

Extraction of the number of peroxisomes in yeast cells by automated image analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemistö, Antti; Selinummi, Jyrki; Saleem, Ramsey; Shmulevich, Ilya; Aitchison, John; Yli-Harja, Olli

2006-01-01

An automated image analysis method for extracting the number of peroxisomes in yeast cells is presented. Two images of the cell population are required for the method: a bright field microscope image from which the yeast cells are detected and the respective fluorescent image from which the number of peroxisomes in each cell is found. The segmentation of the cells is based on clustering the local mean-variance space. The watershed transformation is thereafter employed to separate cells that are clustered together. The peroxisomes are detected by thresholding the fluorescent image. The method is tested with several images of a budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae population, and the results are compared with manually obtained results.

Gamma irradiation induced ultrastructural changes in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demicheli, Marina C.; Andrade, Antero S.R.; Goes, Alfredo Miranda

2007-01-01

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a thermally dimorphic fungus agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, a deep-seated systemic infection of humans with high prevalence in Latin America. Up to the moment no vaccine has still been reported. Ionizing radiation can be used to attenuate pathogens for vaccine development and we have successfully attenuated yeast cells of P. brasiliensis by gamma irradiation. The aim of the present study was to examine at ultrastructural level the effects of gamma irradiation attenuation on the morphology of P. brasiliensis yeast cells. P. brasiliensis (strain Pb-18) cultures were irradiated with a dose of 6.5 kGy. The irradiated cells were examined by scanning and also transmission electron microscopy. When examined two hours after the irradiation by scanning electron microscopy the 6.5 kGy irradiated cells presented deep folds or were collapsed. These lesions were reversible since examined 48 hours after irradiation the yeast have recovered the usual morphology. The transmission electron microscopy showed that the irradiated cells plasma membrane and cell wall were intact and preserved. Remarkable changes were found in the nucleus that was frequently in a very electrodense form. A extensive DNA fragmentation was produced by the gamma irradiation treatment. (author)

Bioadsorption of cadmium ion by cell surface-engineered yeasts displaying metallothionein and hexa-His

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuroda, K.; Ueda, M. [Lab. of Applied Biological Chemistry, Kyoto Univ., Yoshida, Kyoto (Japan)

2004-07-01

The Cd{sup 2+}-chelating abilities of yeast metallothionein (YMT) and hexa-His displayed on the yeast-cell surface were compared. Display of YMT and hexa-His by {alpha}-agglutinin-based cell-surface engineering was confirmed by immunofluorescent labeling. Surface-engineered yeast cells with YMT and hexa-His fused in tandem showed superior cell-surface adsorption and recovery of Cd{sup 2+} under EDTA treatment on the cell surface than hexa-His-displaying cells. YMT was demonstrated to be more effective than hexa-His for the adsorption of Cd{sup 2+}. Yeast cells displaying YMT and/or hexa-His exhibited a higher potential for the adsorption of Cd{sup 2+} than Escherichia coli cells displaying these molecules. In order to investigate the effect of the displayed YMT and hexa-His on sensitivity to toxic Cd{sup 2+}, growth in Cd{sup 2+}-containing liquid medium was monitored. Unlike hexa-His-displaying cells, cells displaying YMT and hexa-His fused in tandem induced resistance to Cd{sup 2+} through active and enhanced adsorption of toxic Cd{sup 2+}. These results indicate that YMT-displaying yeast cells are a unique bioadsorbent with a functional chelating ability superior to that of E. coli. (orig.)

Yeast mating and image-based quantification of spatial pattern formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Diener

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Communication between cells is a ubiquitous feature of cell populations and is frequently realized by secretion and detection of signaling molecules. Direct visualization of the resulting complex gradients between secreting and receiving cells is often impossible due to the small size of diffusing molecules and because such visualization requires experimental perturbations such as attachment of fluorescent markers, which can change diffusion properties. We designed a method to estimate such extracellular concentration profiles in vivo by using spatiotemporal mathematical models derived from microscopic analysis. This method is applied to populations of thousands of haploid yeast cells during mating in order to quantify the extracellular distributions of the pheromone α-factor and the activity of the aspartyl protease Bar1. We demonstrate that Bar1 limits the range of the extracellular pheromone signal and is critical in establishing α-factor concentration gradients, which is crucial for effective mating. Moreover, haploid populations of wild type yeast cells, but not BAR1 deletion strains, create a pheromone pattern in which cells differentially grow and mate, with low pheromone regions where cells continue to bud and regions with higher pheromone levels and gradients where cells conjugate to form diploids. However, this effect seems to be exclusive to high-density cultures. Our results show a new role of Bar1 protease regulating the pheromone distribution within larger populations and not only locally inside an ascus or among few cells. As a consequence, wild type populations have not only higher mating efficiency, but also higher growth rates than mixed MATa bar1Δ/MATα cultures. We provide an explanation of how a rapidly diffusing molecule can be exploited by cells to provide spatial information that divides the population into different transcriptional programs and phenotypes.

Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction Prevents Cell Cycle Arrest and Elongates Telomere Length in Senescent Human Diploid Fibroblasts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzana Makpol

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This study determined the molecular mechanisms of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF in preventing cellular senescence of human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs. Primary culture of HDFs at various passages were incubated with 0.5 mg/mL TRF for 24 h. Telomere shortening with decreased telomerase activity was observed in senescent HDFs while the levels of damaged DNA and number of cells in G0/G1 phase were increased and S phase cells were decreased. Incubation with TRF reversed the morphology of senescent HDFs to resemble that of young cells with decreased activity of SA-β-gal, damaged DNA, and cells in G0/G1 phase while cells in the S phase were increased. Elongated telomere length and restoration of telomerase activity were observed in TRF-treated senescent HDFs. These findings confirmed the ability of tocotrienol-rich fraction in preventing HDFs cellular ageing by restoring telomere length and telomerase activity, reducing damaged DNA, and reversing cell cycle arrest associated with senescence.

A new human male diploid cell strain, TIG-7: its age-related changes and comparison with a matched female TIG-1 cell strain.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, K; Kaji, K; Kondo, H; Matsuo, M; Shibata, Y; Tasaki, Y; Utakoji, T; Ooka, H

1991-01-01

A new human diploid cell strain, TIG-7, which has the male karyotype, was established and characterized. Isozyme and histocompatibility typing of the cell strain was performed. The average in vitro life span of the cells is 73 population doublings. Changes in cell volume, doubling time, saturation density, the efficiency of cell attachment, plating efficiency, and relative DNA content were examined during in vitro cellular aging. Hydrocortisone slightly prolongs the life span of the cell strain when the hormone is administered to the cultures during middle passages. The age-related changes in the parameters of TIG-7 are not appreciably different from those of the previously established TIG-1 cell strain. These results show that this cell strain is useful for research on cellular aging; further profit is anticipated from research using a combination of these two sexually different cell strains.

Isolation and characterization of awamori yeast mutants with L-leucine accumulation that overproduce isoamyl alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Takagi, Hiroshi; Hashida, Keisuke; Watanabe, Daisuke; Nasuno, Ryo; Ohashi, Masataka; Iha, Tomoya; Nezuo, Maiko; Tsukahara, Masatoshi

2015-02-01

Awamori shochu is a traditional distilled alcoholic beverage made from steamed rice in Okinawa, Japan. Although it has a unique aroma that is distinguishable from that of other types of shochu, no studies have been reported on the breeding of awamori yeasts. In yeast, isoamyl alcohol (i-AmOH), known as the key flavor of bread, is mainly produced from α-ketoisocaproate in the pathway of L-leucine biosynthesis, which is regulated by end-product inhibition of α-isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS). Here, we isolated mutants resistant to the L-leucine analog 5,5,5-trifluoro-DL-leucine (TFL) derived from diploid awamori yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some of the mutants accumulated a greater amount of intracellular L-leucine, and among them, one mutant overproduced i-AmOH in awamori brewing. This mutant carried an allele of the LEU4 gene encoding the Ser542Phe/Ala551Val variant IPMS, which is less sensitive to feedback inhibition by L-leucine. Interestingly, we found that either of the constituent mutations (LEU4(S542F) and LEU4(A551V)) resulted in the TFL tolerance of yeast cells and desensitization to L-leucine feedback inhibition of IPMS, leading to intracellular L-leucine accumulation. Homology modeling also suggested that L-leucine binding was drastically inhibited in the Ser542Phe, Ala551Val, and Ser542Phe/Ala551Val variants due to steric hindrance in the cavity of IPMS. As we expected, awamori yeast cells expressing LEU4(S542F), LEU4(A551V), and LEU4(S542F/A551V) showed a prominent increase in extracellular i-AmOH production, compared with that of cells carrying the vector only. The approach described here could be a practical method for the breeding of novel awamori yeasts to expand the diversity of awamori taste and flavor. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of non-adherent yeast cells on electrical characteristics of diamond-based field-effect transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Procházka, Václav, E-mail: prochazkav@fzu.cz [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 2, 16627 Prague (Czech Republic); Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10/112, 162 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Cifra, Michal [Institute of Photonics and Electronics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Chaberská 57, 182 51 Prague (Czech Republic); Kulha, Pavel [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 2, 16627 Prague (Czech Republic); Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10/112, 162 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Ižák, Tibor [Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10/112, 162 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Rezek, Bohuslav [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 2, 16627 Prague (Czech Republic); Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10/112, 162 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Kromka, Alexander [Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10/112, 162 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, 16629 Prague (Czech Republic)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Interaction of non-adherent yeast cells with H-terminated diamond described. • Effect of cell culture solutions on H-diamond SGFET (positive potential shifts). • H-diamond sensitive to metabolic activity of yeast cells (negative potential shift). - Abstract: Diamond thin films provide unique features as substrates for cell cultures and as bio-electronic sensors. Here we employ solution-gated field effect transistors (SGFET) based on nanocrystalline diamond thin films with H-terminated surface which exhibits the sub-surface p-type conductive channel. We study an influence of yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on electrical characteristics of the diamond SGFETs. Two different cell culture solutions (sucrose and yeast peptone dextrose–YPD) are used, with and without the cells. We have found that transfer characteristics of the SGFETs exhibit a negative shift of the gate voltage by −26 mV and −42 mV for sucrose and YPD with cells in comparison to blank solutions without the cells. This effect is attributed to a local pH change in close vicinity of the H-terminated diamond surface due to metabolic processes of the yeast cells. The pH sensitivity of the diamond-based SGFETs, the role of cell and protein adhesion on the gate surface and the role of negative surface charge of yeast cells on the SGFETs electrical characteristics are discussed as well.

Influence of non-adherent yeast cells on electrical characteristics of diamond-based field-effect transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Procházka, Václav; Cifra, Michal; Kulha, Pavel; Ižák, Tibor; Rezek, Bohuslav; Kromka, Alexander

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Interaction of non-adherent yeast cells with H-terminated diamond described. • Effect of cell culture solutions on H-diamond SGFET (positive potential shifts). • H-diamond sensitive to metabolic activity of yeast cells (negative potential shift). - Abstract: Diamond thin films provide unique features as substrates for cell cultures and as bio-electronic sensors. Here we employ solution-gated field effect transistors (SGFET) based on nanocrystalline diamond thin films with H-terminated surface which exhibits the sub-surface p-type conductive channel. We study an influence of yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on electrical characteristics of the diamond SGFETs. Two different cell culture solutions (sucrose and yeast peptone dextrose–YPD) are used, with and without the cells. We have found that transfer characteristics of the SGFETs exhibit a negative shift of the gate voltage by −26 mV and −42 mV for sucrose and YPD with cells in comparison to blank solutions without the cells. This effect is attributed to a local pH change in close vicinity of the H-terminated diamond surface due to metabolic processes of the yeast cells. The pH sensitivity of the diamond-based SGFETs, the role of cell and protein adhesion on the gate surface and the role of negative surface charge of yeast cells on the SGFETs electrical characteristics are discussed as well.

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts protect against epithelial cell barrier disruption induced by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, I M; Baker, A; Arneborg, N; Jespersen, L

2015-11-01

The human gastrointestinal epithelium makes up the largest barrier separating the body from the external environment. Whereas invasive pathogens cause epithelial barrier disruption, probiotic micro-organisms modulate tight junction regulation and improve epithelial barrier function. In addition, probiotic strains may be able to reduce epithelial barrier disruption caused by pathogenic species. The aim of this study was to explore non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function in vitro. Benchmarking against established probiotic strains, we evaluated the ability of four nonpathogenic yeast species to modulate transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) across a monolayer of differentiated human colonocytes (Caco-2 cells). Further, we assessed yeast modulation of a Salmonella Typhimurium-induced epithelial cell barrier function insult. Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function. While the established probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii increased TER across a Caco-2 monolayer by 30%, Kluyveromyces marxianus exhibited significantly stronger properties of TER enhancement (50% TER increase). In addition, our data demonstrate significant yeast-mediated modulation of Salmonella-induced epithelial cell barrier disruption and identify K. marxianus and Metschnikowia gruessii as two non-Saccharomyces yeasts capable of protecting human epithelial cells from pathogen invasion. This study demonstrates distinct patterns of non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function in vitro. Further, our data demonstrate significant yeast-mediated modulation of Salmonella Typhimurium-induced epithelial cell barrier disruption and identify Kluyveromyces marxianus and Metschnikowia gruessii as two non-Saccharomyces yeasts capable of protecting human epithelial cells from pathogen invasion. This study is the first to demonstrate significant non-Saccharomyces yeast

Immobilization method of yeast cells for intermittent contact mode imaging using the atomic force microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De, Tathagata; Chettoor, Antony M.; Agarwal, Pranav; Salapaka, Murti V.; Nettikadan, Saju

2010-01-01

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is widely used for studying the surface morphology and growth of live cells. There are relatively fewer reports on the AFM imaging of yeast cells (Kasas and Ikai, 1995), (Gad and Ikai, 1995). Yeasts have thick and mechanically strong cell walls and are therefore difficult to attach to a solid substrate. In this report, a new immobilization technique for the height mode imaging of living yeast cells in solid media using AFM is presented. The proposed technique allows the cell surface to be almost completely exposed to the environment and studied using AFM. Apart from the new immobilization protocol, for the first time, height mode imaging of live yeast cell surface in intermittent contact mode is presented in this report. Stable and reproducible imaging over a 10-h time span is observed. A significant improvement in operational stability will facilitate the investigation of growth patterns and surface patterns of yeast cells.

Global Gene Expression Analysis of Yeast Cells during Sake Brewing▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Hong; Zheng, Xiaohong; Araki, Yoshio; Sahara, Hiroshi; Takagi, Hiroshi; Shimoi, Hitoshi

2006-01-01

During the brewing of Japanese sake, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells produce a high concentration of ethanol compared with other ethanol fermentation methods. We analyzed the gene expression profiles of yeast cells during sake brewing using DNA microarray analysis. This analysis revealed some characteristics of yeast gene expression during sake brewing and provided a scaffold for a molecular level understanding of the sake brewing process. PMID:16997994

Unravel lipid accumulation mechanism in oleaginous yeast through single cell systems biology study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Shiyou; Xiaoliang, Xie

2017-12-18

Replacement of petroleum with advanced biofuels is critical for environmental protection needs, sustainable and secure energy demands, and economic development. Bacteria, yeasts, and fungi can naturally synthesize fatty acids, isoprenoids, or polyalkanoates for energy storage, and therefore are currently explored for hydrocarbon fuel production. Oleaginous yeasts can accumulate high levels of lipids in the form of triacylglycerols (TAGs) when encountering stress conditions or imbalanced growth (e.g., growing under excess carbon sources and limited nitrogen conditions). Advantages of using oleaginous yeast as cell factories include short duplication time (< 1 hour), high yield of intracellular droplets, and easy scale-up for industrial production. Currently, various oleaginous yeasts (e.g., Yarrowia, Candida, Rhodotorulla, Rhodosporidium, Cryptococcus, Trichosporon, and Lipomyces) have been developed as potential advanced biofuel producers. Oleaginous yeast lipid production has two phases: 1) growth phase, where cells utilize the carbon and nitrogen source to build up biomass. And 2) lipid accumulation phase, where they convert carbon source in media into the storage lipid body. (i.e. a high carbon to nitrogen ratio leads to high lipid production). The lipid production varies dramatically when different sugar, e.g. glucose, xylose is used as carbon source. The efficient utilization of all monomeric sugars of hexoses and pentoses from various lignocellulosic biomass processing approaches is the key for economic lignocellulosic biofuel production. In this project, we explored lipid production in oleaginous yeast under different nitrogen and sugar conditions at the single-cell level. To understand the lipid production mechanism and identify genetic features responsive to lipid accumulation in the presence of pentose and nitrogen, we developed an automated chemical imaging and single-cell transcriptomics method to correlate the lipid accumulation with the

Yeast-assisted synthesis of polypyrrole: Quantification and influence on the mechanical properties of the cell wall.

Science.gov (United States)

Andriukonis, Eivydas; Stirke, Arunas; Garbaras, Andrius; Mikoliunaite, Lina; Ramanaviciene, Almira; Remeikis, Vidmantas; Thornton, Barry; Ramanavicius, Arunas

2018-04-01

In this study, the metabolism of yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was utilized for the synthesis of the conducting polymer - polypyrrole (Ppy).Yeast cells were modified in situ by synthesized Ppy. The Ppy was formed in the cell wall by redox-cycling of [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- , performed by the yeast cells. Fluorescence microscopy, enzymatic digestions, atomic force microscopy and isotope ratio mass spectroscopy were applied to determine both the polymerization reaction itself and the polymer location in yeast cells. Ppy formation resulted in enhanced resistance to lytic enzymes, significant increase of elasticity and alteration of other mechanical cell wall properties evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The suggested method of polymer synthesis allows the introduction of polypyrrole structures within the cell wall, which is build up from polymers consisting of carbohydrates. This cell wall modification strategy could increase the usefulness of yeast as an alternative energy source in biofuel cells, and in cell based biosensors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stable current outputs and phytate degradation by yeast-based biofuel cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubenova, Yolina; Georgiev, Danail; Mitov, Mario

2014-09-01

In this paper, we report for the first time that Candida melibiosica 2491 yeast strain expresses enhanced phytase activity when used as a biocatalyst in biofuel cells. The polarization also results in an increase of the yeast biomass. Higher steady-state electrical outputs, assigned to earlier production of an endogenous mediator, were achieved at continuous polarization under constant load. The obtained results prove that the C. melibiosica yeast-based biofuel cell could be used for simultaneous electricity generation and phytate bioremediation. In addition, the higher phytase activity obtained by interruptive polarization suggests a new method for increasing the phytase yield from microorganisms. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Different characteristics between menadione and menadione sodium bisulfite as redox mediator in yeast cell suspension

OpenAIRE

Yamashoji, Shiro

2016-01-01

Menadione promoted the production of active oxygen species (AOS) in both yeast cell suspension and the crude enzymes from the cells, but menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB) had little effect on the production of AOS in the cell suspension. MSB kept the stable increase in the electron transfer from intact yeast cells to anode compared to menadione, but the electron transfer promoted by MSB was inhibited in permeabilized yeast cell suspension. Menadione promoted oxidation of NAD(P)H much faster th...

Repair of x-ray induced chromosomal damage in trisomy 2- and normal diploid lymphocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Countryman, P.I.; Heddle, J.A.; Crawford, E.

1977-01-01

The frequency of chromosomal aberrations produced by x-rays is greater in lymphocytes cultured from trisomy 21 patients (Down's syndrome) than from normal diploid donors. This increase, which can be detected by a micronucleus assay for chromosomal damage, was postulated by us to result from a defect in the rejoining system which repairs chromosomal breaks. The postulated defect would result in a longer rejoining time, therapy permitting more movement of broken ends and thus enhancing the frequency of exchanges. To test this possibility, the time required for the rejoining (repair) of chromosome breaks was measured in lymphocytes from five Down's syndrome (four trisomy 21 and one D/G translocation partial trisomy 21) donors, from a monosomy 21 donor, and from five diploid donors. The rejoining time was reduced in the Down's syndrome lymphocytes in comparison to the normal diploid and monosomy 21 lymphocytes. Thus the repair of chromosome breaks, far from being defective as evidenced by a longer rejoining time in Down's syndrome cells, occurred more rapidly than in normal cells

Content of endogenous thiols and radioresistance of gemmating cells of Saccharomyces ellipsoideus and Saccharomyces cerevisiale yeasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonyan, N.V.; Avakyan, Ts.M.; Dzhanpoladyan, N.L.; Stepanyan, L.G.

1983-01-01

It has been shown that gemmating cells of ''wild type'' yeasts are more radioresistant and contain more endogenous thiols, than resting cells. Gemmating cells of Saccharomyces cerevisial yeasts, carrying the mutation rad 51, as to radioresistance and content of SH groups do not differ from resting cells. The results obtained testify to a connec-- tion between increased radioresistance of the yeast gemmating cells and increased content of endogenous thiols in them

Scanning electrochemical microscopy of menadione-glutathione conjugate export from yeast cells

Science.gov (United States)

Mauzeroll, Janine; Bard, Allen J.

2004-01-01

The uptake of menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone), which is toxic to yeast cells, and its expulsion as a glutathione complex were studied by scanning electrochemical microscopy. The progression of the in vitro reaction between menadione and glutathione was monitored electrochemically by cyclic voltammetry and correlated with the spectroscopic (UV–visible) behavior. By observing the scanning electrochemical microscope tip current of yeast cells suspended in a menadione-containing solution, the export of the conjugate from the cells with time could be measured. Similar experiments were performed on immobilized yeast cell aggregates stressed by a menadione solution. From the export of the menadione-glutathione conjugate detected at a 1-μm-diameter electrode situated 10 μm from the cells, a flux of about 30,000 thiodione molecules per second per cell was extracted. Numerical simulations based on an explicit finite difference method further revealed that the observation of a constant efflux of thiodione from the cells suggested the rate was limited by the uptake of menadione and that the efflux through the glutathione-conjugate pump was at least an order of magnitude faster. PMID:15148374

Brewing characteristics of haploid strains isolated from sake yeast Kyokai No. 7.

Science.gov (United States)

Katou, Taku; Kitagaki, Hiroshi; Akao, Takeshi; Shimoi, Hitoshi

2008-11-01

Sake yeast exhibit various characteristics that make them more suitable for sake brewing compared to other yeast strains. Since sake yeast strains are Saccharomyces cerevisiae heterothallic diploid strains, it is likely that they have heterozygous alleles on homologous chromosomes (heterozygosity) due to spontaneous mutations. If this is the case, segregation of phenotypic traits in haploid strains after sporulation and concomitant meiosis of sake yeast strains would be expected to occur. To examine this hypothesis, we isolated 100 haploid strains from Kyokai No. 7 (K7), a typical sake yeast strain in Japan, and compared their brewing characteristics in small-scale sake-brewing tests. Analyses of the resultant sake samples showed a smooth and continuous distribution of analytical values for brewing characteristics, suggesting that K7 has multiple heterozygosities that affect brewing characteristics and that these heterozygous alleles do segregate after sporulation. Correlation and principal component analyses suggested that the analytical parameters could be classified into two groups, indicating fermentation ability and sake flavour. (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chemical inhibition of cell recovery after irradiation with sparsely and densely ionizing radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evastratova, Ekaterina S.; Petin, Vladislav [A. Tsyb Medical Radiological Research Centre-branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Obninsk (Russian Federation); Kim, Jin Hong; Kim, Jin Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute (ARTI), Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Youg Khi [Dept. of Radiological Science, Gachon University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-15

The dependence of cell survival on exposure dose and the duration of the liquid holding recovery (LHR) was obtained for diploid yeast cells irradiated with ionizing radiation of different linear energy transfer (LET) and recovering from radiation damage without and with various concentrations of cisplatin - the most widely used anticancer drug. The ability of yeast cells to recover from radiation damage was less effective after cell exposure to high-LET radiation, when cells were irradiated without drug. The increase in cisplatin concentration resulted in the disappearance of this difference whereas the fraction of irreversible damage was permanently enlarged independently of radiation quality. The probability of cell recovery was shown to be constant for various conditions of irradiation and recovery. A new mechanism of cisplatin action was suggested according with which the inhibition of cell recovery after exposure to ionizing radiations was completely explained by the production of irreversible damage.

Chemical inhibition of cell recovery after irradiation with sparsely and densely ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evastratova, Ekaterina S.; Petin, Vladislav; Kim, Jin Hong; Kim, Jin Kyu; Lim, Youg Khi

2017-01-01

The dependence of cell survival on exposure dose and the duration of the liquid holding recovery (LHR) was obtained for diploid yeast cells irradiated with ionizing radiation of different linear energy transfer (LET) and recovering from radiation damage without and with various concentrations of cisplatin - the most widely used anticancer drug. The ability of yeast cells to recover from radiation damage was less effective after cell exposure to high-LET radiation, when cells were irradiated without drug. The increase in cisplatin concentration resulted in the disappearance of this difference whereas the fraction of irreversible damage was permanently enlarged independently of radiation quality. The probability of cell recovery was shown to be constant for various conditions of irradiation and recovery. A new mechanism of cisplatin action was suggested according with which the inhibition of cell recovery after exposure to ionizing radiations was completely explained by the production of irreversible damage

Mitochondrial import of human and yeast fumarase in live mammalian cells: Retrograde translocation of the yeast enzyme is mainly caused by its poor targeting sequence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Bhag; Gupta, Radhey S.

2006-01-01

Studies on yeast fumarase provide the main evidence for dual localization of a protein in mitochondria and cytosol by means of retrograde translocation. We have examined the subcellular targeting of yeast and human fumarase in live cells to identify factors responsible for this. The cDNAs for mature yeast or human fumarase were fused to the gene for enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and they contained, at their N-terminus, a mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) derived from either yeast fumarase, human fumarase, or cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIII (COX) protein. Two nuclear localization sequences (2x NLS) were also added to these constructs to facilitate detection of any cytosolic protein by its targeting to nucleus. In Cos-1 cells transfected with these constructs, human fumarase with either the native or COX MTSs was detected exclusively in mitochondria in >98% of the cells, while the remainder 1-2% of the cells showed varying amounts of nuclear labeling. In contrast, when human fumarase was fused to the yeast MTS, >50% of the cells showed nuclear labeling. Similar studies with yeast fumarase showed that with its native MTS, nuclear labeling was seen in 80-85% of the cells, but upon fusion to either human or COX MTS, nuclear labeling was observed in only 10-15% of the cells. These results provide evidence that extramitochondrial presence of yeast fumarase is mainly caused by the poor mitochondrial targeting characteristics of its MTS (but also affected by its primary sequence), and that the retrograde translocation mechanism does not play a significant role in the extramitochondrial presence of mammalian fumarase

Fine structure of meiotic prophase chromosomes and modified synaptonemal complexes in diploid and triploid Rhoeo spathacea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Y J

1979-06-01

The synaptonemal complex (SC) in the diploid Rhoeo consists of 2 amorphous lateral elements, each about 46.0 nm thick, and one amorphous central element about 30.0 nm thick. The central region is about 115.0 nm wide. SC in the triploid have essentially the same dimensions as those of the diploid; both lateral (46.0 nm) and central (30.0 nm) elements are amorphous, and the central region is about 117.5 nm wide. The coil, observed in both diploid and triploid, is a modified short segment of SC with several twists at the end of a synapsed bivalent that is attached to the nuclear membrane. Serial sections in a diploid cell reveal that a coil extends inwards about 3.5 micron from the nuclear membrane and makes a complete turn at a distance of every 0.5 micron. There is a correlation between the modified ends of SC and terminal chiasmata in Rhoeo. The coils might have a positive role in the process of crossing over, or alternatively might be involved in ring formation by holding chromosome ends together while chiasmata are not involved. SC are present in chromocentres of both diploid and triploid. Chromocentres in diploid and triploid are indistinguishable, and appear to be formed from the aggregation of pericentromeric heterochromatin as a result of translocations which occured close to the centromeres. 3-dimensional hypothetical pachytene configuration of the diploid is presented.

Expression of death receptor 4 induces caspase-independent cell death in MMS-treated yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Mi-Sun; Lee, Sung-Keun; Park, Chang-Shin; Kang, Ju-Hee; Bae, Sung-Ho; Yu, Sung-Lim

2008-11-14

DR4, a tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor, is a key element in the extrinsic pathway of TRAIL/TRAIL receptor-related apoptosis that exerts a preferential toxic effect against tumor cells. However, TRAIL and DR4 are expressed in various normal cells, and recent studies indicate that DR4 has a number of non-apoptotic functions. In this study, we evaluated the effects of human DR4 expression in yeast to determine the function of DR4 in normal cells. The expression of DR4 in yeast caused G1 arrest, which resulted in transient growth inhibition. Moreover, treatment of DR4-expressing yeast with a DNA damaging agent, MMS, elicited drastic, and sustained cell growth inhibition accompanied with massive apoptotic cell death. Further analysis revealed that cell death in the presence of DNA damage and DR4 expression was not dependent on the yeast caspase, YCA1. Taken together, these results indicate that DR4 triggers caspase-independent programmed cell death during the response of normal cells to DNA damage.

Yeast for virus research

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Richard Yuqi

2017-01-01

Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) are two popular model organisms for virus research. They are natural hosts for viruses as they carry their own indigenous viruses. Both yeasts have been used for studies of plant, animal and human viruses. Many positive sense (+) RNA viruses and some DNA viruses replicate with various levels in yeasts, thus allowing study of those viral activities during viral life cycle. Yeasts are single cell eukaryotic organisms. Hence, many of the fundamental cellular functions such as cell cycle regulation or programed cell death are highly conserved from yeasts to higher eukaryotes. Therefore, they are particularly suited to study the impact of those viral activities on related cellular activities during virus-host interactions. Yeasts present many unique advantages in virus research over high eukaryotes. Yeast cells are easy to maintain in the laboratory with relative short doubling time. They are non-biohazardous, genetically amendable with small genomes that permit genome-wide analysis of virologic and cellular functions. In this review, similarities and differences of these two yeasts are described. Studies of virologic activities such as viral translation, viral replication and genome-wide study of virus-cell interactions in yeasts are highlighted. Impacts of viral proteins on basic cellular functions such as cell cycle regulation and programed cell death are discussed. Potential applications of using yeasts as hosts to carry out functional analysis of small viral genome and to develop high throughput drug screening platform for the discovery of antiviral drugs are presented. PMID:29082230

Cell biology of homologous recombination in yeast

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eckert-Boulet, Nadine Valerie; Rothstein, Rodney; Lisby, Michael

2011-01-01

Homologous recombination is an important pathway for error-free repair of DNA lesions, such as single- and double-strand breaks, and for rescue of collapsed replication forks. Here, we describe protocols for live cell imaging of single-lesion recombination events in the yeast Saccharomyces...

Research of aquatic organism addition influence on the reproduction of yeast cells in the dough

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Дмитро Павлович Крамаренко

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the research results of influence of various amounts of aquatic organism additions on the reproduction of yeast cells is given. A positive impact of aquatic organism addition of animal and plant origin in investigated quantities on the reproduction of yeast cells is revealed. The influence of the chemical composition of the aquatic organism additives on the reproduction of yeast cells is proved

A Comparative Study of the Cell Wall Structure of Basidiomycetous and Related Yeasts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kreger-van Rij, N.J.W.; Veenhuis, M.

1971-01-01

The wall of basidiomycetous and related yeasts showed a lamellar structure in sections of both budding cells and hyphae fixed with potassium permanganate. The yeasts also had a typical way of bud formation and septation. These features differ from those recorded for ascomycetous yeasts. In the

Synthetic yeast based cell factories for vanillin-glucoside production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strucko, Tomas

and controlled expression/overexpression of genes of interest. De novo biosynthetic pathway for vanillin-β-glucoside production was employed as a model system for several case studies in this project. In order to construct yeast cell factories fulfilling current demands of industrial biotechnology, methods......The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well a characterized microorganism and widely used as eukaryotic model organism as well as a key cell factory for bioproduction of various products. The latter comprise a large variety of scientifically and industrially relevant products such as low-value bulk...... chemicals and biofuels, food additives, high-value chemicals and recombinant proteins. Despite the recent achievements in the fields of systems biology and metabolic engineering together with availability of broad genetic engineering toolbox, the full potential of S. cerevisiae as a cell factory is not yet...

Succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes using hydrolysates of spent yeast cells and corn fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ke-Quan; Li, Jian; Ma, Jiang-Feng; Jiang, Min; Wei, Ping; Liu, Zhong-Min; Ying, Han-Jie

2011-01-01

The enzymatic hydrolysate of spent yeast cells was evaluated as a nitrogen source for succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes NJ113, using corn fiber hydrolysate as a carbon source. When spent yeast cell hydrolysate was used directly as a nitrogen source, a maximum succinic acid concentration of 35.5 g/l was obtained from a glucose concentration of 50 g/l, with a glucose utilization of 95.2%. Supplementation with individual vitamins showed that biotin was the most likely factor to be limiting for succinic acid production with spent yeast cell hydrolysate. After supplementing spent yeast cell hydrolysate and 90 g/l of glucose with 150 μg/l of biotin, cell growth increased 32.5%, glucose utilization increased 37.6%, and succinic acid concentration was enhanced 49.0%. As a result, when biotin-supplemented spent yeast cell hydrolysate was used with corn fiber hydrolysate, a succinic acid yield of 67.7% was obtained from 70.3 g/l of total sugar concentration, with a productivity of 0.63 g/(l h). Our results suggest that biotin-supplemented spent yeast cell hydrolysate may be an alternative nitrogen source for the efficient production of succinic acid by A. succinogenes NJ113, using renewable resources. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A reference model systesm of industrial yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae is needed for development of the next-generation biocatalyst toward advanced biofuels production

Science.gov (United States)

Diploid industrial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has demonstrated distinct characteristics that differ from haploid laboratory model strains. However, as a workhorse for a broad range of fermentation-based industrial applications, it was poorly characterized at the genome level. Observations on the...

Monitoring of yeast cell concentration using a micromachined impedance sensor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krommenhoek, E.E.; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.; Bomer, Johan G.; van den Berg, Albert; Li, X.; Ottens, M.; van der Wielen, L.A.M.; van Dedem, G.W.K.; van Leeuwen, M.; van Gulik, W.M.; Heijnen, J.J.

2005-01-01

The paper describes the design, modelling and experimental characterization of a micromachined impedance sensor for on-line monitoring of the viable yeast cell concentration (biomass) in a miniaturized cell assay. Measurements in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell culture show that the permittivity of

Cell dualism: presence of cells with alternative membrane potentials in growing populations of bacteria and yeasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanov, Volodymyr; Rezaeinejad, Saeid; Chu, Jian

2013-10-01

It is considered that all growing cells, for exception of acidophilic bacteria, have negatively charged inside cytoplasmic membrane (Δψ⁻-cells). Here we show that growing populations of microbial cells contain a small portion of cells with positively charged inside cytoplasmic membrane (Δψ⁺-cells). These cells were detected after simultaneous application of the fluorescent probes for positive membrane potential (anionic dye DIBAC⁻) and membrane integrity (propidium iodide, PI). We found in exponentially growing cell populations of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae that the content of live Δψ⁻-cells was 93.6 ± 1.8 % for bacteria and 90.4 ± 4.0 % for yeasts and the content of live Δψ⁺-cells was 0.9 ± 0.3 % for bacteria and 2.4 ± 0.7 % for yeasts. Hypothetically, existence of Δψ⁺-cells could be due to short-term, about 1 min for bacteria and 5 min for yeasts, change of membrane potential from negative to positive value during the cell cycle. This change has been shown by the reversions of K⁺, Na⁺, and Ca²⁺ ions fluxes across the cell membrane during synchronous yeast culture. The transformation of Δψ(⁻-cells to Δψ⁺-cells can be explained by slow influx of K⁺ ions into Δψ⁻-cell to the trigger level of K⁺ concentration ("compression of potassium spring"), which is forming "alternative" Δψ⁺-cell for a short period, following with fast efflux of K⁺ ions out of Δψ⁺-cell ("release of potassium spring") returning cell to normal Δψ⁻ state. We anticipate our results to be a starting point to reveal the biological role of cell dualism in form of Δψ⁻- and Δψ⁺- cells.

Study of the role of the covalently linked cell wall protein (Ccw14p) and yeast glycoprotein (Ygp1p) within biofilm formation in a flor yeast strain.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno-García, J; Coi, A L; Zara, G; García-Martínez, T; Mauricio, J C; Budroni, M

2018-03-01

Flor yeasts are Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains noted by their ability to create a type of biofilm in the air-liquid interface of some wines, known as 'flor' or 'velum', for which certain proteins play an essential role. Following a proteomic study of a flor yeast strain, we deleted the CCW14 (covalently linked cell wall protein) and YGP1 (yeast glycoprotein) genes-codifying for two cell surface glycoproteins-in a haploid flor yeast strain and we reported that both influence the weight of the biofilm as well as cell adherence (CCW14).

Increased genome instability is not accompanied by sensitivity to DNA damaging agents in aged yeast cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Novarina, Daniele; Mavrova, Sara N.; Janssens, Georges E.; Rempel, Irina L.; Veenhoff, Liesbeth M.; Chang, Michael

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae divides asymmetrically, producing a new daughter cell from the original mother cell. While daughter cells are born with a full lifespan, a mother cell ages with each cell division and can only generate on average 25 daughter cells before dying. Aged yeast

The shape of dose-effect curves for diploid yeast cells irradiated with ionizing particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pohlit, W.

1975-01-01

In a cybernetic model for the radiation reactions in eukaryotic cells, after irradiation they are assumed to be in one of three states: (a) viable cells; (b) with repairable damage; and (c) with irreparable damage. Two biological counter reactions with certain time constants can be observed: (i) recovery from sublethal damage; and (ii) repair of potential lethal damage. The shape of the dose-effect curve is influenced in a characteristic way by the different occupation of these states of the cells and by the time constants of the biological counter reactions. The biochemical analysis of the biological counter reactions, recovery and repair, has shown that both are linked together by the energy pool in the cell. In this way changes in the slope of the dose-effect curve due to different metabolic states of the cells can be understood quantitatively. Also the complicated dependence of survival cells on the absorbed dose rate over a wide range can be explained quantitatively. (author)

Measuring strand discontinuity-directed mismatch repair in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by cell-free nuclear extracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Fenghua; Lai, Fangfang; Gu, Liya; Zhou, Wen; El Hokayem, Jimmy; Zhang, Yanbin

2009-05-01

Mismatch repair corrects biosynthetic errors generated during DNA replication, whose deficiency causes a mutator phenotype and directly underlies hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer and sporadic cancers. Because of remarkably high conservation of the mismatch repair machinery between the budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and humans, the study of mismatch repair in yeast has provided tremendous insights into the mechanisms of this repair pathway in humans. In addition, yeast cells possess an unbeatable advantage over human cells in terms of the easy genetic manipulation, the availability of whole genome deletion strains, and the relatively low cost for setting up the system. Although many components of eukaryotic mismatch repair have been identified, it remains unclear if additional factors, such as DNA helicase(s) and redundant nuclease(s) besides EXO1, participate in eukaryotic mismatch repair. To facilitate the discovery of novel mismatch repair factors, we developed a straightforward in vitro cell-free repair system. Here, we describe the practical protocols for preparation of yeast cell-free nuclear extracts and DNA mismatch substrates, and the in vitro mismatch repair assay. The validity of the cell-free system was confirmed by the mismatch repair deficient yeast strain (Deltamsh2) and the complementation assay with purified yeast MSH2-MSH6.

Cell inactivation studies on yeast cells under euoxic and hypoxic condition using electron beam from microtron accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Praveen Joseph; Santhosh Acharya; Ganesh Sanjeev; Narayana, Y.; Bhat, N.N.

2011-01-01

In the case of sparsely ionizing radiation such as electron, the dose rate and the pattern of energy deposition of the radiation are the important physical factors which can affect the amount of damage in living cells. In the present study, the differences in the cell survival efficiency and dose rate effect in diploid yeast strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae X2180 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae D7 under euoxic and hypoxic condition have been quantified. Irradiation was carried out using 8 MeV pulsed electron beam from Microtron accelerator. The dose per pulse and pulse width of the beam used was 0.6 Gy and 2.3 μs, respectively, which correspond to an instantaneous dose rate of 2.6 x 10 5 Gy s -1 . For survival studies doses were delivered at a rate of 50 pulses per second (an average dose rate of 1,800 Gy s -1 ). Fricke and alanine dosimeters were used to measure the dose delivered to the sample. A significant difference in the dose response has been observed under euoxic and hypoxic condition. Dose rate effect has been studied by changing the pulse repetition rate of the Microtron and the dose rate used was from 180 to 1800 Gy min -1 . A significant dose rate effect was observed under euoxic condition for Saccharomyces cerevisiae X2180 but the same was absent under hypoxic condition. The dose rate effect was absent for Saccharomyces cerevisiae D7 under both irradiation condition. The survival curves are found to be sigmoidal in shape under both condition but with a wider shoulder under hypoxic condition. The D 0 value and the Oxygen Enhancement Ratio (OER) at that point have been derived. (author)

SSR Analysis of Genetic Diversity Among 192 Diploid Potato Cultivars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyan Song

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In potato breeding, it is difficult to improve the traits of interest at the tetraploid level due to the tetrasomic inheritance. A promising alternative is diploid breeding. Thus it is necessary to assess the genetic diversity of diploid potato germplasm for efficient exploration and deployment of desirable traits. In this study, we used SSR markers to evaluate the genetic diversity of diploid potato cultivars. To screen polymorphic SSR markers, 55 pairs of SSR primers were employed to amplify 39 cultivars with relatively distant genetic relationships. Among them, 12 SSR markers with high polymorphism located at 12 chromosomes were chosen to evaluate the genetic diversity of 192 diploid potato cultivars. The primers produced 6 to 18 bands with an average of 8.2 bands per primer. In total, 98 bands were amplified from 192 cultivars, and 97 of them were polymorphic. Cluster analysis using UPGMA showed the genetic relationships of all accessions tested: 186 of the 192 accessions could be distinguished by only 12 pairs of SSR primers, and the 192 diploid cultivars were divided into 11 groups, and 83.3% constituted the first group. Clustering results showed relatively low genetic diversity among 192 diploid cultivars, with closer relationship at the molecular level. The results can provide molecular basis for diploid potato breeding.

Lactococcus lactis is diploid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michelsen, Ole; Jensen, Peter Ruhdal

As part of a collaboration with Danish Dairy Research Foundation we are interested in the DNA replication of Lactococcus lactis. For that we implemented flowcytometric analysis for these studies. The L. lactis does not respond to inhibition by rifampicin by finishing ongoing replication forks. We....... This unexpected result has been confirmed by radioactive labelling of slow growing cultures of Lactococcus lactis, which also showed the presence of two chromosomes. We therefore conclude that Lactococcus lactis is the first diploid bacterium found....... therefore turned to slow growing cultures in order to obtain information about the DNA replication in the cell cycle. From these studies we have obtained evidence that suggest that slow growing L. lactis are born with two chromosomes in contrast to other studied bacteria, which are born with one chromosome...

Mitochondrial fission proteins regulate programmed cell death in yeast

OpenAIRE

Fannjiang, Yihru; Cheng, Wen-Chih; Lee, Sarah J.; Qi, Bing; Pevsner, Jonathan; McCaffery, J. Michael; Hill, R. Blake; Basañez, Gorka; Hardwick, J. Marie

2004-01-01

The possibility that single-cell organisms undergo programmed cell death has been questioned in part because they lack several key components of the mammalian cell death machinery. However, yeast encode a homolog of human Drp1, a mitochondrial fission protein that was shown previously to promote mammalian cell death and the excessive mitochondrial fragmentation characteristic of apoptotic mammalian cells. In support of a primordial origin of programmed cell death involving mitochondria, we fo...

The flavoprotein Tah18-dependent NO synthesis confers high-temperature stress tolerance on yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, Akira; Kawahara, Nobuhiro; Takagi, Hiroshi

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► NO is produced from L-arginine in response to elevated temperature in yeast. ► Tah18 was first identified as the yeast protein involved in NO synthesis. ► Tah18-dependent NO synthesis confers tolerance to high-temperature on yeast cells. -- Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous signaling molecule involved in the regulation of a large number of cellular functions. In the unicellular eukaryote yeast, NO may be involved in stress response pathways, but its role is poorly understood due to the lack of mammalian NO synthase (NOS) orthologues. Previously, we have proposed the oxidative stress-induced L-arginine synthesis and its physiological role under stress conditions in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, our experimental results indicated that increased conversion of L-proline into L-arginine led to NO production in response to elevated temperature. We also showed that the flavoprotein Tah18, which was previously reported to transfer electrons to the Fe–S cluster protein Dre2, was involved in NO synthesis in yeast. Gene knockdown analysis demonstrated that Tah18-dependent NO synthesis confers high-temperature stress tolerance on yeast cells. As it appears that such a unique cell protection mechanism is specific to yeasts and fungi, it represents a promising target for antifungal activity.

Analysis of ribosomal RNA stability in dead cells of wine yeast by quantitative PCR.

Science.gov (United States)

Sunyer-Figueres, Merce; Wang, Chunxiao; Mas, Albert

2018-04-02

During wine production, some yeasts enter a Viable But Not Culturable (VBNC) state, which may influence the quality and stability of the final wine through remnant metabolic activity or by resuscitation. Culture-independent techniques are used for obtaining an accurate estimation of the number of live cells, and quantitative PCR could be the most accurate technique. As a marker of cell viability, rRNA was evaluated by analyzing its stability in dead cells. The species-specific stability of rRNA was tested in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as in three species of non-Saccharomyces yeast (Hanseniaspora uvarum, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Starmerella bacillaris). High temperature and antimicrobial dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) treatments were efficient in lysing the yeast cells. rRNA gene and rRNA (as cDNA) were analyzed over 48 h after cell lysis by quantitative PCR. The results confirmed the stability of rRNA for 48 h after the cell lysis treatments. To sum up, rRNA may not be a good marker of cell viability in the wine yeasts that were tested. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts protect against epithelial cell barrier disruption induced by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Ida Mosbech; Baker, A; Arneborg, Nils

2015-01-01

distinct patterns of non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function. While the established probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii increased TER across a Caco-2 monolayer by 30%, Kluyveromyces marxianus exhibited significantly stronger properties of TER enhancement (50% TER increase....... In addition, probiotic strains may be able to reduce epithelial barrier disruption caused by pathogenic species. The aim of this study was to explore non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function in vitro. Benchmarking against established probiotic strains, we evaluated the ability......). In addition, our data demonstrate significant yeast-mediated modulation of Salmonella-induced epithelial cell barrier disruption and identify K. marxianus and Metschnikowia gruessii as two non-Saccharomyces yeasts capable of protecting human epithelial cells from pathogen invasion. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT...

Ploidy and liquid-holding recovery of yeasts sensitive to radiation and nitrous acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arman, I.P.; Dutova, T.A.

1975-01-01

NA-Inactivation of isogeneic yeasts Sacch. cerevisiae from the collection of LIYaF, normal and sensitive to radiation and Na (xrs1-5 mutation), was studied as a function of the ploidy of the genome and the conditions of incubation after the influence of the mutagen. Normal cells of highly homozygous PG strains exhibit a protective effect of ploidy: the haploid is the most sensitive to the inactivating action of NA, and with increasing number of chromosome sets the resistance increases substantially. With a different polyploid series of yeasts of the same origin, where di-, tri-, and tetraploids are homozygous for the mutation xrs1-5, this effect is absent. Moreover, the doubling of the genome leads to a sharp increase in the sensitivity of the cells to NA, while the shape of the dose-versus-effect curves becomes exponential, in contrast to sigmoid for the initial control strains. This fact of the ''reverse effect of ploidy'' is evidence of an impairment of the reapir of dominant lethals - the basic cause of death of diploid and polyploid cells - in the xrs1-5 strains. Exposure of yeasts in buffer for 24 h (LHR conditions) after the influence of NA modifies the level of inactivation, depending on the genotype and ploidy of the cells. In yeast strains of a different origin (from Berkeley, United States) with a normal sensitivity to NA (n, 2n, 3n), the survival under LHR conditions is practically unchanged for 24 h. The haploids of highly homozygous strains (LIYaF) - normal and xrs1-5 mutant - also do not recover. However, diploidizationand a further increase in the number of genomes leads to the fact that the death under LH conditions increases sharply in normal highly homozygous yeasts (PG) - by at least an order of magnitude in 24 h of incubation in buffer; in this case the titer of the cells remains constant, while the loss of viability is proportional to the time. A significant effect of recovery is detected in homozygotes for the xrs1 mutation (2n, 3n, 4n). It

Drying enhances immunoactivity of spent brewer's yeast cell wall β-D-glucans.

Science.gov (United States)

Liepins, Janis; Kovačova, Elena; Shvirksts, Karlis; Grube, Mara; Rapoport, Alexander; Kogan, Grigorij

2015-07-20

Due to immunological activity, microbial cell wall polysaccharides are defined as 'biological response modifiers' (BRM). Cell walls of spent brewer's yeast also have some BRM activity. However, up to date there is no consensus on the use of spent brewer's yeast D-glucan as specific BRM in humans or animals. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of spent brewer's yeast β-D-glucans as BRM, and drying as an efficient pretreatment to increase β-D-glucan's immunogenic activity. Our results revealed that drying does not change spent brewer's yeast biomass carbohydrate content as well as the chemical structure of purified β-D-glucan. However, drying increased purified β-D-glucan TNF-α induction activity in the murine macrophage model. We presume drying pretreatment enhances purity of extracted β-D-glucan. This is corroborated with FT-IR analyses of the β-D-glucan spectra. Based on our results, we suggest that dry spent brewer's yeast biomass can be used as a cheap source for high-quality β-D-glucan extraction. Drying in combination with carboxylmethylation (CM), endows spent brewer's yeast β-D-glucan with the immunoactivity similar or exceeding that of a well-characterized fungal BRM pleuran. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of ambient humidity on the strength of the adhesion force of single yeast cell inside environmental-SEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Yajing; Nakajima, Masahiro; Ridzuan Ahmad, Mohd; Kojima, Seiji; Homma, Michio; Fukuda, Toshio

2011-01-01

A novel method for measuring an adhesion force of single yeast cell is proposed based on a nanorobotic manipulation system inside an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). The effect of ambient humidity on a single yeast cell adhesion force was studied. Ambient humidity was controlled by adjusting the chamber pressure and temperature inside the ESEM. It has been demonstrated that a thicker water film was formed at a higher humidity condition. The adhesion force between an atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever and a tungsten probe which later on known as a substrate was evaluated at various humidity conditions. A micro-puller was fabricated from an AFM cantilever by use of focused ion beam (FIB) etching. The adhesion force of a single yeast cell (W303) to the substrate was measured using the micro-puller at the three humidity conditions: 100%, 70%, and 40%. The results showed that the adhesion force between the single yeast cell and the substrate is much smaller at higher humidity condition. The yeast cells were still alive after being observed and manipulated inside ESEM based on the result obtained from the re-culturing of the single yeast cell. The results from this work would help us to understand the ESEM system better and its potential benefit to the single cell analysis research. -- Research highlights: → A nanorobotic manipulation system was developed inside an ESEM. → A micro-puller was designed for single yeast cell adhesion force measurement. → Yeast cells were still alive after being observed and manipulated inside ESEM. → Yeast cell adhesion force to substrate is smaller at high humidity condition than at low humidity condition.

Effect of ambient humidity on the strength of the adhesion force of single yeast cell inside environmental-SEM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Yajing, E-mail: shen@robo.mein.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Micro-Nano Systems Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Nakajima, Masahiro [Department of Micro-Nano Systems Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Ridzuan Ahmad, Mohd [Department of Mechatronics and Robotics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310 (Malaysia); Kojima, Seiji; Homma, Michio [Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan); Fukuda, Toshio [Department of Micro-Nano Systems Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)

2011-07-15

A novel method for measuring an adhesion force of single yeast cell is proposed based on a nanorobotic manipulation system inside an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). The effect of ambient humidity on a single yeast cell adhesion force was studied. Ambient humidity was controlled by adjusting the chamber pressure and temperature inside the ESEM. It has been demonstrated that a thicker water film was formed at a higher humidity condition. The adhesion force between an atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever and a tungsten probe which later on known as a substrate was evaluated at various humidity conditions. A micro-puller was fabricated from an AFM cantilever by use of focused ion beam (FIB) etching. The adhesion force of a single yeast cell (W303) to the substrate was measured using the micro-puller at the three humidity conditions: 100%, 70%, and 40%. The results showed that the adhesion force between the single yeast cell and the substrate is much smaller at higher humidity condition. The yeast cells were still alive after being observed and manipulated inside ESEM based on the result obtained from the re-culturing of the single yeast cell. The results from this work would help us to understand the ESEM system better and its potential benefit to the single cell analysis research. -- Research highlights: {yields} A nanorobotic manipulation system was developed inside an ESEM. {yields} A micro-puller was designed for single yeast cell adhesion force measurement. {yields} Yeast cells were still alive after being observed and manipulated inside ESEM. {yields} Yeast cell adhesion force to substrate is smaller at high humidity condition than at low humidity condition.

Chemical reproductive traits of diploid Bombus terrestris males: Consequences on bumblebee conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lecocq, Thomas; Gérard, Maxence; Maebe, Kevin; Brasero, Nicolas; Dehon, Lauren; Smagghe, Guy; Valterová, Irena; De Meulemeester, Thibaut; Rasmont, Pierre; Michez, Denis

2017-08-01

The current bumblebee decline leads to inbreeding in populations that fosters a loss of allelic diversity and diploid male production. As diploid males are viable and their offspring are sterile, bumblebee populations can quickly fall in a vortex of extinction. In this article, we investigate for the first time a potential premating mechanism through a major chemical reproductive trait (male cephalic labial gland secretions) that could prevent monandrous virgin queens from mating with diploid males. We focus our study on the cephalic labial gland secretions of diploid and haploid males of Bombus terrestris (L.). Contrary to initial expectations, our results do not show any significant differentiation of cephalic labial gland secretions between diploid and haploid specimens. Queens seem therefore to be unable to avoid mating with diploid males based on their compositions of cephalic labial gland secretions. This suggests that the vortex of extinction of diploid males could not be stopped through premating avoidance based on the cephalic labial gland secretions but other mechanisms could avoid mating between diploid males and queens. © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Glycerol production by fermenting yeast cells is essential for optimal bread dough fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Aslankoohi, Elham; Rezaei, Mohammad Naser; Vervoort, Yannick; Courtin, Christophe M; Verstrepen, Kevin J

2015-01-01

Glycerol is the main compatible solute in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When faced with osmotic stress, for example during semi-solid state bread dough fermentation, yeast cells produce and accumulate glycerol in order to prevent dehydration by balancing the intracellular osmolarity with that of the environment. However, increased glycerol production also results in decreased CO2 production, which may reduce dough leavening. We investigated the effect of yeast glycerol production level on bread dough fermentation capacity of a commercial bakery strain and a laboratory strain. We find that Δgpd1 mutants that show decreased glycerol production show impaired dough fermentation. In contrast, overexpression of GPD1 in the laboratory strain results in increased fermentation rates in high-sugar dough and improved gas retention in the fermenting bread dough. Together, our results reveal the crucial role of glycerol production level by fermenting yeast cells in dough fermentation efficiency as well as gas retention in dough, thereby opening up new routes for the selection of improved commercial bakery yeasts.

The pat1 protein kinase controls transcription of the mating-type genes in fission yeast

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, O; Egel, R; Nielsen, Olaf

1990-01-01

. This differentiation process is characterized by a transcriptional induction of the mating-type genes. Conjugation can also be induced in pat1-ts mutants by a shift to a semi-permissive temperature. The pat1 gene encodes a protein kinase, which also functions further downstream in the developmental pathway controlling...... of the mating-type genes in the zygote leads to complete loss of pat1 protein kinase activity causing entry into meiosis. Thus, pat1 can promote its own inactivation. We suggest a model according to which a stepwise inactivation of pat1 leads to sequential derepression of the processes of conjugation......The developmental programme of fission yeast brings about a transition from mitotic cell division to the dormant state of ascospores. In response to nitrogen starvation, two cells of opposite mating type conjugate to form a diploid zygote, which then undergoes meiosis and sporulation...

Modulation of Cell Cycle Profile by Chlorella vulgaris Prevents Replicative Senescence of Human Diploid Fibroblasts

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Tayyebeh Saberbaghi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the effects of Chlorella vulgaris (CV on replicative senescence of human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs were investigated. Hot water extract of CV was used to treat HDFs at passages 6, 15, and 30 which represent young, presenescence, and senescence ages, respectively. The level of DNA damage was determined by comet assay while apoptosis and cell cycle profile were determined using FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Our results showed direct correlation between increased levels of damaged DNA and apoptosis with senescence in untreated HDFs (P<0.05. Cell cycle profile showed increased population of untreated senescent cells that enter G0/G1 phase while the cell population in S phase decreased significantly (P<0.05. Treatment with CV however caused a significant reduction in the level of damaged DNA and apoptosis in all age groups of HDFs (P<0.05. Cell cycle analysis showed that treatment with CV increased significantly the percentage of senescent HDFs in S phase and G2/M phases but decreased the population of cells in G0/G1 phase (P<0.05. In conclusion, hot water extract of Chlorella vulgaris effectively decreased the biomarkers of ageing, indicating its potential as an antiageing compound.

Characters that differ between diploid and haploid honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Matthias; Trenzcek, Tina; Fahrenhorst, Hartmut; Engels, Wolf

2005-12-30

Diploid males have long been considered a curiosity contradictory to the haplo-diploid mode of sex determination in the Hymenoptera. In Apis mellifera, 'false' diploid male larvae are eliminated by worker cannibalism immediately after hatching. A 'cannibalism substance' produced by diploid drone larvae to induce worker-assisted suicide has been hypothesized, but it has never been detected. Diploid drones are only removed some hours after hatching. Older larvae are evidently not regarded as 'false males' and instead are regularly nursed by the brood-attending worker bees. As the pheromonal cues presumably are located on the surface of newly hatched bee larvae, we extracted the cuticular secretions and analyzed their chemical composition by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. Larvae were sexed and then reared in vitro for up to three days. The GC-MS pattern that was obtained, with alkanes as the major compounds, was compared between diploid and haploid drone larvae. We also examined some physical parameters of adult drones. There was no difference between diploid and haploid males in their weight at the day of emergence. The diploid adult drones had fewer wing hooks and smaller testes. The sperm DNA content was 0.30 and 0.15 pg per nucleus, giving an exact 2:1 ratio for the gametocytes of diploid and haploid drones, respectively. Vitellogenin was found in the hemolymph of both types of imaginal drones at 5 to 6 days, with a significantly lower titer in the diploids.

Cell organisation, sulphur metabolism and ion transport-related genes are differentially expressed in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis mycelium and yeast cells

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Passos Geraldo AS

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mycelium-to-yeast transition in the human host is essential for pathogenicity by the fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and both cell types are therefore critical to the establishment of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM, a systemic mycosis endemic to Latin America. The infected population is of about 10 million individuals, 2% of whom will eventually develop the disease. Previously, transcriptome analysis of mycelium and yeast cells resulted in the assembly of 6,022 sequence groups. Gene expression analysis, using both in silico EST subtraction and cDNA microarray, revealed genes that were differential to yeast or mycelium, and we discussed those involved in sugar metabolism. To advance our understanding of molecular mechanisms of dimorphic transition, we performed an extended analysis of gene expression profiles using the methods mentioned above. Results In this work, continuous data mining revealed 66 new differentially expressed sequences that were MIPS(Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences-categorised according to the cellular process in which they are presumably involved. Two well represented classes were chosen for further analysis: (i control of cell organisation – cell wall, membrane and cytoskeleton, whose representatives were hex (encoding for a hexagonal peroxisome protein, bgl (encoding for a 1,3-β-glucosidase in mycelium cells; and ags (an α-1,3-glucan synthase, cda (a chitin deacetylase and vrp (a verprolin in yeast cells; (ii ion metabolism and transport – two genes putatively implicated in ion transport were confirmed to be highly expressed in mycelium cells – isc and ktp, respectively an iron-sulphur cluster-like protein and a cation transporter; and a putative P-type cation pump (pct in yeast. Also, several enzymes from the cysteine de novo biosynthesis pathway were shown to be up regulated in the yeast form, including ATP sulphurylase, APS kinase and also PAPS reductase. Conclusion Taken

The flavoprotein Tah18-dependent NO synthesis confers high-temperature stress tolerance on yeast cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishimura, Akira; Kawahara, Nobuhiro [Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 (Japan); Takagi, Hiroshi, E-mail: hiro@bs.naist.jp [Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 (Japan)

2013-01-04

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer NO is produced from L-arginine in response to elevated temperature in yeast. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tah18 was first identified as the yeast protein involved in NO synthesis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tah18-dependent NO synthesis confers tolerance to high-temperature on yeast cells. -- Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous signaling molecule involved in the regulation of a large number of cellular functions. In the unicellular eukaryote yeast, NO may be involved in stress response pathways, but its role is poorly understood due to the lack of mammalian NO synthase (NOS) orthologues. Previously, we have proposed the oxidative stress-induced L-arginine synthesis and its physiological role under stress conditions in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, our experimental results indicated that increased conversion of L-proline into L-arginine led to NO production in response to elevated temperature. We also showed that the flavoprotein Tah18, which was previously reported to transfer electrons to the Fe-S cluster protein Dre2, was involved in NO synthesis in yeast. Gene knockdown analysis demonstrated that Tah18-dependent NO synthesis confers high-temperature stress tolerance on yeast cells. As it appears that such a unique cell protection mechanism is specific to yeasts and fungi, it represents a promising target for antifungal activity.

Engineering tolerance to industrially relevant stress factors in yeast cell factories.

Science.gov (United States)

Deparis, Quinten; Claes, Arne; Foulquié-Moreno, Maria R; Thevelein, Johan M

2017-06-01

The main focus in development of yeast cell factories has generally been on establishing optimal activity of heterologous pathways and further metabolic engineering of the host strain to maximize product yield and titer. Adequate stress tolerance of the host strain has turned out to be another major challenge for obtaining economically viable performance in industrial production. Although general robustness is a universal requirement for industrial microorganisms, production of novel compounds using artificial metabolic pathways presents additional challenges. Many of the bio-based compounds desirable for production by cell factories are highly toxic to the host cells in the titers required for economic viability. Artificial metabolic pathways also turn out to be much more sensitive to stress factors than endogenous pathways, likely because regulation of the latter has been optimized in evolution in myriads of environmental conditions. We discuss different environmental and metabolic stress factors with high relevance for industrial utilization of yeast cell factories and the experimental approaches used to engineer higher stress tolerance. Improving stress tolerance in a predictable manner in yeast cell factories should facilitate their widespread utilization in the bio-based economy and extend the range of products successfully produced in large scale in a sustainable and economically profitable way. © FEMS 2017.

Engineering tolerance to industrially relevant stress factors in yeast cell factories

Science.gov (United States)

Deparis, Quinten; Claes, Arne; Foulquié-Moreno, Maria R.

2017-01-01

Abstract The main focus in development of yeast cell factories has generally been on establishing optimal activity of heterologous pathways and further metabolic engineering of the host strain to maximize product yield and titer. Adequate stress tolerance of the host strain has turned out to be another major challenge for obtaining economically viable performance in industrial production. Although general robustness is a universal requirement for industrial microorganisms, production of novel compounds using artificial metabolic pathways presents additional challenges. Many of the bio-based compounds desirable for production by cell factories are highly toxic to the host cells in the titers required for economic viability. Artificial metabolic pathways also turn out to be much more sensitive to stress factors than endogenous pathways, likely because regulation of the latter has been optimized in evolution in myriads of environmental conditions. We discuss different environmental and metabolic stress factors with high relevance for industrial utilization of yeast cell factories and the experimental approaches used to engineer higher stress tolerance. Improving stress tolerance in a predictable manner in yeast cell factories should facilitate their widespread utilization in the bio-based economy and extend the range of products successfully produced in large scale in a sustainable and economically profitable way. PMID:28586408

Evidence that pulsed electric field treatment enhances the cell wall porosity of yeast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganeva, Valentina; Galutzov, Bojidar; Teissie, Justin

2014-02-01

The application of rectangular electric pulses, with 0.1-2 ms duration and field intensity of 2.5-4.5 kV/cm, to yeast suspension mediates liberation of cytoplasmic proteins without cell lysis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric field with similar parameters on cell wall porosity of different yeast species. We found that electrically treated cells become more susceptible to lyticase digestion. In dependence on the strain and the electrical conditions, cell lysis was obtained at 2-8 times lower enzyme concentration in comparison with control untreated cells. The increase of the maximal lysis rate was between two and nine times. Furthermore, when applied at low concentration (1 U/ml), the lyticase enhanced the rate of protein liberation from electropermeabilized cells without provoking cell lysis. Significant differences in the cell surface of control and electrically treated cells were revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Data presented in this study allow us to conclude that electric field pulses provoke not only plasma membrane permeabilization, but also changes in the cell wall structure, leading to increased wall porosity.

The CWI Pathway: Regulation of the Transcriptional Adaptive Response to Cell Wall Stress in Yeast

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Ana Belén Sanz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Fungi are surrounded by an essential structure, the cell wall, which not only confers cell shape but also protects cells from environmental stress. As a consequence, yeast cells growing under cell wall damage conditions elicit rescue mechanisms to provide maintenance of cellular integrity and fungal survival. Through transcriptional reprogramming, yeast modulate the expression of genes important for cell wall biogenesis and remodeling, metabolism and energy generation, morphogenesis, signal transduction and stress. The yeast cell wall integrity (CWI pathway, which is very well conserved in other fungi, is the key pathway for the regulation of this adaptive response. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the yeast transcriptional program elicited to counterbalance cell wall stress situations, the role of the CWI pathway in the regulation of this program and the importance of the transcriptional input received by other pathways. Modulation of this adaptive response through the CWI pathway by positive and negative transcriptional feedbacks is also discussed. Since all these regulatory mechanisms are well conserved in pathogenic fungi, improving our knowledge about them will have an impact in the developing of new antifungal therapies.

Induced Polyploidy in Diploid Ornamental Ginger (Hedychium muluense) Using Colchicine and Oryzalin

Science.gov (United States)

The ploidy level of H. muluense, a diploid (2n = 2x = 34) and dwarf ornamental ginger species, has been determined and is reported for the first time. Oryzalin and colchicine were successfully used to induce polyploidy in Hedychium muluense in vitro. Embryogenic cell lines were treated with oryzalin...

Obtaining sorbents of metal ions based on yeast cells Rhodotorula glutinis

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Zh. Tattibayeva

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Ability to separate Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions from solution using yeast cells Rhodotorulа glutinis were considered. The degree of water purification in this case is of 60-70%. To increase the degree of binding of metal ions with cells and facilitate separation processes of water sorbents their immobilization on the surface of the water in the presence of polyethyleneimine was carried out. It is shown that under optimal conditions on the surface of 1 g diatomite 18 ∙ 106 cells is adsorbed. The high sorption capacity of diatomite justified its porosity. IR spectroscopic study of the interaction of the ions Cu2+ and Pb2+ with cell surface showed that high affinity Pb2 + ions to the surface of yeast cells is connected with form of slightly soluble compounds with the phosphate ions.

Types of cell death and methods of their detection in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wloch-Salamon, D.M.; Bem, A.E.

2013-01-01

The occurrence of programmed cell death in unicellular organisms is a subject that arouses great interest of theoreticians and experimental scientists. Already found evolutionarily conserved genes and metabolic pathways confirmed its existence in yeast, protozoa and even bacteria. In the yeast

Glycerol production by fermenting yeast cells is essential for optimal bread dough fermentation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elham Aslankoohi

Full Text Available Glycerol is the main compatible solute in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When faced with osmotic stress, for example during semi-solid state bread dough fermentation, yeast cells produce and accumulate glycerol in order to prevent dehydration by balancing the intracellular osmolarity with that of the environment. However, increased glycerol production also results in decreased CO2 production, which may reduce dough leavening. We investigated the effect of yeast glycerol production level on bread dough fermentation capacity of a commercial bakery strain and a laboratory strain. We find that Δgpd1 mutants that show decreased glycerol production show impaired dough fermentation. In contrast, overexpression of GPD1 in the laboratory strain results in increased fermentation rates in high-sugar dough and improved gas retention in the fermenting bread dough. Together, our results reveal the crucial role of glycerol production level by fermenting yeast cells in dough fermentation efficiency as well as gas retention in dough, thereby opening up new routes for the selection of improved commercial bakery yeasts.

A novel yeast cell-based screen identifies flavone as a tankyrase inhibitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yashiroda, Yoko; Okamoto, Reika; Hatsugai, Kaori; Takemoto, Yasushi; Goshima, Naoki; Saito, Tamio; Hamamoto, Makiko; Sugimoto, Yoshikazu; Osada, Hiroyuki; Seimiya, Hiroyuki; Yoshida, Minoru

2010-01-01

The telomere-associated protein tankyrase 1 is a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and is considered to be a promising target for cancer therapy, especially for BRCA-associated cancers. However, an efficient assay system for inhibitor screening has not been established, mainly due to the difficulty of efficient preparation of the enzyme and its substrate. Here, we report a cell-based assay system for detecting inhibitory activity against tankyrase 1. We found that overexpression of the human tankyrase 1 gene causes a growth defect in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Chemicals that restore the growth defect phenotype can be identified as potential tankyrase 1 inhibitors. We performed a high-throughput screen using this system, and identified flavone as a compound that restores the growth of yeast cells overexpressing tankyrase 1. Indeed, flavone inhibited poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of proteins caused by overexpression of tankyrase 1 in yeast cells. This system allows rapid identification of inhibitory activity against tankyrase 1 and is amenable to high-throughput screening using robotics.

Effect of selenium on the Hg, Zn, Fe and Co content of yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czauderna, M.; Peplowski, A.; Smolinski, S.

1992-01-01

The yeast cells, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were exposed to Hg 2+ ions (10 -4 M) and SeO 2 (2x10 -4 -10 -2 M) or Se-methionine (2x10 -4 M). Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was used to analyze changes in the Hg, Zn,Fe and Co levels in these cells. When the yeast was incubated in a medium containing 10 -3 M and 10 -2 M Se) 2 , the Hg content of the yeast markedly increased. It was also found that the uptake of Se and Hg influenced the levels of Zn, Fe and Co found in the cells. While the presence of Se-methionine (Se-Met), SeO 2 or Hg 2+ ions caused increases in the intracellular Zn levels, the combined presence of Hg 2+ and SeO 2 and their assumed interaction, reduced the efficiency of Se for increasing the Zn content of yeast. (author) 17 refs.; 3 tabs

Yeast Extract Promotes Cell Growth and Induces Production of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Degrading Enzymes

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Min Li

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Polyvinyl alcohol-degrading enzymes (PVAases have a great potential in bio-desizing processes for its low environmental impact and low energy consumption. In this study, the effect of yeast extract on PVAases production was investigated. A strategy of four-point yeast extract addition was developed and applied to maximize cell growth and PVAases production. As a result, the maximum dry cell weight achieved was 1.48 g/L and the corresponding PVAases activity was 2.99 U/mL, which are 46.5% and 176.8% higher than the control, respectively. Applying this strategy in a 7 L fermentor increased PVAases activity to 3.41 U/mL. Three amino acids (glycine, serine, and tyrosine in yeast extract play a central role in the production of PVAases. These results suggest that the new strategy of four-point yeast extract addition could benefit PVAases production.

A Stochastic Model of the Yeast Cell Cycle Reveals Roles for Feedback Regulation in Limiting Cellular Variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Barik, Debashis; Ball, David A; Peccoud, Jean; Tyson, John J

2016-12-01

The cell division cycle of eukaryotes is governed by a complex network of cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) and auxiliary proteins that govern CDK activities. The control system must function reliably in the context of molecular noise that is inevitable in tiny yeast cells, because mistakes in sequencing cell cycle events are detrimental or fatal to the cell or its progeny. To assess the effects of noise on cell cycle progression requires not only extensive, quantitative, experimental measurements of cellular heterogeneity but also comprehensive, accurate, mathematical models of stochastic fluctuations in the CDK control system. In this paper we provide a stochastic model of the budding yeast cell cycle that accurately accounts for the variable phenotypes of wild-type cells and more than 20 mutant yeast strains simulated in different growth conditions. We specifically tested the role of feedback regulations mediated by G1- and SG2M-phase cyclins to minimize the noise in cell cycle progression. Details of the model are informed and tested by quantitative measurements (by fluorescence in situ hybridization) of the joint distributions of mRNA populations in yeast cells. We use the model to predict the phenotypes of ~30 mutant yeast strains that have not yet been characterized experimentally.

A Stochastic Model of the Yeast Cell Cycle Reveals Roles for Feedback Regulation in Limiting Cellular Variability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debashis Barik

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The cell division cycle of eukaryotes is governed by a complex network of cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs and auxiliary proteins that govern CDK activities. The control system must function reliably in the context of molecular noise that is inevitable in tiny yeast cells, because mistakes in sequencing cell cycle events are detrimental or fatal to the cell or its progeny. To assess the effects of noise on cell cycle progression requires not only extensive, quantitative, experimental measurements of cellular heterogeneity but also comprehensive, accurate, mathematical models of stochastic fluctuations in the CDK control system. In this paper we provide a stochastic model of the budding yeast cell cycle that accurately accounts for the variable phenotypes of wild-type cells and more than 20 mutant yeast strains simulated in different growth conditions. We specifically tested the role of feedback regulations mediated by G1- and SG2M-phase cyclins to minimize the noise in cell cycle progression. Details of the model are informed and tested by quantitative measurements (by fluorescence in situ hybridization of the joint distributions of mRNA populations in yeast cells. We use the model to predict the phenotypes of ~30 mutant yeast strains that have not yet been characterized experimentally.

Timing of the uv mutagenesis in yeast: a pedigree analysis of induced recessive mutation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, A.P.; Kilbey, B.J.

1977-01-01

The mechanism of uv-induced mutation in eukaryotes was studied in individual yeast cells by a procedure that combined pedigree analysis and tetrad analysis. The technique involved the induction of recessive lethals and semilethals in G1 diploid cells. Induced frequencies were 25 and 61% at survival levels of 90 and 77%, respectively. No evidence of gross chromosome aberrations was detected. Recessive mutations that affect only one strand or that affect both strands of the DNA molecule are induced much at random among a population of cells, and both types can occur within the same cell. However, the data confirm that two-strand mutations are in the majority after a low level of irradiation. The simplest explanation involves a mechanism whereby most mutations are fixed in both strands prior to the first round of post-irradiation DNA replication. The recessive mutational consequences of irradiation are exhausted at the conclusion of the first post-irradiation cell division, although dominant-lethal sectoring continues at a high level through the second post-irradiation division. It is concluded that pyrimidine dimers that persist to the second round of DNA replication are rare or ineffective

The timing of UV mutagenesis in yeast: a pedigree analysis of induced recessive mutation.

Science.gov (United States)

James, A P; Kilbey, B J

1977-10-01

The mechanism of UV-induced mutation in eukaryotes was studied in individual yeast cells by a procedure that combined pedigree analysis and tetrad analysis. The technique involved the induction of recessive lethals and semilethals in G1 diploid cells. Induced frequencies were 25 and 61 percent at survival levels of 90 and 77 percent, respectively. No evidence of gross chromosome aberrations was detected. Recessive mutations that affect only one strand or that affect both strands of the DNA molecule are induced much at random among a population of cells, and both types can occur within the same cell. However, the data confirm that two-strand mutations are in the majority after a low level of irradiation. The simplest explanation involves a mechanism whereby most mutations are fixed in both strands prior to the first round of post-irradiation DNA replication. The recessive mutational consequences of irradiation are exhausted at the conclusion of the first post-irradiation cell division, although dominant-lethal sectoring continues at a high level through the second post-irradiation division. It is concluded that pyrimidine dimers that persist to the second round of DNA replication are rare or ineffective.

Embryo rescue of crosses between diploid and tetraploid grape ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ajl yemi

2011-12-19

Dec 19, 2011 ... embryo rescue from interspecific hybridization between diploid and tetraploid grape species. Wakana et al. (2003) and Motosugi et al. (2003) studied the formation and developments of hybrid seeds from cross between diploid and tetraploid, and then obtained triploid progenies through embryo rescue.

Transformation and radiosensitivity of human diploid skin fibroblasts transfected with activated RAS oncogene and SV40 T-antigen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, L.-N.; Little, J.B. (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (United States))

1992-08-01

Three normal human diploid cell strains were transfected with an activated Ha-ras oncogene (EJ ras) or SV40 T-antigen. Multiple clones were examined for morphological alterations, growth requirements, ability to grow under anchorage independent conditions, immortality and tumorigenicity in nude mice. Clones expressing SV40 T-antigen alone or in combination with ras protein p21 were significantly radioresistant as compared with their parent cells or clones transfected with the neo gene only. This radioresistant phenotype persisted in post-crisis, immortalized cell lines. These data suggest that expression of the SV40 T-antigen but not activated Ha-ras plays an important role in the radiosensitivity of human diploid cells. The radioresistant phenotype in SV40 T transfected cells was not related to the enhanced level of genetic instability seen in pre-crisis and newly immortalized cells, nor to the process of immortalization itself. (author).

Transformation and radiosensitivity of human diploid skin fibroblasts transfected with activated RAS oncogene and SV40 T-antigen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, L.-N.; Little, J.B.

1992-01-01

Three normal human diploid cell strains were transfected with an activated Ha-ras oncogene (EJ ras) or SV40 T-antigen. Multiple clones were examined for morphological alterations, growth requirements, ability to grow under anchorage independent conditions, immortality and tumorigenicity in nude mice. Clones expressing SV40 T-antigen alone or in combination with ras protein p21 were significantly radioresistant as compared with their parent cells or clones transfected with the neo gene only. This radioresistant phenotype persisted in post-crisis, immortalized cell lines. These data suggest that expression of the SV40 T-antigen but not activated Ha-ras plays an important role in the radiosensitivity of human diploid cells. The radioresistant phenotype in SV40 T transfected cells was not related to the enhanced level of genetic instability seen in pre-crisis and newly immortalized cells, nor to the process of immortalization itself. (author)

Comparison between diploid and tetraploid citrus rootstocks: morphological characterization and growth evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Divanilde Guerra

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Tetraploid citrus rootstocks may present different morphological characteristics and growth when compared to diploid ones. This worked aimed at comparing morphological characteristics and height growth of diploid and tetraploid plants from the rootstocks 'Swingle' citrumelo [C. paradise Macf. x Poncirus trifoliate (L. Raf], citrange 'Troyer' (C. sinensis (L. Osb. x P. trifoliata and citranges 'Fepagro C 13' and 'Fepagro C 37' [C. sinensis cv. Pêra x P. trifoliata] during twelve months. Diploid (2n=18 and tetraploid (2n=36 plants originated from the same seed were identified, cultivated and evaluated every 45 days regarding color, height, petiole length, leaf length and central leaflet width. Significant differences were observed for the evaluated characteristics: the average of petiole length was 1.78 cm in the diploid and 0.99 cm in the tetraploid plants; the average of leaf length was 2.32 cm in the diploid and 2.95 cm in the tetraploid plants; the average of central leaflet width was 1.33 cm in the diploid and 1.69 cm in the tetraploid plants. Moreover, tetraploid plants had darker and thicker leaves than the diploid ones. Variation regarding height was observed and the diploid plants presented higher growth than the tetraploid ones. As tetraploid plants are smaller, have a slow height growth and wider and longer leaves.

Screening of intact yeasts and cell extracts to reduce Scrapie prions during biotransformation of food waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Huyben, David; Boqvist, Sofia; Passoth, Volkmar; Renström, Lena; Allard Bengtsson, Ulrika; Andréoletti, Olivier; Kiessling, Anders; Lundh, Torbjörn; Vågsholm, Ivar

2018-02-08

Yeasts can be used to convert organic food wastes to protein-rich animal feed in order to recapture nutrients. However, the reuse of animal-derived waste poses a risk for the transmission of infectious prions that can cause neurodegeneration and fatality in humans and animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of yeasts to reduce prion activity during the biotransformation of waste substrates-thereby becoming a biosafety hurdle in such a circular food system. During pre-screening, 30 yeast isolates were spiked with Classical Scrapie prions and incubated for 72 h in casein substrate, as a waste substitute. Based on reduced Scrapie seeding activity, waste biotransformation and protease activities, intact cells and cell extracts of 10 yeasts were further tested. Prion analysis showed that five yeast species reduced Scrapie seeding activity by approximately 1 log10 or 90%. Cryptococcus laurentii showed the most potential to reduce prion activity since both intact and extracted cells reduced Scrapie by 1 log10 and achieved the highest protease activity. These results show that select forms of yeast can act as a prion hurdle during the biotransformation of waste. However, the limited ability of yeasts to reduce prion activity warrants caution as a sole barrier to transmission as higher log reductions are needed before using waste-cultured yeast in circular food systems.

Prions in yeast

OpenAIRE

Bezdíčka, Martin

2013-01-01

The thesis describes yeast prions and their biological effects on yeast in general. It defines the basic characteristics of yeast prions, that distinguish prions from other proteins. The thesis introduces various possibilities of prion formation, and propagation as well as specific types of yeast prions, including various functions of most studied types of prions. The thesis also focuses on chaperones that affect the state of yeast prions in cells. Lastly, the thesis indicates similarities be...

A set of nutrient limitations trigger yeast cell death in a nitrogen-dependent manner during wine alcoholic fermentation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camille Duc

Full Text Available Yeast cell death can occur during wine alcoholic fermentation. It is generally considered to result from ethanol stress that impacts membrane integrity. This cell death mainly occurs when grape musts processing reduces lipid availability, resulting in weaker membrane resistance to ethanol. However the mechanisms underlying cell death in these conditions remain unclear. We examined cell death occurrence considering yeast cells ability to elicit an appropriate response to a given nutrient limitation and thus survive starvation. We show here that a set of micronutrients (oleic acid, ergosterol, pantothenic acid and nicotinic acid in low, growth-restricting concentrations trigger cell death in alcoholic fermentation when nitrogen level is high. We provide evidence that nitrogen signaling is involved in cell death and that either SCH9 deletion or Tor inhibition prevent cell death in several types of micronutrient limitation. Under such limitations, yeast cells fail to acquire any stress resistance and are unable to store glycogen. Unexpectedly, transcriptome analyses did not reveal any major changes in stress genes expression, suggesting that post-transcriptional events critical for stress response were not triggered by micronutrient starvation. Our data point to the fact that yeast cell death results from yeast inability to trigger an appropriate stress response under some conditions of nutrient limitations most likely not encountered by yeast in the wild. Our conclusions provide a novel frame for considering both cell death and the management of nutrients during alcoholic fermentation.

Effects of metal salt catalysts on yeast cell growth in ethanol conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Chung-Yun Hse; Yin Lin

2009-01-01

The effects of the addition of metal salts and metal salt-catalyzed hydrolyzates on yeast cell growth in ethanol fermentation were investigated. Four yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae WT1, Saccharomyces cerevisiae MT81, Candida sp. 1779, and Klumaromyces fragilis), four metal salts (CuCl2, FeCl3, AgNO3, and I2), two metal salt-catalyzed hydrolyzates (...

From mannan to bioethanol: cell surface co-display of β-mannanase and β-mannosidase on yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Jun; Okazaki, Fumiyoshi; Djohan, Apridah Cameliawati; Hara, Kiyotaka Y; Asai-Nakashima, Nanami; Teramura, Hiroshi; Andriani, Ade; Tominaga, Masahiro; Wakai, Satoshi; Kahar, Prihardi; Yopi; Prasetya, Bambang; Ogino, Chiaki; Kondo, Akihiko

2016-01-01

Mannans represent the largest hemicellulosic fraction in softwoods and also serve as carbohydrate stores in various plants. However, the utilization of mannans as sustainable resources has been less advanced in sustainable biofuel development. Based on a yeast cell surface-display technology that enables the immobilization of multiple enzymes on the yeast cell walls, we constructed a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain that co-displays β-mannanase and β-mannosidase; this strain is expected to facilitate ethanol fermentation using mannan as a biomass source. Parental yeast S. cerevisiae assimilated mannose and glucose as monomeric sugars, producing ethanol from mannose. We constructed yeast strains that express tethered β-mannanase and β-mannosidase; co-display of the two enzymes on the cell surface was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining and enzyme activity assays. The constructed yeast cells successfully hydrolyzed 1,4-β-d-mannan and produced ethanol by assimilating the resulting mannose without external addition of enzymes. Furthermore, the constructed strain produced ethanol from 1,4-β-d-mannan continually during the third batch of repeated fermentation. Additionally, the constructed strain produced ethanol from ivory nut mannan; ethanol yield was improved by NaOH pretreatment of the substrate. We successfully displayed β-mannanase and β-mannosidase on the yeast cell surface. Our results clearly demonstrate the utility of the strain co-displaying β-mannanase and β-mannosidase for ethanol fermentation from mannan biomass. Thus, co-tethering β-mannanase and β-mannosidase on the yeast cell surface provides a powerful platform technology for yeast fermentation toward the production of bioethanol and other biochemicals from lignocellulosic materials containing mannan components.

Hyperthermia-induced alteration of yeast susceptibility to mutation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchel, R.E.J.; Morrison, D.P.

1985-01-01

Diploid yeast (s. cerevisiae) were examined for alterations in susceptibility to induced mutation following hyperthermia treatment. In cells grown at 23 0 C, a non-lethal heat exposure (38 0 C, 30 min) markedly suppressed mutation induced by a subsequent non-killing dose of MNNG of MNU. Mutation by ENU, 8-MOP + UVA, or γ-rays was not affected. An intermediate level of mutation suppression was observed for mutation by 254nm UV or MMS. Mutation by MNNG was not suppressed by the same heat treatment delivered after the mutagen exposure. In a split dose experiment (two MNNG treatments separated by a heat exposure) no suppression of mutation was observed. Treatment with cycloheximide mimicked the effect of heat treatment. These data suggest that mutation induction by MNNG or MNU is protein synthesis dependent, i.e. an error-prone repair system is induced by exposure to MNNG or MNU but not by ENU, 8-MOP+UVA or γ-irradiation. We propose that hyperthermia treatment, by inducing stress protein synthesis at the expense of normal protein synthesis, precludes induction of this error-prone system. Therefore, in heat treated cells, DNA lesions produced by MNNG or MNU exposure must be resolved by an essentially constitutive system which is less error-prone than the inducible one

Yeast surface displaying glucose oxidase as whole-cell biocatalyst: construction, characterization, and its electrochemical glucose sensing application.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongwei; Lang, Qiaolin; Li, Liang; Liang, Bo; Tang, Xiangjiang; Kong, Lingrang; Mascini, Marco; Liu, Aihua

2013-06-18

The display of glucose oxidase (GOx) on yeast cell surface using a-agglutinin as an anchor motif was successfully developed. Both the immunochemical analysis and enzymatic assay showed that active GOx was efficiently expressed and translocated on the cell surface. Compared with conventional GOx, the yeast cell surface that displayed GOx (GOx-yeast) demonstrated excellent enzyme properties, such as good stability within a wide pH range (pH 3.5-11.5), good thermostability (retaining over 94.8% enzyme activity at 52 °C and 84.2% enzyme activity at 56 °C), and high d-glucose specificity. In addition, direct electrochemistry was achieved at a GOx-yeast/multiwalled-carbon-nanotube modified electrode, suggesting that the host cell of yeast did not have any adverse effect on the electrocatalytic property of the recombinant GOx. Thus, a novel electrochemical glucose biosensor based on this GOx-yeast was developed. The as-prepared biosensor was linear with the concentration of d-glucose within the range of 0.1-14 mM and a low detection limit of 0.05 mM (signal-to-noise ratio of S/N = 3). Moreover, the as-prepared biosensor is stable, specific, reproducible, simple, and cost-effective, which can be applicable for real sample detection. The proposed strategy to construct robust GOx-yeast may be applied to explore other oxidase-displaying-system-based whole-cell biocatalysts, which can find broad potential application in biosensors, bioenergy, and industrial catalysis.

Nanoscopic morphological changes in yeast cell surfaces caused by oxidative stress: an atomic force microscopic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Canetta, Elisabetta; Walker, Graeme M; Adya, Ashok K

2009-06-01

Nanoscopic changes in the cell surface morphology of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain NCYC 1681) and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (strain DVPB 1354), due to their exposure to varying concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (oxidative stress), were investigated using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Increasing hydrogen peroxide concentration led to a decrease in cell viabilities and mean cell volumes, and an increase in the surface roughness of the yeasts. In addition, AFM studies revealed that oxidative stress caused cell compression in both S. cerevisiae and Schiz. pombe cells and an increase in the number of aged yeasts. These results confirmed the importance and usefulness of AFM in investigating the morphology of stressed microbial cells at the nanoscale. The results also provided novel information on the relative oxidative stress tolerance of S. cerevisiae and Schiz. pombe.

Synthesis of polypyrrole within the cell wall of yeast by redox-cycling of [Fe(CN)6](3-)/[Fe(CN)6](4-).

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanavicius, Arunas; Andriukonis, Eivydas; Stirke, Arunas; Mikoliunaite, Lina; Balevicius, Zigmas; Ramanaviciene, Almira

2016-02-01

Yeast cells are often used as a model system in various experiments. Moreover, due to their high metabolic activity, yeast cells have a potential to be applied as elements in the design of biofuel cells and biosensors. However a wider application of yeast cells in electrochemical systems is limited due to high electric resistance of their cell wall. In order to reduce this problem we have polymerized conducting polymer polypyrrole (Ppy) directly in the cell wall and/or within periplasmic membrane. In this research the formation of Ppy was induced by [Fe(CN)6](3-)ions, which were generated from K4[Fe(CN)6], which was initially added to polymerization solution. The redox process was catalyzed by oxido-reductases, which are present in the plasma membrane of yeast cells. The formation of Ppy was confirmed by spectrophotometry and atomic force microscopy. It was confirmed that the conducting polymer polypyrrole was formed within periplasmic space and/or within the cell wall of yeast cells, which were incubated in solution containing pyrrole, glucose and [Fe(CN)6](4-). After 24h drying at room temperature we have observed that Ppy-modified yeast cell walls retained their initial spherical form. In contrast to Ppy-modified cells, the walls of unmodified yeast have wrinkled after 24h drying. The viability of yeast cells in the presence of different pyrrole concentrations has been evaluated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study of budding yeast colony formation and its characterizations by using circular granular cell

Science.gov (United States)

Aprianti, D.; Haryanto, F.; Purqon, A.; Khotimah, S. N.; Viridi, S.

2016-03-01

Budding yeast can exhibit colony formation in solid substrate. The colony of pathogenic budding yeast can colonize various surfaces of the human body and medical devices. Furthermore, it can form biofilm that resists drug effective therapy. The formation of the colony is affected by the interaction between cells and with its growth media. The cell budding pattern holds an important role in colony expansion. To study this colony growth, the molecular dynamic method was chosen to simulate the interaction between budding yeast cells. Every cell was modelled by circular granular cells, which can grow and produce buds. Cohesion force, contact force, and Stokes force govern this model to mimic the interaction between cells and with the growth substrate. Characterization was determined by the maximum (L max) and minimum (L min) distances between two cells within the colony and whether two lines that connect the two cells in the maximum and minimum distances intersect each other. Therefore, it can be recognized the colony shape in circular, oval, and irregular shapes. Simulation resulted that colony formation are mostly in oval shape with little branch. It also shows that greater cohesion strength obtains more compact colony formation.

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine protects the probiotic yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii, from acid-induced cell death.

Science.gov (United States)

Cascio, Vincent; Gittings, Daniel; Merloni, Kristen; Hurton, Matthew; Laprade, David; Austriaco, Nicanor

2013-02-13

Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic yeast routinely used to prevent and to treat gastrointestinal disorders, including the antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile infections. However, only 1-3% of the yeast administered orally is recovered alive in the feces suggesting that this yeast is unable to survive the acidic environment of the gastrointestinal tract. We provide evidence that suggests that S. boulardii undergoes programmed cell death (PCD) in acidic environments, which is accompanied by the generation of reactive oxygen species and the appearance of caspase-like activity. To better understand the mechanism of cell death at the molecular level, we generated microarray gene expression profiles of S. boulardii cells cultured in an acidic environment. Significantly, functional annotation revealed that the up-regulated genes were significantly over-represented in cell death pathways Finally, we show that S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet), a commercially available, FDA-approved dietary supplement, enhances the viability of S. boulardii in acidic environments, most likely by preventing programmed cell death. In toto, given the observation that many of the proven health benefits of S. boulardii are dependent on cell viability, our data suggests that taking S. boulardii and AdoMet together may be a more effective treatment for gastrointestinal disorders than taking the probiotic yeast alone.

Synchronization of glycolytic oscillations in a yeast cell population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dano, S.; Hynne, F.; De Monte, Silvia

2001-01-01

The mechanism of active phase synchronization in a suspension of oscillatory yeast cells has remained a puzzle for almost half a century. The difficulty of the problem stems from the fact that the synchronization phenomenon involves the entire metabolic network of glycolysis and fermentation, and...

Dual pathways for ribonucleic acid turnover in WI-38 but not in I-cell human diploid fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sameshima, M.; Liebhaber, S.A.; Schlessinger, D.

1981-01-01

The turnover rates of /sup 3/H-labeled 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (RNA), 28S ribsomal RNA, transfer RNA, and total cytoplasmic RNA were very similar in growing WI-38 diploid fibroblasts. The rate of turnover was at least twofold greater when cell growth stopped due to cell confluence, /sup 3/H irradiation, or treatment with 20 mM NaN/sub 3/ or 2 mM NaF. In contrast, the rate of total /sup 3/H-protein turnover was the same in growing and nongrowing cells. Both RNA and protein turnovers were accelerated at least twofold in WI-38 cells deprived of serum, and this increase in turnover was inhibited by NH/sub 4/Cl. These results are consistent with two pathways for RNA turnover, oe of them being nonlysosomal and the other being lyosome mediated (NH/sub 4/Cl sensitive), as has been suggested for protein turnover. Also consistent with the notion of two pathways for RNA turnover were findings with I-cells, which are deficient for many lysosomal enzymes, and in which all RNA turnover were nonlysosomal (NH/sub 4/Cl resistant)

Mitochondrion-mediated cell death: dissecting yeast apoptosis for a better understanding of neurodegeneration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Braun, Ralf J., E-mail: ralf.braun@uni-bayreuth.de [Institut für Zellbiologie, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth (Germany)

2012-11-28

Mitochondrial damage and dysfunction are common hallmarks for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer, Parkinson, Huntington diseases, and the motor neuron disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Damaged mitochondria pivotally contribute to neurotoxicity and neuronal cell death in these disorders, e.g., due to their inability to provide the high energy requirements for neurons, their generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and their induction of mitochondrion-mediated cell death pathways. Therefore, in-depth analyses of the underlying molecular pathways, including cellular mechanisms controlling the maintenance of mitochondrial function, is a prerequisite for a better understanding of neurodegenerative disorders. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an established model for deciphering mitochondrial quality control mechanisms and the distinct mitochondrial roles during apoptosis and programmed cell death. Cell death upon expression of various human neurotoxic proteins has been characterized in yeast, revealing neurotoxic protein-specific differences. This review summarizes how mitochondria are affected in these neurotoxic yeast models, and how they are involved in the execution and prevention of cell death. I will discuss to which extent this mimics the situation in other neurotoxic model systems, and how this may contribute to a better understanding of the mitochondrial roles in the human disorders.

Mitochondrion-mediated cell death: dissecting yeast apoptosis for a better understanding of neurodegeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braun, Ralf J.

2012-01-01

Mitochondrial damage and dysfunction are common hallmarks for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer, Parkinson, Huntington diseases, and the motor neuron disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Damaged mitochondria pivotally contribute to neurotoxicity and neuronal cell death in these disorders, e.g., due to their inability to provide the high energy requirements for neurons, their generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and their induction of mitochondrion-mediated cell death pathways. Therefore, in-depth analyses of the underlying molecular pathways, including cellular mechanisms controlling the maintenance of mitochondrial function, is a prerequisite for a better understanding of neurodegenerative disorders. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an established model for deciphering mitochondrial quality control mechanisms and the distinct mitochondrial roles during apoptosis and programmed cell death. Cell death upon expression of various human neurotoxic proteins has been characterized in yeast, revealing neurotoxic protein-specific differences. This review summarizes how mitochondria are affected in these neurotoxic yeast models, and how they are involved in the execution and prevention of cell death. I will discuss to which extent this mimics the situation in other neurotoxic model systems, and how this may contribute to a better understanding of the mitochondrial roles in the human disorders.

Intracellular trehalose and sorbitol synergistically promoting cell viability of a biocontrol yeast, Pichia anomala, for aflatoxin reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Sui Sheng T; Hernlem, Bradley J; Yokoyama, Wallace; Sarreal, Siov Bouy L

2015-05-01

Pichia anomala (Wickerhamomyces anomalus) WRL-076 was discovered by a visual screening bioassay for its antagonism against Aspergillus flavus. The yeast was shown to significantly inhibit aflatoxin production and the growth of A. flavus. P. anomala is a potential biocontrol agent for reduction of aflatoxin in the food chain. Maintaining the viability of biocontrol agents in formulated products is a great challenge for commercial applications. Four media, NYG, NYGS, NYGT and NYGST are described which support good growth of yeast cells and were tested as storage formulations. Post growth supplement of 5 % trehalose to NYGST resulted in 83 % viable yeast cells after 12 months in cold storage. Intracellular sorbitol and trehalose concentrations were determined by HPLC analysis at the beginning of the storage and at the end of 12 month. Correlation of cell viability to both trehalose and sorbitol suggested a synergistic effect. Bonferroni (Dunn) t Test, Tukey's Studentized Range (HSD) Test and Duncan's Multiple Range Test, all showed that yeast cell viability in samples with both intracellular trehalose and sorbitol were significantly higher than those with either or none, at a 95 % confidence level. DiBAC4(5) and CFDA-AM were used as the membrane integrity fluorescent stains to create a two-color vital staining scheme with red and green fluorescence, respectively. Yeast cells stored in formulations NYG and NYGS with no detectable trehalose, displayed mostly red fluorescence. Yeast cells in NYGST+5T showed mostly green fluorescence.

Untangling the Roles of Anti-Apoptosis in Regulating Programmed Cell Death using Humanized Yeast Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clapp, Caitlin; Portt, Liam; Khoury, Chamel; Sheibani, Sara; Eid, Rawan; Greenwood, Matthew; Vali, Hojatollah; Mandato, Craig A.; Greenwood, Michael T.

2012-01-01

Genetically programmed cell death (PCD) mechanisms, including apoptosis, are important for the survival of metazoans since it allows, among things, the removal of damaged cells that interfere with normal function. Cell death due to PCD is observed in normal processes such as aging and in a number of pathophysiologies including hypoxia (common causes of heart attacks and strokes) and subsequent tissue reperfusion. Conversely, the loss of normal apoptotic responses is associated with the development of tumors. So far, limited success in preventing unwanted PCD has been reported with current therapeutic approaches despite the fact that inhibitors of key apoptotic inducers such as caspases have been developed. Alternative approaches have focused on mimicking anti-apoptotic processes observed in cells displaying increased resistance to apoptotic stimuli. Hormesis and pre-conditioning are commonly observed cellular strategies where sub-lethal levels of pro-apoptotic stimuli lead to increased resistance to higher or lethal levels of stress. Increased expression of anti-apoptotic sequences is a common mechanism mediating these protective effects. The relevance of the latter observation is exemplified by the observation that transgenic mice overexpressing anti-apoptotic genes show significant reductions in tissue damage following ischemia. Thus strategies aimed at increasing the levels of anti-apoptotic proteins, using gene therapy or cell penetrating recombinant proteins are being evaluated as novel therapeutics to decrease cell death following acute periods of cell death inducing stress. In spite of its functional and therapeutic importance, more is known regarding the processes involved in apoptosis than anti-apoptosis. The genetically tractable yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has emerged as an exceptional model to study multiple aspects of PCD including the mitochondrial mediated apoptosis observed in metazoans. To increase our knowledge of the process of anti

The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) is required for the sensitivity of yeast cells to nickel ions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Chong; Cao, Chunlei; Jiang, Linghuo

2016-05-01

Nickel is one of the toxic environment metal pollutants and is linked to various human diseases. In this study, through a functional genomics approach we have identified 16 nickel-sensitive and 22 nickel-tolerant diploid deletion mutants of budding yeast genes, many of which are novel players in the regulation of nickel homeostasis. The 16 nickel-sensitive mutants are of genes mainly involved in the protein folding, modification and destination and the cellular transport processes, while the 22 nickel-tolerant mutants are of genes encoding components of ESCRT complexes as well as protein factors involved in both the cell wall integrity maintenance and the vacuolar protein sorting process. In consistence with their phenotypes, most of these nickel-sensitive mutants show reduced intracellular nickel contents, while the majority of these nickel-tolerant mutants show elevated intracellular nickel contents, as compared to the wild type in response to nickel stress. Our data provides a basis for our understanding the regulation of nickel homeostasis and molecular mechanisms of nickel-induced human pathogenesis. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Genetic analysis of γ-ray mutagenesis in yeast. Vol. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKee, R.H.; Lawrence, C.W.

1980-01-01

Comparisons between the 60 Co γ-ray survival curves of diploid strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that are homozygous for two non-allelic radiation-sensitive mutations and the corresponding single-mutant diploids suggest that there are two main types of repair of ionizing radiation damage in this organism. The first, which is defined by the rad52 epistasis group, depends on the activities of the RAD50 through RAD57 genes and is responsible for repairing the larger amount of lethal damage. Previous work [22] shows that this type of repair is essentially error-free. The second, defined by the rad6 epistasis group, depends on the activities of the RAD6, RAD9, RAD18, REV1 and REV3 genes and repairs a smaller, though still substantial, amount of lethal damage. It is also responsible for induced mutagenesis [22,23]. Data for survival and mutation induction after irradiation in air and partial anoxia show that oxygen-dependent damage can be repaired by either of these two pathways. They also show similar oxygen-enhancement ratios for survival and mutagenesis. (orig.)

Immobilization of yeast cells with ionic hydrogel carriers by adhesion-multiplication.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhaoxin, L; Fujimura, T

2000-12-01

The mixture of an ionic monomer, 2-acrylamido 2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (TBAS), and a series of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (nG) monomers were copolymerized with 60Co gamma-rays, and the produced ionic hydrogel polymers were used for immobilization of yeast cells. The cells were adhered onto the surface of the hydrogel polymers and intruded into the interior of the polymers with growing. The immobilized yeast cells with these hydrogel polymers had higher ethanol productivity than that of free cells. The yield of ethanol with poly(TBAS-14G) carrier was the highest and increased by 3.5 times compared to the free cells. It was found that the ethanol yield increased with the increase of glycol number in poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate. The state of the immobilized cells was observed with microscope, and it was also found that the difference in the ethanol productivity is mainly due to the difference in the internal structure and properties of polymer carrier, such as surface charge, hydrophilicity, and swelling ability of polymer carrier.

Proteomic and genomic characterization of a yeast model for Ogden syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Dörfel, Max J.; Fang, Han; Crain, Jonathan; Klingener, Michael; Weiser, Jake

2016-01-01

Abstract Naa10 is an Nα‐terminal acetyltransferase that, in a complex with its auxiliary subunit Naa15, co‐translationally acetylates the α‐amino group of newly synthetized proteins as they emerge from the ribosome. Roughly 40–50% of the human proteome is acetylated by Naa10, rendering this an enzyme one of the most broad substrate ranges known. Recently, we reported an X‐linked disorder of infancy, Ogden syndrome, in two families harbouring a c.109 T > C (p.Ser37Pro) variant in NAA10. In the present study we performed in‐depth characterization of a yeast model of Ogden syndrome. Stress tests and proteomic analyses suggest that the S37P mutation disrupts Naa10 function and reduces cellular fitness during heat shock, possibly owing to dysregulation of chaperone expression and accumulation. Microarray and RNA‐seq revealed a pseudo‐diploid gene expression profile in ΔNaa10 cells, probably responsible for a mating defect. In conclusion, the data presented here further support the disruptive nature of the S37P/Ogden mutation and identify affected cellular processes potentially contributing to the severe phenotype seen in Ogden syndrome. Data are available via GEO under identifier GSE86482 or with ProteomeXchange under identifier PXD004923. © 2016 The Authors. Yeast published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:27668839

Immobilization of yeast cells on hydrogel carriers obtained by radiation-induced polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luzhao Xin; Carenza, M.; Kaetsu, Isao; Kumakura, Minoru; Yoshida, Masaru; Fujimura, Takashi

1992-01-01

Polymer hydrogels were obtained by radiation-induced copolymerization at -78 o C of aqueous solutions of acrylic and methacrylic esters. The matrices were characterized by equilibrium water content measurements, by optical microscopy observations and by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Yeast cells were immobilized on these hydrogels and the ethanol productivity by batch fermentation was determined. Matrix hydrophilicity and porosity were found to deeply influence the adhesion of yeast cells and, hence, the ethanol productivity. The latter as well as other physico-chemical properties were also affected by the presence of a crosslinking agent added in small amounts to the polymerizating mixture. (author)

Evolution of the hemiascomycete yeasts: on life styles and the importance of inbreeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Knop, Michael

2006-07-01

The term 'breeding system' is used to describe the morphological and behavioural aspects of the sexual life cycle of a species. The yeast breeding system provides three alternatives that enable hapoids to return to the diploid state that is necessary for meiosis: mating of unrelated haploids (amphimixis), mating between spores from the same tetrad (intratetrad mating, automixis) and mother daughter mating upon mating type switching (haplo-selfing). The frequency of specific mating events affects the level of heterozygosity present in individuals and the genetic diversity of populations. This review discusses the reproductive strategies of yeasts, in particular S. cerevisiae (Bakers' or budding yeast). Emphasis is put on intratetrad mating, its implication for diversity, and how the particular genome structure could have evolved to ensure the preservation of a high degree of heterozygosity in conjunction with frequent intratetrad matings. I also discuss how the ability of yeast to control the number of spores that are formed accounts for high intratetrad mating rates and for enhanced transmission of genomic variation. I extend the discussion to natural genetic variation and propose that a high level of plasticity is inherent in the yeast breeding system, which may allow variation of the breeding behaviour in accordance with the needs imposed by the environment. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Interaction Between Yeasts and Zinc

Science.gov (United States)

Nicola, Raffaele De; Walker, Graeme

Zinc is an essential trace element in biological systems. For example, it acts as a cellular membrane stabiliser, plays a critical role in gene expression and genome modification and activates nearly 300 enzymes, including alcohol dehydrogenase. The present chapter will be focused on the influence of zinc on cell physiology of industrial yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with special regard to the uptake and subsequent utilisation of this metal. Zinc uptake by yeast is metabolism-dependent, with most of the available zinc translocated very quickly into the vacuole. At cell division, zinc is distributed from mother to daughter cells and this effectively lowers the individual cellular zinc concentration, which may become zinc depleted at the onset of the fermentation. Zinc influences yeast fermentative performance and examples will be provided relating to brewing and wine fermentations. Industrial yeasts are subjected to several stresses that may impair fermentation performance. Such stresses may also impact on yeast cell zinc homeostasis. This chapter will discuss the practical implications for the correct management of zinc bioavailability for yeast-based biotechnologies aimed at improving yeast growth, viability, fermentation performance and resistance to environmental stresses

Effects of radioactive 125I seeds on A549 cell line and human embryonic lung diploid cell line 2BS cultivated in vitro and assessment of its clinical safety dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bian Wenchao; Qi Liangchen

2012-01-01

Objective: To observe the cell count changes of A549 cell line and human embryonic lung diploid cell line 2BS after irradiated by 125 I seeds with different doses, and to study the growth inhibition of 125 I on this two kinds of cell lines, and to determine its clinical safety dose in treatment of non-small cell lung. Methods: 125 I seeds with different doses (low dose: 0.2 mCi, mediate dose: 0.4 mCi, high dose: 0.8 mCi) were chosen and put into A549 cells and human embryonic lung diploid cell line 2BS in vitro, the cells on the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th days after irradiation were collected, the alive cells were counted by cells dyeing experiments, then the growth curves were drawn, and the IC 50 of the radioactive 125 I seeds to both two cell lines were calculated. Results: Compared with blank and control groups, the cell proliferation trend of A549 cells in low dose group was not significantly influenced (P>0.05), but the growth of A549 cells in mediate and high dose groups were inhibited in a time-dependent manner, there were significant differences (P<0.05), the most obvious change was on the 6th day. The IC 50 of the radioactive 125 I seeds to A549 cells was about .04 mCi. While the growth inhibition of 125 I 2BS had no statistically significant differences between various dose groups (P>0.05), and the IC 50 of the radioactive 125 I seeds to 2BS cell line was about 1.65 mCi. Conclusion: 0.4 mCi of radioactive 125 I seeds has already had the obvious damage effect on A549 cell, 0.8 mCi of radioactive 125 I seeds has the stronger effect. The IC 50 of the radioactive 125 I seeds to 2BS cells is about 1.65 mCi, so the clinical safety dosage is 0.4-0.8 mCi. (authors)

Recent advances in yeast cell-surface display technologies for waste biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhuo; Ho, Shih-Hsin; Hasunuma, Tomohisa; Chang, Jo-Shu; Ren, Nan-Qi; Kondo, Akihiko

2016-09-01

Waste biorefinery aims to maximize the output of value-added products from various artificial/agricultural wastes by using integrated bioprocesses. To make waste biorefinery economically feasible, it is thus necessary to develop a low-cost, environment-friendly technique to perform simultaneous biodegradation and bioconversion of waste materials. Cell-surface display engineering is a novel, cost-effective technique that can auto-immobilize proteins on the cell exterior of microorganisms, and has been applied for use with waste biofinery. Through tethering different enzymes (e.g., cellulase, lipase, and protease) or metal-binding peptides on cell surfaces, various yeast strains can effectively produce biofuels and biochemicals from sugar/protein-rich waste materials, catalyze waste oils into biodiesels, or retrieve heavy metals from wastewater. This review critically summarizes recent applications of yeast cell-surface display on various types of waste biorefineries, highlighting its potential and future challenges with regard to commercializing this technology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethanol production potential from fermented rice noodle wastewater treatment using entrapped yeast cell sequencing batch reactor

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Siripattanakul-Ratpukdi, Sumana

2012-03-01

Fermented rice noodle production generates a large volume of starch-based wastewater. This study investigated the treatment of the fermented rice noodle wastewater using entrapped cell sequencing batch reactor (ECSBR) compared to traditional sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The yeast cells were applied because of their potential to convert reducing sugar in the wastewater to ethanol. In present study, preliminary treatment by acid hydrolysis was performed. A yeast culture, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with calcium alginate cell entrapment was used. Optimum yeast cell loading in batch experiment and fermented rice noodle treatment performances using ECSBR and SBR systems were examined. In the first part, it was found that the cell loadings (0.6-2.7 × 108 cells/mL) did not play an important role in this study. Treatment reactions followed the second-order kinetics with the treatment efficiencies of 92-95%. In the second part, the result showed that ECSBR performed better than SBR in both treatment efficiency and system stability perspectives. ECSBR maintained glucose removal of 82.5 ± 10% for 5-cycle treatment while glucose removal by SBR declined from 96 to 40% within the 5-cycle treatment. Scanning electron microscopic images supported the treatment results. A number of yeast cells entrapped and attached onto the matrix grew in the entrapment matrix.

Lactic acid-producing yeast cells having nonfunctional L- or D-lactate:ferricytochrome C oxidoreductase cells

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Matthew [Boston, MA; Suominen, Pirkko [Maple Grove, MN; Aristidou, Aristos [Highland Ranch, CO; Hause, Benjamin Matthew [Currie, MN; Van Hoek, Pim [Camarillo, CA; Dundon, Catherine Asleson [Minneapolis, MN

2012-03-20

Yeast cells having an exogenous lactate dehydrogenase gene ae modified by reducing L- or D-lactate:ferricytochrome c oxidoreductase activity in the cell. This leads to reduced consumption of lactate by the cell and can increase overall lactate yields in a fermentation process. Cells having the reduced L- or D-lactate:ferricytochrome c oxidoreductase activity can be screened for by resistance to organic acids such as lactic or glycolic acid.

Molecular characterization and expression analysis of Cyclin B and Cell division cycle 2 in gonads of diploid and triploid bighead catfish, Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864

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Anyalak Wachirachaikarn

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the differential expression of genes associated with reproduction in sterile triploid and normal diploid bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864. The triploid fish were produced using cold shock and were reared in the same conditions as the diploid counterpart. The histomicrographs showed completely retarded triploid gonads across the samples aged 2–12 mth, whereas the gonads of the diploids were in developing stages during 2–4 mth, reached the early maturing stage at 6 mth, matured at 8 mth and showed signs of atresia at 10–12 mth. In parallel, the full-length cDNAs of cyclin B1 (CmCcnb1; 1539 bp in length with an open reading frame (ORF of 1194 bp corresponding to 397 amino acids and cell division cycle 2 (CmCdc2; 1355 bp, an ORF of 909 bp, 302 amino acids of bighead catfish (C. macrocephalus Günther, 1864 were isolated. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the newly characterized CmCcnb1 should be regarded as a member of cyclin B1 rather than cyclin B2. The expression level of CmCcnb1 mRNA was limited in different stages of the ovaries and testes of triploids. In diploid ovaries, its expression was significantly higher than that in triploid ovaries in fish aged 2 mth (513.43 ± 82.22 fold and in fish aged 8 mth (2430.87 ± 900.06 fold. The CmCcnb1 level in the testes of diploids was significantly greater than that in triploids in fish aged 2 mth (928.85 ± 208.72 fold. Similarly, expression of CmCdc2 mRNA was also reduced in triploids. Its expression was significantly lower than that in diploid females aged 2 mth (7.66 ± 3.42 fold, 4 mth (59.42 ± 10.50 fold and 8 mth (42.74 ± 8.36 fold. In males, significantly greater expression of CmCdc2 was observed at age 6 mth (58.61 ± 34.64 fold and 8 mth (72.70 ± 4.36 fold diploids compared to triploids. The results illustrated that CmCcnb1 and CmCdc2 are functionally involved in oogenesis and spermatogenesis and reduced

Radiation stimulation of yeast crops for increasing output of alcohol and baker yeasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vlad, E.; Marsheu, P.

1974-01-01

The purpose of this study was to stimulate by gamma radiation the existing commercial types of yeast so as to obtain yeasts that would better reflect the substrate and have improved reproductive capacity. The experiments were conducted under ordinary conditions using commercial yeasts received from one factory producing alcohol and bakery yeasts and isolated as pure cultures. Irradiating yeast cultures with small doses (up to 10 krad) was found to stimulate the reproduction and fermenting activity of yeast cells as manifested in increased accumulation of yeast biomass and greater yield of ethyl alcohol. (E.T.)

Structure, cell wall elasticity and polysaccharide properties of living yeast cells, as probed by AFM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alsteens, David; Dupres, Vincent; Evoy, Kevin Mc; Dufrene, Yves F; Wildling, Linda; Gruber, Hermann J

2008-01-01

Although the chemical composition of yeast cell walls is known, the organization, assembly, and interactions of the various macromolecules remain poorly understood. Here, we used in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) in three different modes to probe the ultrastructure, cell wall elasticity and polymer properties of two brewing yeast strains, i.e. Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and S. cerevisiae. Topographic images of the two strains revealed smooth and homogeneous cell surfaces, and the presence of circular bud scars on dividing cells. Nanomechanical measurements demonstrated that the cell wall elasticity of S. carlsbergensis is homogeneous. By contrast, the bud scar of S. cerevisiae was found to be stiffer than the cell wall, presumably due to the accumulation of chitin. Notably, single molecule force spectroscopy with lectin-modified tips revealed major differences in polysaccharide properties of the two strains. Polysaccharides were clearly more extended on S. cerevisiae, suggesting that not only oligosaccharides, but also polypeptide chains of the mannoproteins were stretched. Consistent with earlier cell surface analyses, these findings may explain the very different aggregation properties of the two organisms. This study demonstrates the power of using multiple complementary AFM modalities for probing the organization and interactions of the various macromolecules of microbial cell walls

Comparison of leaf proteomes of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz cultivar NZ199 diploid and autotetraploid genotypes.

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Feifei An

Full Text Available Cassava polyploid breeding has drastically improved our knowledge on increasing root yield and its significant tolerance to stresses. In polyploid cassava plants, increases in DNA content highly affect cell volumes and anatomical structures. However, the mechanism of this effect is poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to compare and validate the changes between cassava cultivar NZ199 diploid and autotetraploid at proteomic levels. The results showed that leaf proteome of cassava cultivar NZ199 diploid was clearly differentiated from its autotetraploid genotype using 2-DE combined MS technique. Sixty-five differential protein spots were seen in 2-DE image of autotetraploid genotype in comparison with that of diploid. Fifty-two proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS/MS, of which 47 were up-regulated and 5 were down-regulated in autotetraploid genotype compared with diploid genotype. The classified functions of 32 up-regulated proteins were associated with photosynthesis, defense system, hydrocyanic acid (HCN metabolism, protein biosynthesis, chaperones, amino acid metabolism and signal transduction. The remarkable variation in photosynthetic activity, HCN content and resistance to salt stress between diploid and autotetraploid genotypes is closely linked with expression levels of proteomic profiles. The analysis of protein interaction networks indicated there are direct interactions between the 15 up-regulation proteins involved in the pathways described above. This work provides an insight into understanding the protein regulation mechanism of cassava polyploid genotype, and gives a clue to improve cassava polyploidy breeding in increasing photosynthesis and resistance efficiencies.

Magnetically responsive yeast cells: methods of preparation and applications

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šafařík, Ivo; Maděrová, Zdeňka; Pospišková, K.; Horská, Kateřina; Šafaříková, Miroslava

2015-01-01

Roč. 32, č. 1 (2015), s. 227-237 ISSN 0749-503X R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LD13023; GA MŠk(CZ) LD13021 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : yeast cells * Saccharomyces * Kluyveromyces * Rhodotorula * Yarrowia * magnetic modification Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 2.259, year: 2015

Mitotic chromosome loss in a radiation-sensitive strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Mortimer, R.K.; Contopoulou, R.; Schild, D.

1981-01-01

Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with mutations in the RAD52 gene have previously been shown to be defective in meiotic and mitotic recombination, in sporulation, and in repair of radiation-induced damage to DNA. In this study we show that diploid cells homozygous for rad52 lose chromosomes at high frequencies and that these frequencies of loss can be increased dramatically by exposure of these cells to x-rays. Genetic analyses of survivors of x-ray treatment demonstrate that chromosome loss events result in the conversion of diploid cells to cells with near haploid chromosome numbers

Studying p53 family proteins in yeast: Induction of autophagic cell death and modulation by interactors and small molecules

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Leão, Mariana; Gomes, Sara; Bessa, Cláudia; Soares, Joana; Raimundo, Liliana [REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n. 164, 4050-313 Porto (Portugal); Monti, Paola; Fronza, Gilberto [Mutagenesis Unit, Istituto di Ricerca e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST-Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, 16132 Genoa (Italy); Pereira, Clara [REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n. 164, 4050-313 Porto (Portugal); Saraiva, Lucília, E-mail: lucilia.saraiva@ff.up.pt [REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n. 164, 4050-313 Porto (Portugal)

2015-01-01

In this work, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to individually study human p53, p63 (full length and truncated forms) and p73. Using this cell system, the effect of these proteins on cell proliferation and death, and the influence of MDM2 and MDMX on their activities were analyzed. When expressed in yeast, wild-type p53, TAp63, ΔNp63 and TAp73 induced growth inhibition associated with S-phase cell cycle arrest. This growth inhibition was accompanied by reactive oxygen species production and autophagic cell death. Furthermore, they stimulated rapamycin-induced autophagy. On the contrary, none of the tested p53 family members induced apoptosis either per se or after apoptotic stimuli. As previously reported for p53, also TAp63, ΔNp63 and TAp73 increased actin expression levels and its depolarization, suggesting that ACT1 is also a p63 and p73 putative yeast target gene. Additionally, MDM2 and MDMX inhibited the activity of all tested p53 family members in yeast, although the effect was weaker on TAp63. Moreover, Nutlin-3a and SJ-172550 were identified as potential inhibitors of the p73 interaction with MDM2 and MDMX, respectively. Altogether, the yeast-based assays herein developed can be envisaged as a simplified cell system to study the involvement of p53 family members in autophagy, the modulation of their activities by specific interactors (MDM2 and MDMX), and the potential of new small molecules to modulate these interactions. - Highlights: • p53, p63 and p73 are individually studied in the yeast S. cerevisiae. • p53 family members induce ROS production, cell cycle arrest and autophagy in yeast. • p53 family members increase actin depolarization and expression levels in yeast. • MDM2 and MDMX inhibit the activity of p53 family members in yeast. • Yeast can be a useful tool to study the biology and drugability of p53, p63 and p73.

Studying p53 family proteins in yeast: Induction of autophagic cell death and modulation by interactors and small molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leão, Mariana; Gomes, Sara; Bessa, Cláudia; Soares, Joana; Raimundo, Liliana; Monti, Paola; Fronza, Gilberto; Pereira, Clara; Saraiva, Lucília

2015-01-01

In this work, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to individually study human p53, p63 (full length and truncated forms) and p73. Using this cell system, the effect of these proteins on cell proliferation and death, and the influence of MDM2 and MDMX on their activities were analyzed. When expressed in yeast, wild-type p53, TAp63, ΔNp63 and TAp73 induced growth inhibition associated with S-phase cell cycle arrest. This growth inhibition was accompanied by reactive oxygen species production and autophagic cell death. Furthermore, they stimulated rapamycin-induced autophagy. On the contrary, none of the tested p53 family members induced apoptosis either per se or after apoptotic stimuli. As previously reported for p53, also TAp63, ΔNp63 and TAp73 increased actin expression levels and its depolarization, suggesting that ACT1 is also a p63 and p73 putative yeast target gene. Additionally, MDM2 and MDMX inhibited the activity of all tested p53 family members in yeast, although the effect was weaker on TAp63. Moreover, Nutlin-3a and SJ-172550 were identified as potential inhibitors of the p73 interaction with MDM2 and MDMX, respectively. Altogether, the yeast-based assays herein developed can be envisaged as a simplified cell system to study the involvement of p53 family members in autophagy, the modulation of their activities by specific interactors (MDM2 and MDMX), and the potential of new small molecules to modulate these interactions. - Highlights: • p53, p63 and p73 are individually studied in the yeast S. cerevisiae. • p53 family members induce ROS production, cell cycle arrest and autophagy in yeast. • p53 family members increase actin depolarization and expression levels in yeast. • MDM2 and MDMX inhibit the activity of p53 family members in yeast. • Yeast can be a useful tool to study the biology and drugability of p53, p63 and p73

Systematic identification of yeast cell cycle transcription factors using multiple data sources

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Li Wen-Hsiung

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Eukaryotic cell cycle is a complex process and is precisely regulated at many levels. Many genes specific to the cell cycle are regulated transcriptionally and are expressed just before they are needed. To understand the cell cycle process, it is important to identify the cell cycle transcription factors (TFs that regulate the expression of cell cycle-regulated genes. Results We developed a method to identify cell cycle TFs in yeast by integrating current ChIP-chip, mutant, transcription factor binding site (TFBS, and cell cycle gene expression data. We identified 17 cell cycle TFs, 12 of which are known cell cycle TFs, while the remaining five (Ash1, Rlm1, Ste12, Stp1, Tec1 are putative novel cell cycle TFs. For each cell cycle TF, we assigned specific cell cycle phases in which the TF functions and identified the time lag for the TF to exert regulatory effects on its target genes. We also identified 178 novel cell cycle-regulated genes, among which 59 have unknown functions, but they may now be annotated as cell cycle-regulated genes. Most of our predictions are supported by previous experimental or computational studies. Furthermore, a high confidence TF-gene regulatory matrix is derived as a byproduct of our method. Each TF-gene regulatory relationship in this matrix is supported by at least three data sources: gene expression, TFBS, and ChIP-chip or/and mutant data. We show that our method performs better than four existing methods for identifying yeast cell cycle TFs. Finally, an application of our method to different cell cycle gene expression datasets suggests that our method is robust. Conclusion Our method is effective for identifying yeast cell cycle TFs and cell cycle-regulated genes. Many of our predictions are validated by the literature. Our study shows that integrating multiple data sources is a powerful approach to studying complex biological systems.

X-ray irradiation of yeast cells

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Masini, Alessandra; Batani, Dimitri; Previdi, Fabio; Conti, Aldo; Pisani, Francesca; Botto, Cesare; Bortolotto, Fulvia; Torsiello, Flavia; Turcu, I. C. Edmond; Allott, Ric M.; Lisi, Nicola; Milani, Marziale; Costato, Michele; Pozzi, Achille; Koenig, Michel

1997-10-01

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast cells were irradiated using the soft X-ray laser-plasma source at Rutherford Laboratory. The aim was to produce a selective damage of enzyme metabolic activity at the wall and membrane level (responsible for fermentation) without interfering with respiration (taking place in mitochondria) and with nuclear and DNA activity. The source was calibrated by PIN diodes and X-ray spectrometers. Teflon stripes were chosen as targets for the UV laser, emitting X-rays at about 0.9 keV, characterized by a very large decay exponent in biological matter. X-ray doses to the different cell compartments were calculated following a Lambert-Bouguet-Beer law. After irradiation, the selective damage to metabolic activity at the membrane level was measured by monitoring CO2 production with pressure silicon detectors. Preliminary results gave evidence of pressure reduction for irradiated samples and non-linear response to doses. Also metabolic oscillations were evidenced in cell suspensions and it was shown that X-ray irradiation changed the oscillation frequency.

Radioprotection by butylated hydroxytoluene against radiation induced genetic and lethal effects in yeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anjaria, Kshiti B.; Shirsath, Kapil B.; Sreedevi, B.

2012-01-01

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a phenolic antioxidant which is used widely in food industry as a food preservative for fats and oils; in plastics and also in cosmetics and fragrances. Generally it is considered harmless, however BHT has also shown potentiation of radiation effects in some studies. The objective of this study was to test the modifying properties of BHT in a eukaryotic model system comprising of Saccharomyces cerevisiae D7, a diploid yeast strain, against the genotoxic effects induced by 60 Co gamma radiation. Log phase cells were exposed to 100 Gy of radiation in the absence or presence of 0.025-0.25 mM BHT. In another set of experiments, log phase cells were exposed to 400 Gy of radiation in the absence or presence of 0.025 mM BHT. Cells were washed and plated. The results indicated that presence of BHT reduced the frequencies of gene conversion and back mutation as well as cell killing induced by radiation. The results obtained in the present study can be explained on the basis of potent radical scavenging ability of BHT, which is a well known standard antioxidant and whose free radical scavenging ability has been very well established and documented using stable free radical DPPH. (author)

Extraction of nucleic acids from yeast cells and plant tissues using ethanol as medium for sample preservation and cell disruption.

Science.gov (United States)

Linke, Bettina; Schröder, Kersten; Arter, Juliane; Gasperazzo, Tatiana; Woehlecke, Holger; Ehwald, Rudolf

2010-09-01

Here we report that dehydrated ethanol is an excellent medium for both in situ preservation of nucleic acids and cell disruption of plant and yeast cells. Cell disruption was strongly facilitated by prior dehydration of the ethanol using dehydrated zeolite. Following removal of ethanol, nucleic acids were extracted from the homogenate pellet using denaturing buffers. The method provided DNA and RNA of high yield and integrity. Whereas cell wall disruption was essential for extraction of DNA and large RNA molecules, smaller molecules such as tRNAs could be selectively extracted from undisrupted, ethanol-treated yeast cells. Our results demonstrate the utility of absolute ethanol for sample fixation, cell membrane and cell wall disruption, as well as preservation of nucleic acids during sample storage.

The central domain of yeast transcription factor Rpn4 facilitates degradation of reporter protein in human cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Morozov, A V; Spasskaya, D S; Karpov, D S; Karpov, V L

2014-10-16

Despite high interest in the cellular degradation machinery and protein degradation signals (degrons), few degrons with universal activity along species have been identified. It has been shown that fusion of a target protein with a degradation signal from mammalian ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) induces fast proteasomal degradation of the chimera in both mammalian and yeast cells. However, no degrons from yeast-encoded proteins capable to function in mammalian cells were identified so far. Here, we demonstrate that the yeast transcription factor Rpn4 undergoes fast proteasomal degradation and its central domain can destabilize green fluorescent protein and Alpha-fetoprotein in human HEK 293T cells. Furthermore, we confirm the activity of this degron in yeast. Thus, the Rpn4 central domain is an effective interspecies degradation signal. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Yeast flocculation: New story in fuel ethanol production.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, X Q; Bai, F W

2009-01-01

Yeast flocculation has been used in the brewing industry to facilitate biomass recovery for a long time, and thus its mechanism of yeast flocculation has been intensively studied. However, the application of flocculating yeast in ethanol production garnered attention mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. In this article, updated research progress in the molecular mechanism of yeast flocculation and the impact of environmental conditions on yeast flocculation are reviewed. Construction of flocculating yeast strains by genetic approach and utilization of yeast flocculation for ethanol production from various feedstocks were presented. The concept of self-immobilized yeast cells through their flocculation is revisited through a case study of continuous ethanol fermentation with the flocculating yeast SPSC01, and their technical and economic advantages are highlighted by comparing with yeast cells immobilized with supporting materials and regular free yeast cells as well. Taking the flocculating yeast SPSC01 as an example, the ethanol tolerance of the flocculating yeast was also discussed.

REV7, a new gene concerned with UV mutagenesis in yeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, C.W.; Das, G.; Christensen, R.B.

1985-01-01

Three allelic mutations of a new yeast gene, which we have named REV7, have been isolated by testing 313 methyl methane sulfonate sensitive mutants for UV-induced reversion of a lys2 allele. Rev7 mutants are markedly deficient with respect to UV-induced reversion of lys2, are slightly sensitive to UV and appear to be in the RAD6 epistasis group for UV survival. Rev7-1, which is probably an amber mutation, does not appear to affect sporulation in homozygous diploids. The REV7 gene is located about 12 cM distal to HIS5 on chromosome IX. (orig.)

REV7, a new gene concerned with UV mutagenesis in yeast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawrence, C.W.; Das, G.; Christensen, R.B.

1985-06-26

Three allelic mutations of a new yeast gene, which we have named REV7, have been isolated by testing 313 methyl methane sulfonate sensitive mutants for UV-induced reversion of a lys2 allele. REV7 mutants are markedly deficient with respect to UV-induced reversion of lys2, are slightly sensitive to UV and appear to be in the RAD6 epistasis group for UV survival. Rev7-1, which is probably an amber mutation, does not appear to affect sporulation in homozygous diploids. The REV7 gene is located about 12 cM distal to HIS5 on chromosome IX.

Nitrile Metabolizing Yeasts

Science.gov (United States)

Bhalla, Tek Chand; Sharma, Monica; Sharma, Nitya Nand

Nitriles and amides are widely distributed in the biotic and abiotic components of our ecosystem. Nitrile form an important group of organic compounds which find their applications in the synthesis of a large number of compounds used as/in pharmaceutical, cosmetics, plastics, dyes, etc>. Nitriles are mainly hydro-lyzed to corresponding amide/acid in organic chemistry. Industrial and agricultural activities have also lead to release of nitriles and amides into the environment and some of them pose threat to human health. Biocatalysis and biotransformations are increasingly replacing chemical routes of synthesis in organic chemistry as a part of ‘green chemistry’. Nitrile metabolizing organisms or enzymes thus has assumed greater significance in all these years to convert nitriles to amides/ acids. The nitrile metabolizing enzymes are widely present in bacteria, fungi and yeasts. Yeasts metabolize nitriles through nitrilase and/or nitrile hydratase and amidase enzymes. Only few yeasts have been reported to possess aldoxime dehydratase. More than sixty nitrile metabolizing yeast strains have been hither to isolated from cyanide treatment bioreactor, fermented foods and soil. Most of the yeasts contain nitrile hydratase-amidase system for metabolizing nitriles. Transformations of nitriles to amides/acids have been carried out with free and immobilized yeast cells. The nitrilases of Torulopsis candida>and Exophiala oligosperma>R1 are enantioselec-tive and regiospecific respectively. Geotrichum>sp. JR1 grows in the presence of 2M acetonitrile and may have potential for application in bioremediation of nitrile contaminated soil/water. The nitrilase of E. oligosperma>R1 being active at low pH (3-6) has shown promise for the hydroxy acids. Immobilized yeast cells hydrolyze some additional nitriles in comparison to free cells. It is expected that more focus in future will be on purification, characterization, cloning, expression and immobilization of nitrile metabolizing

Fission yeast cells undergo nuclear division in the absence of spindle microtubules.

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Stefania Castagnetti

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Mitosis in eukaryotic cells employs spindle microtubules to drive accurate chromosome segregation at cell division. Cells lacking spindle microtubules arrest in mitosis due to a spindle checkpoint that delays mitotic progression until all chromosomes have achieved stable bipolar attachment to spindle microtubules. In fission yeast, mitosis occurs within an intact nuclear membrane with the mitotic spindle elongating between the spindle pole bodies. We show here that in fission yeast interference with mitotic spindle formation delays mitosis only briefly and cells proceed to an unusual nuclear division process we term nuclear fission, during which cells perform some chromosome segregation and efficiently enter S-phase of the next cell cycle. Nuclear fission is blocked if spindle pole body maturation or sister chromatid separation cannot take place or if actin polymerization is inhibited. We suggest that this process exhibits vestiges of a primitive nuclear division process independent of spindle microtubules, possibly reflecting an evolutionary intermediate state between bacterial and Archeal chromosome segregation where the nucleoid divides without a spindle and a microtubule spindle-based eukaryotic mitosis.

Schizosaccharomyces japonicus: the fission yeast is a fusion of yeast and hyphae.

Science.gov (United States)

Niki, Hironori

2014-03-01

The clade of Schizosaccharomyces includes 4 species: S. pombe, S. octosporus, S. cryophilus, and S. japonicus. Although all 4 species exhibit unicellular growth with a binary fission mode of cell division, S. japonicus alone is dimorphic yeast, which can transit from unicellular yeast to long filamentous hyphae. Recently it was found that the hyphal cells response to light and then synchronously activate cytokinesis of hyphae. In addition to hyphal growth, S. japonicas has many properties that aren't shared with other fission yeast. Mitosis of S. japonicas is referred to as semi-open mitosis because dynamics of nuclear membrane is an intermediate mode between open mitosis and closed mitosis. Novel genetic tools and the whole genomic sequencing of S. japonicas now provide us with an opportunity for revealing unique characters of the dimorphic yeast. © 2013 The Author. Yeast Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

99Tcm-N(NOEt2 Uptake Kinetics Difference among KMB17 Human Embryonic Lung Diploid Fibroblast and Different Human Lung Cancer Cells

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Wei JIA

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Background and objective PET/CT imaging is expensive, so searching the tumor imaging agent for SPECT/CT is necessary. 99Tcm-N(NOEt2 [bis (N-ethoxy-N-ethyl dithiocarbamato nitrido99Tcm (V] can be uptaken by lung cancer cells and other cells alike. The aim of this study is to evaluate the distinctive value in lung tumor with 99Tcm-N(NOEt2, the difference in its uptake kinetics in human embryonic lung diploid fibroblasts KMB17 and several kinds of lung cancer cells lines. Methods Firstly, six different cell culture medium which contained YTMLC Gejiu human lung squamous carcinoma cell, SPC-A1 human lung adenocarcinoma cell, AGZY low metastatic human lung adenocarcinoma, 973 high metastatic human lung adenocarcinoma cell, GLC-82 Gejiu human lung adenocarcinoma cell, and KMB17 human embryonic lung diploid fibroblast, respectively with equal cell density of 1×106/mL and the same volume were prepared; secondly, the same radioactive dose of 99Tcm-N(NOEt2 was added into each sample and then 300 μL mixed sample was taken out respectively and cultured in 37 oC culture box; Finally, 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 60 min, 75 min, 90 min after cultivation, centrifuged each cultured sample and determined the intracellular radiocounts of each sample, calculated each cell sample’s uptake rate of 99Tcm-N(NOEt2 at different time. Results Statistical difference was found among six cell samples, and the uptake rate sequence from high to low is 973 and SPC-A1>YTMLC>GLC-82>AGZY>KMB17 respectively; furthermore, 30 min-45 min after culture, the uptake rate reached stability, and the 45 min uptake rate of each sample was higher than its 96.7% uptake peak. Conclusion Based on the results above mentioned, it is supposed that there are discriminative clinical value when using 99Tcm-N(NOEt2 as a tumor targeting imaging agent, and 30 min or so after injection may be the best imaging time in the early imaging stage.

Introduction of the yeast DNA repair gene PHR1 into normal and xeroderma pigmentosum human cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whyte, D.B.

1988-01-01

The goal of the work described herein is to determine how UV light kills and mutates human cells. Specifically, the hypothesis to be tested states that the major cause of cell death is the cyclobutane dimer. The yeast (S. cerevisiae) enzyme photolyase provides an elegant means of dissecting the biological effects of the two lesions. Photolyase, the product of the PHR1 gene, catalyzes the visible light-dependent reversal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. Introducing the gene for photolyase into human cells, which do not have a functional photoreactivation mechanism, should allow specific repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. To express the yeast DNA repair gene in human cells, the yeast PHR1 coding sequence was cloned into the mammalian expression vector pRSV4NEO-I. The resulting plasmid, pRSVPHR1, contains the coding sequence of the yeast gene, under control of transcription signals recognized by mammalian cells, and the dominant selectable gene neo. pRSVPHR1 was introduced into normal and XP SV40-transformed fibroblasts by the calcium phosphate coprecipitation technique, and G418-resistant clones were isolated. The level of PHR1 expression was determined by cytoplasmic RNA dot blots. Two clones, XP-3B and GM-20A, had high levels of expression

Use of INAA to study the determination of Se, Th, Zn, Co and Fe levels of yeast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czauderna, M.; Turska, M.; Sitowska, B.

1996-01-01

Differences in the effects of seleno-cystine (CySe) 2 , glutathione (GSH), Se(IV) [as SeO 2 ] and Se(VI) [as (NH 4 ) 2 SeO 4 ] on Th(IV) [as Th(CO 3 ) 2 ] uptake by the cells, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have been studied. The Th, Se, Zn, Co and Fe levels of the yeast cells were measured by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Results obtained show that the addition of Th alone to the culture medium resulting in the Th content of the cells and the Th level of the yeast slightly decreased during the incubation. The addition of Th in combination with GSH produced a higher decrease of the Th content in comparison with the single Th dosage. During the initial 48 h of the incubation the presence of Th and Se(VI) in the medium produced a decrease of the Th level of the cells in comparison with the addition of Th alone. (CySe) 2 or SeO 2 does not produce a regular change of the Th level of the cells. Th uptake by the yeast influenced the retention of Se in the cells. In fact, the Se levels of the cells were always significantly higher when the yeast was incubated in the medium containing Th and SeO 2 or Se(VI). The enhance in the Se level of the cells rises increasing concentrations of SeO 2 in the culture medium. Th decreased the Se content of the yeast when the cells were incubated in the medium containing (CySe) 2 and Th. GSH supply in combination with Th and SeO 2 produced a very significant enhancement of the Se abundance in the cells in comparison with the single addition of SeO 2 . Se-compounds and/or Th dosages affected the Zn, Co and Fe contents of the cells. The Fe level of the yeast is below the quantitative detection limit of Fe when the cells were incubated in the medium containing Th. (Author)

Secretion of non-cell-bound phytase by the yeast Pichia kudriavzevii TY13.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellström, A; Qvirist, L; Svanberg, U; Veide Vilg, J; Andlid, T

2015-05-01

Mineral deficiencies cause several health problems in the world, especially for populations consuming cereal-based diets rich in the anti-nutrient phytate. Our aim was to characterize the phytate-degrading capacity of the yeast Pichia kudriavzevii TY13 and its secretion of phytase. The phytase activity in cell-free supernatants from cultures with 100% intact cells was 35-190 mU ml(-1) depending on the media. The Km was 0.28 mmol l(-1) and the specific phytase activity 0.32 U mg(-1) total protein. The phytase activity and secretion of extracellular non-cell-bound phytase was affected by the medium phosphate concentrations. Further, addition of yeast extract had a clearly inducing effect, resulting in over 60% of the cultures total phytase activity as non-cell-bound. Our study reveals that it is possible to achieve high extracellular phytase activity from the yeast P. kudriavzevii TY13 by proper composition of the growth medium. TY13 could be a promising future starter culture for fermented foods with improved mineral bioavailability. Using strains that secrete phytase to the food matrix may significantly improve the phytate degradation by facilitating the enzyme-to-substrate interaction. The secreted non-cell-bound phytase activities by TY13 could further be advantageous in industrial production of phytase. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

DNA-mediated gene transfer into human diploid fibroblasts derived from normal and ataxia-telangiectasia donors: parameters for DNA transfer and properties of DNA transformants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Debenham, P.G.; Webb, M.B.T.; Masson, W.K.; Cox, R.

1984-01-01

An investigation was made of the feasibility of DNA-mediated gene transfer into human diploid fibroblasts derived from patients with the radiation sensitive syndrome ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) and from a normal donor. Although they are markedly different in their growth characteristics, both normal and A-T strains give similar frequencies for DNA transfer in a model system using the recombinant plasmid pSV2-gpt. pSV2-gpt DNA transformants arise with a frequency between 10 -5 and 10 -4 per viable cell. Analysis of such transformants, although possible, is severely handicapped by the limited clonal life span of diploid human cells. Despite these problems it may be concluded that diploid human fibroblasts are competent recipients for DNA-mediated gene transfer and the putative repair deficiency of A-T does not markedly effect the efficiency of this process. (author)

Liquid holding recovery kinetics in yeast cells with regard to radiation quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jin Kyu; Lee, Byoung Hun; Petin, Vladislav G.

2004-01-01

It is widely accepted that the RBE of ionizing radiation with a high linear energy transfer (LET) is dependent both on the increased probability of primary damage production (physical events) and the reduced ability of a cell for post-irradiation recovery (biological events). A relatively unexpected role of the specific repair pathways in the RBE of high-LET radiation was demonstrated for bacterial, yeast and mammalian cells. It seems to exist a common agreement that high-LET radiations produce more portion of damage that are considered to be irreversible compared with low-LET radiation such as photons. Cellular recovery and repair of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) could be also dependent upon radiation quality. Studies concerning the rate of the recovery and repair from radiation damage produced with low- and high-LET radiations in cells of various origins on the survival and macromolecular level have also revealed that in general at a high ionization density, these processes may be reduced or even absent. When irradiated yeast cells are held in a liquid non-nutrient media at 30 .deg. C before planting on to a growth medium, their survival increases. This phenomena is known as liquid holding recovery (LHR). A quantitative approach describing the LHR kinetics of the yeast cells was described, which enables the estimation of the probability of the recovery per unit time and the fraction of the irreversible damage. The main goals of this study were (i) to answer the question whether or not high-LET radiation affects the recovery process itself or if it only produces a higher level of severe irreversible damage that cannot be repaired at all; (ii) to elucidate the role of irreversible damage and the probability of recovery in some rad mutants of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, the liquid-holing recovery will serve as an indicator of the cellular repair activity

Biomedical applications of yeast- a patent view, part one: yeasts as workhorses for the production of therapeutics and vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

Roohvand, Farzin; Shokri, Mehdi; Abdollahpour-Alitappeh, Meghdad; Ehsani, Parastoo

2017-08-01

Yeasts, as Eukaryotes, offer unique features for ease of growth and genetic manipulation possibilities, making it an exceptional microbial host. Areas covered: This review provides general and patent-oriented insights into production of biopharmaceuticals by yeasts. Patents, wherever possible, were correlated to the original or review articles. The review describes applications of major GRAS (generally regarded as safe) yeasts for the production of therapeutic proteins and subunit vaccines; additionally, immunomodulatory properties of yeast cell wall components were reviewed for use of whole yeast cells as a new vaccine platform. The second part of the review will discuss yeast- humanization strategies and innovative applications. Expert opinion: Biomedical applications of yeasts were initiated by utilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for production of leavened (fermented) products, and advanced to serve to produce biopharmaceuticals. Higher biomass production and expression/secretion yields, more similarity of glycosylation patterns to mammals and possibility of host-improvement strategies through application of synthetic biology might enhance selection of Pichia pastoris (instead of S. cerevisiae) as a host for production of biopharmaceutical in future. Immunomodulatory properties of yeast cell wall β-glucans and possibility of intracellular expression of heterologous pathogen/tumor antigens in yeast cells have expanded their application as a new platform, 'Whole Yeast Vaccines'.

Yeast cell factories on the horizon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jens

2015-01-01

For thousands of years, yeast has been used for making beer, bread, and wine. In modern times, it has become a commercial workhorse for producing fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals such as insulin, human serum albumin, and vaccines against hepatitis virus and human papillomavirus. Yeast has also...... been engineered to make chemicals at industrial scale (e.g., succinic acid, lactic acid, resveratrol) and advanced biofuels (e.g., isobutanol) (1). On page 1095 of this issue, Galanie et al. (2) demonstrate that yeast can now be engineered to produce opioids (2), a major class of compounds used...

Analysis of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Meiosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Akira; Sakuno, Takeshi; Watanabe, Yoshinori; Yamamoto, Masayuki

2017-09-01

Meiosis is a specialized cell cycle that generates haploid gametes from diploid cells. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is one of the best model organisms for studying the regulatory mechanisms of meiosis. S. pombe cells, which normally grow in the haploid state, diploidize by conjugation and initiate meiosis when starved for nutrients, especially nitrogen. Following two rounds of chromosome segregation, spore formation takes place. The switch from mitosis to meiosis is controlled by a kinase, Pat1, and an RNA-binding protein, Mei2. Mei2 is also a key factor for meiosis-specific gene expression. Studies on S. pombe have offered insights into cell cycle regulation and chromosome segregation during meiosis. Here we outline the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the initiation and progression of meiosis, and introduce methods for the study of meiosis in fission yeast. © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Cell-autonomous mechanisms of chronological aging in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Anthony Arlia-Ciommo

2014-05-01

Full Text Available A body of evidence supports the view that the signaling pathways governing cellular aging – as well as mechanisms of their modulation by longevity-extending genetic, dietary and pharmacological interventions - are conserved across species. The scope of this review is to critically analyze recent advances in our understanding of cell-autonomous mechanisms of chronological aging in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Based on our analysis, we propose a concept of a biomolecular network underlying the chronology of cellular aging in yeast. The concept posits that such network progresses through a series of lifespan checkpoints. At each of these checkpoints, the intracellular concentrations of some key intermediates and products of certain metabolic pathways - as well as the rates of coordinated flow of such metabolites within an intricate network of intercompartmental communications - are monitored by some checkpoint-specific ′′master regulator′′ proteins. The concept envisions that a synergistic action of these master regulator proteins at certain early-life and late-life checkpoints modulates the rates and efficiencies of progression of such processes as cell metabolism, growth, proliferation, stress resistance, macromolecular homeostasis, survival and death. The concept predicts that, by modulating these vital cellular processes throughout lifespan (i.e., prior to an arrest of cell growth and division, and following such arrest, the checkpoint-specific master regulator proteins orchestrate the development and maintenance of a pro- or anti-aging cellular pattern and, thus, define longevity of chronologically aging yeast.

Cell-autonomous mechanisms of chronological aging in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Arlia-Ciommo, Anthony; Leonov, Anna; Piano, Amanda; Svistkova, Veronika; Titorenko, Vladimir I

2014-05-27

A body of evidence supports the view that the signaling pathways governing cellular aging - as well as mechanisms of their modulation by longevity-extending genetic, dietary and pharmacological interventions - are conserved across species. The scope of this review is to critically analyze recent advances in our understanding of cell-autonomous mechanisms of chronological aging in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Based on our analysis, we propose a concept of a biomolecular network underlying the chronology of cellular aging in yeast. The concept posits that such network progresses through a series of lifespan checkpoints. At each of these checkpoints, the intracellular concentrations of some key intermediates and products of certain metabolic pathways - as well as the rates of coordinated flow of such metabolites within an intricate network of intercompartmental communications - are monitored by some checkpoint-specific "master regulator" proteins. The concept envisions that a synergistic action of these master regulator proteins at certain early-life and late-life checkpoints modulates the rates and efficiencies of progression of such processes as cell metabolism, growth, proliferation, stress resistance, macromolecular homeostasis, survival and death. The concept predicts that, by modulating these vital cellular processes throughout lifespan (i.e., prior to an arrest of cell growth and division, and following such arrest), the checkpoint-specific master regulator proteins orchestrate the development and maintenance of a pro- or anti-aging cellular pattern and, thus, define longevity of chronologically aging yeast.

Alpha-ketoglutarate enhances freeze-thaw tolerance and prevents carbohydrate-induced cell death of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayliak, Maria M; Hrynkiv, Olha V; Knyhynytska, Roksolana V; Lushchak, Volodymyr I

2018-01-01

Stress resistance and fermentative capability are important quality characteristics of baker's yeast. In the present study, we examined protective effects of exogenous alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), an intermediate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and amino acid metabolism, against freeze-thaw and carbohydrate-induced stresses in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Growth on AKG-supplemented medium prevented a loss of viability and improved fermentative capacity of yeast cells after freeze-thaw treatment. The cells grown in the presence of AKG had higher levels of amino acids (e.g., proline), higher metabolic activity and total antioxidant capacity, and higher activities of catalase, NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthase compared to control ones. Both synthesis of amino acids and enhancement of antioxidant system capacity could be involved in AKG-improved freeze-thaw tolerance in S. cerevisiae. Cell viability dramatically decreased under incubation of stationary-phase yeast cells in 2% glucose or fructose solutions (in the absence of the other nutrients) as compared with incubation in distilled water or in 10 mM AKG solution. The decrease in cell viability was accompanied by acidification of the medium, and decrease in cellular respiration, aconitase activity, and levels of total protein and free amino acids. The supplementation with 10 mM AKG effectively prevented carbohydrate-induced yeast death. Protective mechanisms of AKG could be associated with the intensification of respiration and prevention of decreasing protein level as well as with direct antioxidant AKG action.

Production of fatty acid-derived oleochemicals and biofuels by synthetic yeast cell factories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Yongjin J.; Buijs, Nicolaas A; Zhu, Zhiwei

2016-01-01

Sustainable production of oleochemicals requires establishment of cell factory platform strains. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an attractive cell factory as new strains can be rapidly implemented into existing infrastructures such as bioethanol production plants. Here we show high-level p...

Analytical model for macromolecular partitioning during yeast cell division

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinkhabwala, Ali; Khmelinskii, Anton; Knop, Michael

2014-01-01

Asymmetric cell division, whereby a parent cell generates two sibling cells with unequal content and thereby distinct fates, is central to cell differentiation, organism development and ageing. Unequal partitioning of the macromolecular content of the parent cell — which includes proteins, DNA, RNA, large proteinaceous assemblies and organelles — can be achieved by both passive (e.g. diffusion, localized retention sites) and active (e.g. motor-driven transport) processes operating in the presence of external polarity cues, internal asymmetries, spontaneous symmetry breaking, or stochastic effects. However, the quantitative contribution of different processes to the partitioning of macromolecular content is difficult to evaluate. Here we developed an analytical model that allows rapid quantitative assessment of partitioning as a function of various parameters in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This model exposes quantitative degeneracies among the physical parameters that govern macromolecular partitioning, and reveals regions of the solution space where diffusion is sufficient to drive asymmetric partitioning and regions where asymmetric partitioning can only be achieved through additional processes such as motor-driven transport. Application of the model to different macromolecular assemblies suggests that partitioning of protein aggregates and episomes, but not prions, is diffusion-limited in yeast, consistent with previous reports. In contrast to computationally intensive stochastic simulations of particular scenarios, our analytical model provides an efficient and comprehensive overview of partitioning as a function of global and macromolecule-specific parameters. Identification of quantitative degeneracies among these parameters highlights the importance of their careful measurement for a given macromolecular species in order to understand the dominant processes responsible for its observed partitioning

Photomimetic effect of serotonin on yeast cells irradiated by far-UV radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraikin, G.Y.; Strakhovskaya, M.G.; Rubin, L.B.

1982-01-01

The effect of serotonin on the survival of far-UV irradiated cells of the yeast Candida guilliermondii was studied. Serotonin was found to have a photomimetic property. Preincubation of cells with serotonin results in protection against far-UV inactivation, whereas the post-radiation treatment with serotonin causes a potentiation of far-UV lethality. Both effects are similar to those produced by near-UV (334 nm) radiation. The observations provide support to the previously proposed idea that photosynthesized serotonin is the underlying cause of the two effects of near-UV radiation, photoprotection and potentiation of far-UV lethality. Experiments with an excision-deficient strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggest that the effect of serotonin is by its binding to DNA. (author)

The digestion of yeast cell wall polysaccharides in veal calves

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gaillard, B.D.E.; Weerden, van E.J.

1976-01-01

1. The digestibility of the cell wall polysaccharides of an alkane-grown yeast in different parts of the digestive tract of two veal calves fitted with re-entrant cannulas at the end of the ileum was studied by replacing part of the skim-milk powder of their ‘normal’, milk-substitute

Constitutive Activation of the Fission Yeast Pheromone-Responsive Pathway Induces Ectopic Meiosis and Reveals Ste11 as a Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Target

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærulff, Søren; Lautrup-Larsen, I.; Truelsen, S.

2005-01-01

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, meiosis normally takes place in diploid zygotes resulting from conjugation of haploid cells. In the present study, we report that the expression of a constitutively activated version of the pheromone-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase...... found that haploid meiosis was dramatically reduced when Ste11 was mutated to mimic phosphorylation by Pat1. The mutation of two putative MAPK sites in Ste11 also dramatically reduced the level of haploid meiosis, suggesting that Ste11 is a direct target of Spk1. Supporting this, we show that Spk1 can...... interact physically with Ste11 and also phosphorylate the transcription factor in vitro. Finally, we demonstrate that ste11 is required for pheromone-induced G1 arrest. Interestingly, when we mutated Ste11 in the sites for Pat1 and Spk1 phosphorylation simultaneously, the cells could still arrest in G1...

The Evolution of Vicia ramuliflora (Fabaceae) at Tetraploid and Diploid Levels Revealed with FISH and RAPD

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Ying; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Haoyou; Liu, Xiangjun

2017-01-01

Vicia ramuliflora L. is a widely distributed species in Eurasia with high economic value. For past 200 years, it has evolved a tetraploid cytotype and new subspecies at the diploid level. Based on taxonomy, cytogeography and other lines of evidence, previous studies have provided valuable information about the evolution of V. ramuliflora ploidy level, but due to the limited resolution of traditional methods, important questions remain. In this study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) were used to analyze the evolution of V. ramuliflora at the diploid and tetraploid levels. Our aim was to reveal the genomic constitution and parents of the tetraploid V. ramuliflora and the relationships among diploid V. ramuliflora populations. Our study showed that the tetraploid cytotype of V. ramuliflora at Changbai Mountains (M) has identical 18S and 5S rDNA distribution patterns with the diploid Hengdaohezi population (B) and the diploid Dailing population (H). However, UPGMA clustering, Neighbor-Joining clustering and principal coordinates analysis based on RAPD showed that the tetraploid cytotype (M) has more close relationships with Qianshan diploid population T. Based on our results and the fact that interspecific hybridization among Vicia species is very difficult, we think that the tetraploid V. ramuliflora is an autotetraploid and its genomic origin still needs further study. In addition, our study also found that Qianshan diploid population (T) had evolved distinct new traits compared with other diploid populations, which hints that V. ramuliflora evolved further at diploid level. We suggest that diploid population T be re-classified as a new subspecies. PMID:28135314

Soft x-ray-controlled dose deposition in yeast cells: techniques, model, and biological assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Milani, Marziale; Batani, Dimitri; Conti, Aldo; Masini, Alessandra; Costato, Michele; Pozzi, Achille; Turcu, I. C. Edmond

1996-12-01

A procedure is presented to release soft x-rays onto yeast cell membrane allegedly damaging the resident enzymatic processes connected with fermentation. The damage is expected to be restricted to regulating fermentation processes without interference with respiration. By this technique fermentation is followed leading to CO2 production, and respiration resulting in global pressure measurements. A solid state pressure sensor system has been developed linked to a data acquisition system. Yeast cells cultures have been investigated at different concentrations and with different nutrients. A non-monotone response in CO2 production as a function of the delivered x-ray dose is observed.

Precise estimates of mutation rate and spectrum in yeast

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yuan O.; Siegal, Mark L.; Hall, David W.; Petrov, Dmitri A.

2014-01-01

Mutation is the ultimate source of genetic variation. The most direct and unbiased method of studying spontaneous mutations is via mutation accumulation (MA) lines. Until recently, MA experiments were limited by the cost of sequencing and thus provided us with small numbers of mutational events and therefore imprecise estimates of rates and patterns of mutation. We used whole-genome sequencing to identify nearly 1,000 spontaneous mutation events accumulated over ∼311,000 generations in 145 diploid MA lines of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. MA experiments are usually assumed to have negligible levels of selection, but even mild selection will remove strongly deleterious events. We take advantage of such patterns of selection and show that mutation classes such as indels and aneuploidies (especially monosomies) are proportionately much more likely to contribute mutations of large effect. We also provide conservative estimates of indel, aneuploidy, environment-dependent dominant lethal, and recessive lethal mutation rates. To our knowledge, for the first time in yeast MA data, we identified a sufficiently large number of single-nucleotide mutations to measure context-dependent mutation rates and were able to (i) confirm strong AT bias of mutation in yeast driven by high rate of mutations from C/G to T/A and (ii) detect a higher rate of mutation at C/G nucleotides in two specific contexts consistent with cytosine methylation in S. cerevisiae. PMID:24847077

Reconstructing the regulatory circuit of cell fate determination in yeast mating response.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Bin; Yuan, Haiyu; Zhang, Rongfei; Wang, Xuan; Zhang, Shuwen; Ouyang, Qi; Hao, Nan; Luo, Chunxiong

2017-07-01

Massive technological advances enabled high-throughput measurements of proteomic changes in biological processes. However, retrieving biological insights from large-scale protein dynamics data remains a challenging task. Here we used the mating differentiation in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model and developed integrated experimental and computational approaches to analyze the proteomic dynamics during the process of cell fate determination. When exposed to a high dose of mating pheromone, the yeast cell undergoes growth arrest and forms a shmoo-like morphology; however, at intermediate doses, chemotropic elongated growth is initialized. To understand the gene regulatory networks that control this differentiation switch, we employed a high-throughput microfluidic imaging system that allows real-time and simultaneous measurements of cell growth and protein expression. Using kinetic modeling of protein dynamics, we classified the stimulus-dependent changes in protein abundance into two sources: global changes due to physiological alterations and gene-specific changes. A quantitative framework was proposed to decouple gene-specific regulatory modes from the growth-dependent global modulation of protein abundance. Based on the temporal patterns of gene-specific regulation, we established the network architectures underlying distinct cell fates using a reverse engineering method and uncovered the dose-dependent rewiring of gene regulatory network during mating differentiation. Furthermore, our results suggested a potential crosstalk between the pheromone response pathway and the target of rapamycin (TOR)-regulated ribosomal biogenesis pathway, which might underlie a cell differentiation switch in yeast mating response. In summary, our modeling approach addresses the distinct impacts of the global and gene-specific regulation on the control of protein dynamics and provides new insights into the mechanisms of cell fate determination. We anticipate that our

Bridge-Induced Translocation between NUP145 and TOP2 Yeast Genes Models the Genetic Fusion between the Human Orthologs Associated With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

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Valentina Tosato

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In mammalian organisms liquid tumors such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML are related to spontaneous chromosomal translocations ensuing in gene fusions. We previously developed a system named bridge-induced translocation (BIT that allows linking together two different chromosomes exploiting the strong endogenous homologous recombination system of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The BIT system generates a heterogeneous population of cells with different aneuploidies and severe aberrant phenotypes reminiscent of a cancerogenic transformation. In this work, thanks to a complex pop-out methodology of the marker used for the selection of translocants, we succeeded by BIT technology to precisely reproduce in yeast the peculiar chromosome translocation that has been associated with AML, characterized by the fusion between the human genes NUP98 and TOP2B. To shed light on the origin of the DNA fragility within NUP98, an extensive analysis of the curvature, bending, thermostability, and B-Z transition aptitude of the breakpoint region of NUP98 and of its yeast ortholog NUP145 has been performed. On this basis, a DNA cassette carrying homologous tails to the two genes was amplified by PCR and allowed the targeted fusion between NUP145 and TOP2, leading to reproduce the chimeric transcript in a diploid strain of S. cerevisiae. The resulting translocated yeast obtained through BIT appears characterized by abnormal spherical bodies of nearly 500 nm of diameter, absence of external membrane and defined cytoplasmic localization. Since Nup98 is a well-known regulator of the post-transcriptional modification of P53 target genes, and P53 mutations are occasionally reported in AML, this translocant yeast strain can be used as a model to test the constitutive expression of human P53. Although the abnormal phenotype of the translocant yeast was never rescued by its expression, an exogenous P53 was recognized to confer increased vitality to the translocants, in

Influence the oxidant action of selenium in radiosensitivity induction and cell death in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porto, Barbara Abranches de Araujo

2012-01-01

Ionizing radiations are from both natural sources such as from anthropogenic sources. Recently, radiotherapy has emerged as one of the most common therapies against cancer. Co-60 irradiators (cobalt-60 linear accelerators) are used to treat of malignant tumors routinely in hospitals around the world. Exposure to ionizing radiation can induce changes in cellular macromolecules and affect its functions, because they cause radiolysis of the water molecule generating reactive oxygen species, which can cause damage to virtually all organelles and cell components known as oxidative damage that can culminate in oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a situation in which the balance between oxidants and antioxidants is broken resulting in excessive production of reactive species, it is not accompanied by the increase in antioxidant capacity, making it impossible to neutralize them. Selenium is a micronutrient considered as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, which could prevent cancer. Selenium in biological system exists as seleno proteins. Nowadays, 25 human seleno proteins have been identified, including glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant enzyme. Yeasts have the ability to incorporate various metals such as iron, cadmium, zinc and selenium, as well as all biological organisms. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unlike mammalian cells is devoid of seleno proteins, being considered as a practical model for studies on the toxicity of selenium, without any interference from the metabolism of seleno proteins. Moreover, yeast cells proliferate through the fermentation, the microbial equivalent of aerobic glycolysis in mammals and the process is also used by tumors. Several reports show that the pro-oxidante effects and induced toxic selenium compounds occur at lower doses and in malignant cells compared with benign cells. Therefore selenium giving a great therapeutic potential in cancer treatment .Our objective was to determine whether selenium is capable to sensitize yeasts

Effect of inactive yeast cell wall on growth performance, survival rate and immune parameters in Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rutchanee Chotikachinda

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Effects of dietary inactive yeast cell wall on growth performance, survival rate, and immune parameters in pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei was investigated. Three dosages of inactive yeast cell wall (0, 1, and 2 g kg-1 were tested in three replicate groups of juvenile shrimps with an average initial weight of 7.15±0.05 g for four weeks. There was no significant difference in final weight, survival rate, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, feed intake, protein efficiency ratio, and apparent net protein utilization of each treatments. However, different levels of inactive yeast cell wall showed an effect on certain immune parameters (p<0.05. Total hemocyte counts, granular hemocyte count, and bacterial clearance were better in shrimp fed diets supplemented with 1 and 2 g kg-1 inactive yeast cell wall as compared with thecontrol group.

Yeast tRNAPhe expressed in human cells can be selected by HIV-1 for use as a reverse transcription primer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Nathan J.; Morrow, Casey D.

2003-01-01

All naturally occurring human immune deficiency viruses (HIV-1) select and use tRNA Lys,3 as the primer for reverse transcription. Studies to elucidate the mechanism of tRNA selection from the intracellular milieu have been hampered due to the difficulties in manipulating the endogenous levels of tRNA Lys,3 . We have previously described a mutant HIV-1 with a primer binding site (PBS) complementary to yeast tRNA Phe (psHIV-Phe) that relies on transfection of yeast tRNA Phe for infectivity. To more accurately recapitulate the selection process, a cDNA was designed for the intracellular expression of the yeast tRNA Phe . Increasing amounts of the plasmid encoding tRNA Phe resulted in a corresponding increase in levels of yeast tRNA Phe in the cell. The yeast tRNA Phe isolated from cells transfected with the cDNA for yeast tRNA Phe , or in the cell lines expressing yeast tRNA Phe , were aminoacylated, indicating that the expressed yeast tRNA Phe was incorporated into tRNA biogenesis pathways and translation. Increasing the cytoplasmic levels of tRNA Phe resulted in increased encapsidation of tRNA Phe in viruses with a PBS complementary to tRNA Phe (psHIV-Phe) or tRNA Lys,3 (wild-type HIV-1). Production of infectious psHIV-Phe was dependent on the amount of cotransfected tRNA Phe cDNA. Increasing amounts of plasmids encoding yeast tRNA Phe produced an increase of infectious psHIV-Phe that plateaued at a level lower than that from the transfection of the wild-type genome, which uses tRNA Lys,3 as the primer for reverse transcription. Cell lines were generated that expressed yeast tRNA Phe at levels approximately 0.1% of that for tRNA Lys,3 . Even with this reduced level of yeast tRNA Phe , the cell lines complemented psHIV-Phe over background levels. The results of these studies demonstrate that intracellular levels of primer tRNA can have a direct effect on HIV-1 infectivity and further support the role for PBS-tRNA complementarity in the primer selection process

A yeast screening system for simultaneously monitoring multiple genetic endpoints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixon, M.L.; Mortimer, R.K.

1986-01-01

Mutation, recombination, and mitochondrial deficiencies have been proposed to have roles in the carcinogenic process. The authors describe a diploid strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of detecting this wide spectrum of genetic changes. The markers used for monitoring these events have been especially well characterized genetically. Ultraviolet light was chosen as a model carcinogenic agent to test this system. In addition to highly significant increases in the frequencies of each genetic change, increases in the absolute numbers of each change indicated induction and not selective survival. The relative amounts of each type of genetic change varied with dose. The wide spectrum of endpoints monitored in the XD83 yeast system may allow the detection of certain carcinogens and other genetically toxic agents which have escaped detection in more limited systems. Since only one strain is required to simultaneously monitor these genetic changes, this assay system should facilitate comparisons of the induced changes and be more efficient than using multiple strains to monitor the same endpoints. (Auth.)

Evaluation of yeast single cell protein (SCP) diets on growth ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An investigation was carried out on the possibility of replacing fishmeal with graded levels of yeast single cell protein (SCP; 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%) in isonitrogenous feed formulations (30% protein) in the diet of Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings for a period of 12 weeks. The control diet had fishmeal as the primary protein ...

Determination of morphological and cytological differences between diploid and tetraploid watermelon plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

İsmail ŞİMŞEK

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In the seedless watermelon breeding programme, firstly, tetraploid parents must be developed by the breeders. When diploid watermelon lines treated with colchicine and oryzaline in vivo and vitro conditions, tetraploid plants could be obtained. The diploid and tetraploid watermelon plants should be selected within the population. For this reason, some markers (morphological, isozyme, cytological and molecular techniques are needed to separate from diploid and tetraploid plants. Chromosome counts and DNA content of diploid and tetraploid plants as a result of measurement of flow cytometry distinction can be made definitively. However, the laboratory infrastructure required to implement each method, is not economical. The purpose of this study is to select the tetraploid watermelon plants at M1 stage from populations applied colchicine and oryzaline with morphological anda cytological investigations in in vivo conditions. In this study, tetraploid plants belong to the four watermelon lines and diploid plants compared with the morphological and cytological dates. Morphological dates; width of the leaf-length (cm, male flower diameter (mm, diameter-length of the ovary (mm, the female flower petal width and length (mm were measured. Cytological assessment of the stoma diameter (μm, stomatal length (μm, stomatal density and chloroplast number were measured. In the present study has shown that the tetraploid plants grow vigorously as compared to diploid plants. Tetraploid plants are the number of chloroplasts increased, but decreased stomatal density were determined. As a result, tetraploid plants could be selected practically and economically by using morphological and cytological data for watermelon plants.

The diploid genome sequence of an individual human.

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Samuel Levy

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Presented here is a genome sequence of an individual human. It was produced from approximately 32 million random DNA fragments, sequenced by Sanger dideoxy technology and assembled into 4,528 scaffolds, comprising 2,810 million bases (Mb of contiguous sequence with approximately 7.5-fold coverage for any given region. We developed a modified version of the Celera assembler to facilitate the identification and comparison of alternate alleles within this individual diploid genome. Comparison of this genome and the National Center for Biotechnology Information human reference assembly revealed more than 4.1 million DNA variants, encompassing 12.3 Mb. These variants (of which 1,288,319 were novel included 3,213,401 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, 53,823 block substitutions (2-206 bp, 292,102 heterozygous insertion/deletion events (indels(1-571 bp, 559,473 homozygous indels (1-82,711 bp, 90 inversions, as well as numerous segmental duplications and copy number variation regions. Non-SNP DNA variation accounts for 22% of all events identified in the donor, however they involve 74% of all variant bases. This suggests an important role for non-SNP genetic alterations in defining the diploid genome structure. Moreover, 44% of genes were heterozygous for one or more variants. Using a novel haplotype assembly strategy, we were able to span 1.5 Gb of genome sequence in segments >200 kb, providing further precision to the diploid nature of the genome. These data depict a definitive molecular portrait of a diploid human genome that provides a starting point for future genome comparisons and enables an era of individualized genomic information.

Investigations on diploid radiation-induced gynogenesis in carp

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherfas, N.B.

1975-01-01

In carp the yield of diploid gynogenetic larvae under normal conditions averages 0.1% of the eggs fertilized. The application of low temperatures (8-10 0 C) for 3-4.5 h to ovulated uninseminated eggs (second metaphase) produced a positive result in 50% of the cases, raising the yield of gynogenetic diploids tens of times (in the best experiment to 8% of the eggs fertilized). During the first and second years of life, the gynogenetic carps are characterized by a decreased survival rate, and the critical period, which is accompanied by high losses, is the first hibernation. A specific depression of growth in the gynogenetic carps during the first and second years of life was not observed. The high yield of gynogenetic diploids in the F 2 resulting from artificial gynogenesis and their comparatively high survival rate point out the genetic causality of the ability to undergo gynogenesis and the prospects of breeding work in this direction. The fish-farm method of reproduction used in industrial carp fisheries may be successfully employed for the incubation and production of large-scale batches of gynogenetic offspring

Evaluation of yeast cell wall on the performance of broiles fed diets with or without mycotoxins

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E Santin

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This experiment aimed at evaluating the effects of the interactions between aflatoxin (500 or 250 ppb and ochratoxin (500 or 250 ppb, and the possible benefits of adding yeast cell wall to prevent the effects of these mycotoxins in broiler chickens. Relative organ weight gain and live performance were evaluated at 21 and 42 days of age. Results indicated that at the levels of mycotoxins included in the experimental diets, ochratoxin reduced feed intake and body weight gain, and aflatoxin only affect feed intake of 21-day-old birds. No interaction was observed between aflatoxin and ochratoxin at the levels used in experimental study. Yeast cell wall did not significantly reduced the deleterious effects of ochratoxins. No significant differences were observed in relative organ weight gain. Yeast cell wall improved feed conversion ratio when birds were fed either contaminated or non-contaminated feeds.

Calorie Restriction-Mediated Replicative Lifespan Extension in Yeast Is Non-Cell Autonomous

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Mei, Szu-Chieh; Brenner, Charles

2015-01-01

In laboratory yeast strains with Sir2 and Fob1 function, wild-type NAD+ salvage is required for calorie restriction (CR) to extend replicative lifespan. CR does not significantly alter steady state levels of intracellular NAD+ metabolites. However, levels of Sir2 and Pnc1, two enzymes that sequentially convert NAD+ to nicotinic acid (NA), are up-regulated during CR. To test whether factors such as NA might be exported by glucose-restricted mother cells to survive later generations, we developed a replicative longevity paradigm in which mother cells are moved after 15 generations on defined media. The experiment reveals that CR mother cells lose the longevity benefit of CR when evacuated from their local environment to fresh CR media. Addition of NA or nicotinamide riboside (NR) allows a moved mother to maintain replicative longevity despite the move. Moreover, conditioned medium from CR-treated cells transmits the longevity benefit of CR to moved mother cells. Evidence suggests the existence of a longevity factor that is dialyzable but is neither NA nor NR, and indicates that Sir2 is not required for the longevity factor to be produced or to act. Data indicate that the benefit of glucose-restriction is transmitted from cell to cell in budding yeast, suggesting that glucose restriction may benefit neighboring cells and not only an individual cell. PMID:25633578

Calorie restriction-mediated replicative lifespan extension in yeast is non-cell autonomous.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szu-Chieh Mei

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In laboratory yeast strains with Sir2 and Fob1 function, wild-type NAD+ salvage is required for calorie restriction (CR to extend replicative lifespan. CR does not significantly alter steady state levels of intracellular NAD+ metabolites. However, levels of Sir2 and Pnc1, two enzymes that sequentially convert NAD+ to nicotinic acid (NA, are up-regulated during CR. To test whether factors such as NA might be exported by glucose-restricted mother cells to survive later generations, we developed a replicative longevity paradigm in which mother cells are moved after 15 generations on defined media. The experiment reveals that CR mother cells lose the longevity benefit of CR when evacuated from their local environment to fresh CR media. Addition of NA or nicotinamide riboside (NR allows a moved mother to maintain replicative longevity despite the move. Moreover, conditioned medium from CR-treated cells transmits the longevity benefit of CR to moved mother cells. Evidence suggests the existence of a longevity factor that is dialyzable but is neither NA nor NR, and indicates that Sir2 is not required for the longevity factor to be produced or to act. Data indicate that the benefit of glucose-restriction is transmitted from cell to cell in budding yeast, suggesting that glucose restriction may benefit neighboring cells and not only an individual cell.

Acrolein-Induced Oxidative Stress and Cell Death Exhibiting Features of Apoptosis in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Deficient in SOD1.

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Kwolek-Mirek, Magdalena; Zadrąg-Tęcza, Renata; Bednarska, Sabina; Bartosz, Grzegorz

2015-04-01

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a useful eukaryotic model to study the toxicity of acrolein, an important environmental toxin and endogenous product of lipid peroxidation. The study was aimed at elucidation of the cytotoxic effect of acrolein on the yeast deficient in SOD1, Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase which is hypersensitive to aldehydes. Acrolein generated within the cell from its precursor allyl alcohol caused growth arrest and cell death of the yeast cells. The growth inhibition involved an increase in production of reactive oxygen species and high level of protein carbonylation. DNA condensation and fragmentation, exposition of phosphatidylserine at the cell surface as well as decreased dynamic of actin microfilaments and mitochondria disintegration point to the induction of apoptotic-type cell death besides necrotic cell death.

The duration of mitosis and daughter cell size are modulated by nutrients in budding yeast.

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Leitao, Ricardo M; Kellogg, Douglas R

2017-11-06

The size of nearly all cells is modulated by nutrients. Thus, cells growing in poor nutrients can be nearly half the size of cells in rich nutrients. In budding yeast, cell size is thought to be controlled almost entirely by a mechanism that delays cell cycle entry until sufficient growth has occurred in G1 phase. Here, we show that most growth of a new daughter cell occurs in mitosis. When the rate of growth is slowed by poor nutrients, the duration of mitosis is increased, which suggests that cells compensate for slow growth in mitosis by increasing the duration of growth. The amount of growth required to complete mitosis is reduced in poor nutrients, leading to a large reduction in cell size. Together, these observations suggest that mechanisms that control the extent of growth in mitosis play a major role in cell size control in budding yeast. © 2017 Leitao and Kellogg.

Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Analyses of Autotetraploid and Diploid Mulberry (Morus alba L.).

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Dai, Fanwei; Wang, Zhenjiang; Luo, Guoqing; Tang, Cuiming

2015-09-22

Autopolyploid plants and their organs are often larger than their diploid counterparts, which makes them attractive to plant breeders. Mulberry (Morus alba L.) is an important commercial woody plant in many tropical and subtropical areas. In this study, we obtained a series of autotetraploid mulberry plants resulting from a colchicine treatment. To evaluate the effects of genome duplications in mulberry, we compared the phenotypes and transcriptomes of autotetraploid and diploid mulberry trees. In the autotetraploids, the height, breast-height diameter, leaf size, and fruit size were larger than those of diploids. Transcriptome data revealed that of 21,229 expressed genes only 609 (2.87%) were differentially expressed between diploids and autotetraploids. Among them, 30 genes were associated with the biosynthesis and signal transduction of plant hormones, including cytokinin, gibberellins, ethylene, and auxin. In addition, 41 differentially expressed genes were involved in photosynthesis. These results enhance our understanding of the variations that occur in mulberry autotetraploids and will benefit future breeding work.

Long-term tracking of budding yeast cells in brightfield microscopy: CellStar and the Evaluation Platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Versari, Cristian; Stoma, Szymon; Batmanov, Kirill; Llamosi, Artémis; Mroz, Filip; Kaczmarek, Adam; Deyell, Matt; Lhoussaine, Cédric; Hersen, Pascal; Batt, Gregory

2017-02-01

With the continuous expansion of single cell biology, the observation of the behaviour of individual cells over extended durations and with high accuracy has become a problem of central importance. Surprisingly, even for yeast cells that have relatively regular shapes, no solution has been proposed that reaches the high quality required for long-term experiments for segmentation and tracking (S&T) based on brightfield images. Here, we present CellStar , a tool chain designed to achieve good performance in long-term experiments. The key features are the use of a new variant of parametrized active rays for segmentation, a neighbourhood-preserving criterion for tracking, and the use of an iterative approach that incrementally improves S&T quality. A graphical user interface enables manual corrections of S&T errors and their use for the automated correction of other, related errors and for parameter learning. We created a benchmark dataset with manually analysed images and compared CellStar with six other tools, showing its high performance, notably in long-term tracking. As a community effort, we set up a website, the Yeast Image Toolkit, with the benchmark and the Evaluation Platform to gather this and additional information provided by others. © 2017 The Authors.

Enhancement of the proline and nitric oxide synthetic pathway improves fermentation ability under multiple baking-associated stress conditions in industrial baker's yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Sasano, Yu; Haitani, Yutaka; Hashida, Keisuke; Ohtsu, Iwao; Shima, Jun; Takagi, Hiroshi

2012-04-01

During the bread-making process, industrial baker's yeast, mostly Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is exposed to baking-associated stresses, such as air-drying and freeze-thaw stress. These baking-associated stresses exert severe injury to yeast cells, mainly due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cell death and reduced fermentation ability. Thus, there is a great need for a baker's yeast strain with higher tolerance to baking-associated stresses. Recently, we revealed a novel antioxidative mechanism in a laboratory yeast strain that is involved in stress-induced nitric oxide (NO) synthesis from proline via proline oxidase Put1 and N-acetyltransferase Mpr1. We also found that expression of the proline-feedback inhibition-less sensitive mutant γ-glutamyl kinase (Pro1-I150T) and the thermostable mutant Mpr1-F65L resulted in an enhanced fermentation ability of baker's yeast in bread dough after freeze-thaw stress and air-drying stress, respectively. However, baker's yeast strains with high fermentation ability under multiple baking-associated stresses have not yet been developed. We constructed a self-cloned diploid baker's yeast strain with enhanced proline and NO synthesis by expressing Pro1-I150T and Mpr1-F65L in the presence of functional Put1. The engineered strain increased the intracellular NO level in response to air-drying stress, and the strain was tolerant not only to oxidative stress but also to both air-drying and freeze-thaw stresses probably due to the reduced intracellular ROS level. We also showed that the resultant strain retained higher leavening activity in bread dough after air-drying and freeze-thaw stress than that of the wild-type strain. On the other hand, enhanced stress tolerance and fermentation ability did not occur in the put1-deficient strain. This result suggests that NO is synthesized in baker's yeast from proline in response to oxidative stresses that induce ROS generation and that increased NO plays an important

Enhancement of the proline and nitric oxide synthetic pathway improves fermentation ability under multiple baking-associated stress conditions in industrial baker's yeast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sasano Yu

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background During the bread-making process, industrial baker's yeast, mostly Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is exposed to baking-associated stresses, such as air-drying and freeze-thaw stress. These baking-associated stresses exert severe injury to yeast cells, mainly due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS, leading to cell death and reduced fermentation ability. Thus, there is a great need for a baker's yeast strain with higher tolerance to baking-associated stresses. Recently, we revealed a novel antioxidative mechanism in a laboratory yeast strain that is involved in stress-induced nitric oxide (NO synthesis from proline via proline oxidase Put1 and N-acetyltransferase Mpr1. We also found that expression of the proline-feedback inhibition-less sensitive mutant γ-glutamyl kinase (Pro1-I150T and the thermostable mutant Mpr1-F65L resulted in an enhanced fermentation ability of baker's yeast in bread dough after freeze-thaw stress and air-drying stress, respectively. However, baker's yeast strains with high fermentation ability under multiple baking-associated stresses have not yet been developed. Results We constructed a self-cloned diploid baker's yeast strain with enhanced proline and NO synthesis by expressing Pro1-I150T and Mpr1-F65L in the presence of functional Put1. The engineered strain increased the intracellular NO level in response to air-drying stress, and the strain was tolerant not only to oxidative stress but also to both air-drying and freeze-thaw stresses probably due to the reduced intracellular ROS level. We also showed that the resultant strain retained higher leavening activity in bread dough after air-drying and freeze-thaw stress than that of the wild-type strain. On the other hand, enhanced stress tolerance and fermentation ability did not occur in the put1-deficient strain. This result suggests that NO is synthesized in baker's yeast from proline in response to oxidative stresses that induce ROS

Enhancement of the proline and nitric oxide synthetic pathway improves fermentation ability under multiple baking-associated stress conditions in industrial baker's yeast

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background During the bread-making process, industrial baker's yeast, mostly Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is exposed to baking-associated stresses, such as air-drying and freeze-thaw stress. These baking-associated stresses exert severe injury to yeast cells, mainly due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cell death and reduced fermentation ability. Thus, there is a great need for a baker's yeast strain with higher tolerance to baking-associated stresses. Recently, we revealed a novel antioxidative mechanism in a laboratory yeast strain that is involved in stress-induced nitric oxide (NO) synthesis from proline via proline oxidase Put1 and N-acetyltransferase Mpr1. We also found that expression of the proline-feedback inhibition-less sensitive mutant γ-glutamyl kinase (Pro1-I150T) and the thermostable mutant Mpr1-F65L resulted in an enhanced fermentation ability of baker's yeast in bread dough after freeze-thaw stress and air-drying stress, respectively. However, baker's yeast strains with high fermentation ability under multiple baking-associated stresses have not yet been developed. Results We constructed a self-cloned diploid baker's yeast strain with enhanced proline and NO synthesis by expressing Pro1-I150T and Mpr1-F65L in the presence of functional Put1. The engineered strain increased the intracellular NO level in response to air-drying stress, and the strain was tolerant not only to oxidative stress but also to both air-drying and freeze-thaw stresses probably due to the reduced intracellular ROS level. We also showed that the resultant strain retained higher leavening activity in bread dough after air-drying and freeze-thaw stress than that of the wild-type strain. On the other hand, enhanced stress tolerance and fermentation ability did not occur in the put1-deficient strain. This result suggests that NO is synthesized in baker's yeast from proline in response to oxidative stresses that induce ROS generation and that increased NO

Yeasts preservation: alternatives for lyophilisation

OpenAIRE

Nyanga, Loveness K.; Nout, Martinus J. R.; Smid, Eddy J.; Boekhout, Teun; Zwietering, Marcel H.

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of two low-cost, low technology traditional methods for drying starter cultures with standard lyophilisation. Lyophilised yeast cultures and yeast cultures preserved in dry rice cakes and dry plant fibre strands were examined for viable cell counts during 6 months storage at 4 and 25 °C. None of the yeast cultures showed a significant loss in viable cell count during 6 months of storage at 4 °C upon lyophilisation and preservation in dry rice cak...

Regulatory mechanism of the flavoprotein Tah18-dependent nitric oxide synthesis and cell death in yeast.

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Yoshikawa, Yuki; Nasuno, Ryo; Kawahara, Nobuhiro; Nishimura, Akira; Watanabe, Daisuke; Takagi, Hiroshi

2016-07-01

Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous signaling molecule involved in the regulation of a large number of cellular functions. The regulatory mechanism of NO generation in unicellular eukaryotic yeast cells is poorly understood due to the lack of mammalian and bacterial NO synthase (NOS) orthologues, even though yeast produces NO under oxidative stress conditions. Recently, we reported that the flavoprotein Tah18, which was previously shown to transfer electrons to the iron-sulfur cluster protein Dre2, is involved in NOS-like activity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. On the other hand, Tah18 was reported to promote apoptotic cell death after exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Here, we showed that NOS-like activity requiring Tah18 induced cell death upon treatment with H2O2. Our experimental results also indicate that Tah18-dependent NO production and cell death are suppressed by enhancement of the interaction between Tah18 and its molecular partner Dre2. Our findings indicate that the Tah18-Dre2 complex regulates cell death as a molecular switch via Tah18-dependent NOS-like activity in response to environmental changes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detecting estrogenic activity in water samples withestrogen-sensitive yeast cells using spectrophotometry and fluorescencemicroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wozei, E.; Holman, H-Y.N.; Hermanowicz, S.W.; Borglin S.

2006-03-15

Environmental estrogens are environmental contaminants that can mimic the biological activities of the female hormone estrogen in the endocrine system, i.e. they act as endocrine disrupters. Several substances are reported to have estrogen-like activity or estrogenic activity. These include steroid hormones, synthetic estrogens (xenoestrogens), environmental pollutants and phytoestrogens (plant estrogens). Using the chromogenic substrate ortho-nitrophenyl-{beta}-D-galactopyranoside (ONPG) we show that an estrogen-sensitive yeast strain RMY/ER-ERE, with human estrogen receptor (hER{alpha}) gene and the lacZ gene which encodes the enzyme {beta}-galactosidase, is able to detect estrogenic activity in water samples over a wide range of spiked concentrations of the hormonal estrogen 17{beta}-estradiol (E2). Ortho-nitrophenol (ONP), the yellow product of this assay can be detected using spectrophotometry but requires cell lysis to release the enzyme and allow product formation. We improved this aspect in a fluorogenic assay by using fluorescein di-{beta}-D-galactopyranoside (FDG) as a substrate. The product was visualized using fluorescence microscopy without the need to kill, fix or lyse the cells. We show that in live yeast cells, the uptake of E2 and the subsequent production of {beta}-galactosidase enzyme occur quite rapidly, with maximum enzyme-catalyzed fluorescent product formation evident after about 30 minutes of exposure to E2. The fluorogenic assay was applied to a selection of estrogenic compounds and the Synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectra of the cells obtained to better understand the yeast whole cell response to the compounds. The fluorogenic assay is most sensitive to E2, but the SR-FTIR spectra suggest that the cells respond to all the estrogenic compounds tested even when no fluorescent response was detected. These findings are promising and may shorten the duration of environmental water screening and monitoring regimes using

Energetic heavy ions accelerate differentiation in the descendants of irradiated normal human diploid fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamada, Nobuyuki; Hara, Takamitsu; Funayama, Tomoo; Sakashita, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko

2008-01-01

Ionizing radiation-induced genomic instability has been demonstrated in a variety of endpoints such as delayed reproductive death, chromosome instability and mutations, which occurs in the progeny of survivors many generations after the initial insult. Dependence of these effects on the linear energy transfer (LET) of the radiation is incompletely characterized; however, our previous work has shown that delayed reductions in clonogenicity can be most pronounced at LET of 108 keV/μm. To gain insight into potential cellular mechanisms involved in LET-dependent delayed loss of clonogenicity, we investigated morphological changes in colonies arising from normal human diploid fibroblasts exposed to γ-rays or energetic carbon ions (108 keV/μm). Exposure of confluent cultures to carbon ions was 4-fold more effective at inactivating cellular clonogenic potential and produced more abortive colonies containing reduced number of cells per colony than γ-rays. Second, colonies were assessed for clonal morphotypic heterogeneity. The yield of differentiated cells was elevated in a dose- and LET-dependent fashion in clonogenic colonies, whereas differentiated cells predominated to a comparable extent irrespective of radiation type or dose in abortive colonies. The incidence of giant or multinucleated cells was also increased but much less frequent than that of differentiated cells. Collectively, our results indicate that carbon ions facilitate differentiation more effectively than γ-rays as a major response in the progeny of irradiated fibroblasts. Accelerated differentiation may account, at least in part, for dose- and LET-dependent delayed loss of clonogenicity in normal human diploid cells, and could be a defensive mechanism that minimizes further expansion of aberrant cells

The small GTPase Rab5 homologue Ypt5 regulates cell morphology, sexual development, ion-stress response and vacuolar formation in fission yeast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsukamoto, Yuta; Katayama, Chisako [Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho Nada, Kobe 657-8501 (Japan); Shinohara, Miki; Shinohara, Akira [Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Maekawa, Shohei [Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho Nada, Kobe 657-8501 (Japan); Miyamoto, Masaaki, E-mail: miya@kobe-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho Nada, Kobe 657-8501 (Japan); Center for Supports to Research and Education Activities, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho Nada, Kobe 657-8501 (Japan)

2013-11-29

Highlights: •Multiple functions of Rab5 GTPase in fission yeast were found. •Roles of Rab5 in fission yeast were discussed. •Relation between Rab5 and actin cytoskeleton were discussed. -- Abstract: Inner-membrane transport is critical to cell function. Rab family GTPases play an important role in vesicle transport. In mammalian cells, Rab5 is reported to be involved in the regulation of endosome formation, phagocytosis and chromosome alignment. Here, we examined the role of the fission yeast Rab5 homologue Ypt5 using a point mutant allele. Mutant cells displayed abnormal cell morphology, mating, sporulation, endocytosis, vacuole fusion and responses to ion stress. Our data strongly suggest that fission yeast Rab5 is involved in the regulation of various types of cellular functions.

The small GTPase Rab5 homologue Ypt5 regulates cell morphology, sexual development, ion-stress response and vacuolar formation in fission yeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsukamoto, Yuta; Katayama, Chisako; Shinohara, Miki; Shinohara, Akira; Maekawa, Shohei; Miyamoto, Masaaki

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Multiple functions of Rab5 GTPase in fission yeast were found. •Roles of Rab5 in fission yeast were discussed. •Relation between Rab5 and actin cytoskeleton were discussed. -- Abstract: Inner-membrane transport is critical to cell function. Rab family GTPases play an important role in vesicle transport. In mammalian cells, Rab5 is reported to be involved in the regulation of endosome formation, phagocytosis and chromosome alignment. Here, we examined the role of the fission yeast Rab5 homologue Ypt5 using a point mutant allele. Mutant cells displayed abnormal cell morphology, mating, sporulation, endocytosis, vacuole fusion and responses to ion stress. Our data strongly suggest that fission yeast Rab5 is involved in the regulation of various types of cellular functions

Increase of ethanol productivity by cell-recycle fermentation of flocculating yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, F Z; Xie, T; Hui, M

2011-01-01

Using the recombinant flocculating Angel yeast F6, long-term repeated batch fermentation for ethanol production was performed and a high volumetric productivity resulted from half cells not washed and the optimum opportunity of residual glucose 20 g l(-1) of last medium. The obtained highest productivity was 2.07 g l-(1) h(-1), which was improved by 75.4% compared with that of 1.18 g l(-1) h(-1) in the first batch fermentation. The ethanol concentration reached 8.4% corresponding to the yield of 0.46 g g(-1). These results will contribute greatly to the industrial production of fuel ethanol using the commercial method with the flocculating yeast.

Study on the specificity of yeast cell damage by high-intensity UV radiation (266nm)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burchuladze, T.G.; Frajkin, G.Ya.; Rubin, L.B.

1981-01-01

Peculiarities of photoreactivation and photoprotection of the Candida guilliermondii and Candida utilis yeast cells, irradiated with far and near ultraviolet radiation, are considered. New results on the study of the dependence of the cells inactivation degree on the intensity of ultraviolet radiation are presented. The impulse rate density at 266 nm reached 10 10 Ix m -2 xs -1 at the impulse duration of 10 -8 s. Survival curves of the yeast cells during their irradiation with ultraviolet radiation of 266 nm and 254 nm are given. It is shown that with the increase of the irradiation intensity of 266 nm the rates and final levels of photoreactivation decrease. Under the effect of ultraviolet irradiation of high intensity contribution of pyrimidine dimers to the cell inactivation decreases [ru

ODE, RDE and SDE models of cell cycle dynamics and clustering in yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Boczko, Erik M; Gedeon, Tomas; Stowers, Chris C; Young, Todd R

2010-07-01

Biologists have long observed periodic-like oxygen consumption oscillations in yeast populations under certain conditions, and several unsatisfactory explanations for this phenomenon have been proposed. These ‘autonomous oscillations’ have often appeared with periods that are nearly integer divisors of the calculated doubling time of the culture. We hypothesize that these oscillations could be caused by a form of cell cycle synchronization that we call clustering. We develop some novel ordinary differential equation models of the cell cycle. For these models, and for random and stochastic perturbations, we give both rigorous proofs and simulations showing that both positive and negative growth rate feedback within the cell cycle are possible agents that can cause clustering of populations within the cell cycle. It occurs for a variety of models and for a broad selection of parameter values. These results suggest that the clustering phenomenon is robust and is likely to be observed in nature. Since there are necessarily an integer number of clusters, clustering would lead to periodic-like behaviour with periods that are nearly integer divisors of the period of the cell cycle. Related experiments have shown conclusively that cell cycle clustering occurs in some oscillating yeast cultures.

The indentation of pressurized elastic shells: from polymeric capsules to yeast cells

KAUST Repository

Vella, D.; Ajdari, A.; Vaziri, A.; Boudaoud, A.

2011-01-01

of capsules. Our results are relevant for determining the internal pressure in bacterial, fungal or plant cells. As an illustration of this, we apply our results to recent measurements of the stiffness of baker's yeast and infer from these experiments

Fatty acids from oleaginous yeasts and yeast-like fungi and their potential applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Si-Jia; Chi, Zhe; Zhang, Yu; Li, Yan-Feng; Liu, Guang-Lei; Jiang, Hong; Hu, Zhong; Chi, Zhen-Ming

2018-02-01

Oleaginous yeasts, fatty acids biosynthesis and regulation in the oleaginous yeasts and the fatty acids from the oleaginous yeasts and their applications are reviewed in this article. Oleaginous yeasts such as Rhodosporidium toruloides, Yarrowia lipolytica, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, and Aureobasidium melanogenum, which can accumulate over 50% lipid of their cell dry weight, have many advantages over other oleaginous microorganisms. The fatty acids from the oleaginous yeasts have many potential applications. Many oleaginous yeasts have now been genetically modified to over-produce fatty acids and their derivatives. The most important features of the oleaginous yeasts are that they have special enzymatic systems for enhanced biosynthesis and regulation of fatty acids in their lipid particles. Recently, some oleaginous yeasts such as R. toruloides have been found to have a unique fatty acids synthetase and other oleaginous yeasts such as A. melanogenum have a unique highly reducing polyketide synthase (HR-PKS) involved in the biosynthesis of hydroxyl fatty acids. It is necessary to further enhance lipid biosynthesis using metabolic engineering and explore new applications of fatty acids in biotechnology.

Synergetic effect of yeast cell-surface expression of cellulase and expansin-like protein on direct ethanol production from cellulose

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Numerous studies have examined the direct fermentation of cellulosic materials by cellulase-expressing yeast; however, ethanol productivity in these systems has not yet reached an industrial level. Certain microorganisms, such as the cellulolytic fungus Trichoderma reesei, produce expansin-like proteins, which have a cellulose-loosening effect that may increase the breakdown of cellulose. Here, to improve the direct conversion of cellulose to ethanol, yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-displaying cellulase and expansin-like protein on the cell surface were constructed and examined for direct ethanol fermentation performance. Results The cellulase and expansin-like protein co-expressing strain showed 246 mU/g-wet cell of phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC) degradation activity, which corresponded to 2.9-fold higher activity than that of a cellulase-expressing strain. This result clearly demonstrated that yeast cell-surface expressed cellulase and expansin-like protein act synergistically to breakdown cellulose. In fermentation experiments examining direct ethanol production from PASC, the cellulase and expansin-like protein co-expressing strain produced 3.4 g/L ethanol after 96 h of fermentation, a concentration that was 1.4-fold higher than that achieved by the cellulase-expressing strain (2.5 g/L). Conclusions The PASC degradation and fermentation ability of an engineered yeast strain was markedly improved by co-expressing cellulase and expansin-like protein on the cell surface. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the synergetic effect of co-expressing cellulase and expansin-like protein on a yeast cell surface, which may be a promising strategy for constructing direct ethanol fermenting yeast from cellulose. PMID:23835302

Protein patterns of yeast during sporulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Litske Petersen, J.G.; Kielland-Brandt, M.C.; Nilsson-Tillgren, T.

1979-01-01

High resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to study protein synthesis during synchronous meiosis and ascospore formation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The stained protein patterns of samples harvested at any stage between meiotic prophase and the four-spore stage in two sporulating strains showed the same approximately 250 polypeptides. Of these only a few seemed to increase or decrease in concentration during sporulation. The characteristic pattern of sporulating yeast was identical to the pattern of glucose-grown staitonary yeast cells adapted to respiration. The latter type of cells readily initiates meiosis when transferred to sporulation medium. This pattern differed from the protein patterns of exponentially growing cells in glucose or acetate presporulation medium. Five major proteins in stationary and sporulating yeast cells were not detected in either type of exponential culture. Two-dimensional autoradiograms of [ 35 S]methionine-labelled yeast proteins revealed that some proteins were preferentially labelled during sporulation, while other proteins were labelled at later stages. These patterns differed from the auroradiograms of exponentially growing yeast cells in glucose presporulation medium in a number of spots. No differences were observed when stained gels or autoradiograms of sporulating cultures and non-sporulating strains in sporulation medium were compared. (author)

Role of post irradiation growth delay in chemical radioprotection by caffeine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gangabhagirathi, R.; Rao, B.S.; Bhat, N.N.

2004-01-01

Post irradiation treatment with caffeine enhanced the survival of wild type diploid yeast strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae X2180. The presence of caffeine during gamma irradiation also affected a similar enhancement in survival. These observations suggest that caffeine imparted significant protection against radiation. Effectiveness of caffeine, even when present only during the post irradiation period, suggests that it modulates the post irradiation recovery process in yeast cells. (author)

Assessment of pheromone production and response in fission yeast by a halo test of induced sporulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egel, R; Willer, M; Kjaerulff, S

1994-01-01

We describe a rapid, sensitive and semi-quantitative plate assay for monitoring pheromone activity in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. It is based on the observation that meiosis requires stimulation by pheromone and exploits diploid strains that will only sporulate after addition...... of exogenous pheromone. The tester strains are heterozygous for mating type, are non-switching, and are mutated in one of the early subfunctions (either mat1-Mc or mat1-Pc), so that meiosis is only induced after exposure to exogenous pheromone (M-factor or P-factor, respectively). Pheromone activity...

Transformation and radiosensitivity of human diploid skin fibroblasts transfected with activated ras oncogene and SV40 T-antigen.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, L N; Little, J B

1992-08-01

Three normal human diploid cell strains were transfected with an activated Ha-ras oncogene (EJ ras) or SV40 T-antigen. Multiple clones were examined for morphological alterations, growth requirements, ability to grow under anchorage independent conditions, immortality and tumorigenicity in nude mice. Clones expressing SV40 T-antigen alone or in combination with ras protein p21 were significantly radioresistant as compared with their parent cells or clones transfected with the neo gene only. This radioresistant phenotype persisted in post-crisis, immortalized cell lines. Cells transfected with EJ ras alone showed no morphological alterations nor significant changes in radiosensitivity. Cell clones expressing ras and/or SV40 T-antigen showed a reduced requirement for serum supplements, an increase in aneuploidy and chromosomal aberrations, and enhanced growth in soft agar as an early cellular response to SV40 T-antigen expression. The sequential order of transfection with SV40 T-antigen and ras influenced radio-sensitivity but not the induction of morphological changes. These data suggest that expression of the SV40 T-antigen but not activated Ha-ras plays an important role in the radiosensitivity of human diploid cells. The radioresistant phenotype in SV40 T transfected cells was not related to the enhanced level of genetic instability seen in pre-crisis and newly immortalized cells, nor to the process of immortalization itself.

Phylogenetic Structure of Plant Communities: Are Polyploids Distantly Related to Co-occurring Diploids?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle L. Gaynor

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Polyploidy is widely acknowledged to have played an important role in the evolution and diversification of vascular plants. However, the influence of genome duplication on population-level dynamics and its cascading effects at the community level remain unclear. In part, this is due to persistent uncertainties over the extent of polyploid phenotypic variation, and the interactions between polyploids and co-occurring species, and highlights the need to integrate polyploid research at the population and community level. Here, we investigate how community-level patterns of phylogenetic relatedness might influence escape from minority cytotype exclusion, a classic population genetics hypothesis about polyploid establishment, and population-level species interactions. Focusing on two plant families in which polyploidy has evolved multiple times, Brassicaceae and Rosaceae, we build upon the hypothesis that the greater allelic and phenotypic diversity of polyploids allow them to successfully inhabit a different geographic range compared to their diploid progenitor and close relatives. Using a phylogenetic framework, we specifically test (1 whether polyploid species are more distantly related to diploids within the same community than co-occurring diploids are to one another, and (2 if polyploid species tend to exhibit greater ecological success than diploids, using species abundance in communities as an indicator of successful establishment. Overall, our results suggest that the effects of genome duplication on community structure are not clear-cut. We find that polyploid species tend to be more distantly related to co-occurring diploids than diploids are to each other. However, we do not find a consistent pattern of polyploid species being more abundant than diploid species, suggesting polyploids are not uniformly more ecologically successful than diploids. While polyploidy appears to have some important influences on species co-occurrence in

Beyond bread and beer: whole cell protein extracts from baker's yeast as a bulk source for 3D cell culture matrices.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodenberger, Nicholas; Kubiczek, Dennis; Paul, Patrick; Preising, Nico; Weber, Lukas; Bosch, Ramona; Hausmann, Rudolf; Gottschalk, Kay-Eberhard; Rosenau, Frank

2017-03-01

Here, we present a novel approach to form hydrogels from yeast whole cell protein. Countless hydrogels are available for sophisticated research, but their fabrication is often difficult to reproduce, with the gels being complicated to handle or simply too expensive. The yeast hydrogels presented here are polymerized using a four-armed, amine reactive crosslinker and show a high chemical and thermal resistance. The free water content was determined by measuring swelling ratios for different protein concentrations, and in a freeze-drying approach, pore sizes of up to 100 μm in the gel could be created without destabilizing the 3D network. Elasticity was proofed to be adjustable with the help of atomic force microscopy by merely changing the amount of used protein. Furthermore, the material was tested for possible cell culture applications; diffusion rates in the network are high enough for sufficient supply of human breast cancer cells and adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells with nutrition, and cells showed high viabilities when tested for compatibility with the material. Furthermore, hydrogels could be functionalized with RGD peptide and the optimal concentration for sufficient cell adhesion was determined to be 150 μM. Given that yeast protein is one of the cheapest and easiest available protein sources and that hydrogels are extremely easy to handle, the developed material has highly promising potential for both sophisticated cell culture techniques as well as for larger scale industrial applications.

A sphingolipid-dependent diffusion barrier confines ER stress to the yeast mother cell

Science.gov (United States)

Clay, Lori; Caudron, Fabrice; Denoth-Lippuner, Annina; Boettcher, Barbara; Buvelot Frei, Stéphanie; Snapp, Erik Lee; Barral, Yves

2014-01-01

In many cell types, lateral diffusion barriers compartmentalize the plasma membrane and, at least in budding yeast, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the molecular nature of these barriers, their mode of action and their cellular functions are unclear. Here, we show that misfolded proteins of the ER remain confined into the mother compartment of budding yeast cells. Confinement required the formation of a lateral diffusion barrier in the form of a distinct domain of the ER-membrane at the bud neck, in a septin-, Bud1 GTPase- and sphingolipid-dependent manner. The sphingolipids, but not Bud1, also contributed to barrier formation in the outer membrane of the dividing nucleus. Barrier-dependent confinement of ER stress into the mother cell promoted aging. Together, our data clarify the physical nature of lateral diffusion barriers in the ER and establish the role of such barriers in the asymmetric segregation of proteotoxic misfolded proteins during cell division and aging. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01883.001 PMID:24843009

Genetic and proteomic evidences support the localization of yeast enolase in the cell surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

López-Villar, Elena; Monteoliva, Lucía; Larsen, Martin Røssel

2006-01-01

Although enolase, other glycolytic enzymes, and a variety of cytoplasmic proteins lacking an N-terminal secretion signal have been widely described as located at the cell surface in yeast and in mammalian cells, their presence in this external location is still controversial. Here, we report that...

UV-dependent production of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 in the recombinant yeast cells expressing human CYP2R1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuda, Kaori; Endo, Mariko; Ikushiro, Shinichi; Kamakura, Masaki; Ohta, Miho; Sakaki, Toshiyuki

2013-01-01

Highlights: •We produce 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the recombinant yeast expressing human CYP2R1. •Vitamin D2 is produced in yeast from endogenous ergosterol with UV irradiation. •We produce 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 in the recombinant yeast without added substrate. -- Abstract: CYP2R1 is known to be a physiologically important vitamin D 25-hydroxylase. We have successfully expressed human CYP2R1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to reveal its enzymatic properties. In this study, we examined production of 25-hydroxylated vitamin D using whole recombinant yeast cells that expressed CYP2R1. When vitamin D 3 or vitamin D 2 was added to the cell suspension of CYP2R1-expressing yeast cells in a buffer containing glucose and β-cyclodextrin, the vitamins were converted into their 25-hydroxylated products. Next, we irradiated the cell suspension with UVB and incubated at 37 °C. Surprisingly, the 25-hydroxy vitamin D 2 was produced without additional vitamin D 2 . Endogenous ergosterol was likely converted into vitamin D 2 by UV irradiation and thermal isomerization, and then the resulting vitamin D 2 was converted to 25-hydroxyvitamin D 2 by CYP2R1. This novel method for producing 25-hydroxyvitamin D 2 without a substrate could be useful for practical purposes

Fasciola hepatica from naturally infected sheep and cattle in Great Britain are diploid.

Science.gov (United States)

Beesley, N J; Cwiklinski, K; Williams, D J L; Hodgkinson, J

2015-08-01

Diploid (2n = 2x = 20) and triploid (2n = 3x = 30) Fasciola hepatica have been reported in the UK, and in Asia diploid, triploid and mixoploid (2x/3x) Fasciola spp. exist but there is little information to indicate how common triploidy is, particularly in UK fluke. Here the ploidy of 565 adult F. hepatica from 66 naturally infected British sheep and 150 adult F. hepatica from 35 naturally infected British cattle was determined. All 715 of these parasites were diploid, based on observation of 10 bivalent chromosomes and sperm (n = 335) or, since triploids are aspermic, sperm alone (n = 380). This constitutes the first extensive analysis of the ploidy of F. hepatica field isolates from Great Britain and shows that most F. hepatica isolated from cattle and sheep are diploid and have the capacity to sexually reproduce. These data suggest that triploidy, and by extension parthenogenesis, is rare or non-existent in wild British F. hepatica populations. Given that F. hepatica is the only species of Fasciola present in Britain our results indicate that the parasite is predominantly diploid in areas where F. hepatica exists in isolation and suggests that triploidy may only originate in natural populations where co-infection of F. hepatica and its sister species Fasciola gigantica commonly occurs.

Lactococcus lactis - a diploid bacterium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michelsen, Ole; Hansen, Flemming G.; Jensen, Peter Ruhdal

the next division. Thus, the regions of the chromosome that are the last to be replicated are haploid even in fast-growing bacteria. In contrast to this general rule for bacteria, we found that Lactococcus lactis, a bacterium which has been exploited for thousands of years for the production of fermented...... milk products, is born with two complete non-replicating chromosomes. L. lactis therefore remain diploid throughout its entire life cycle....

The effects of 'cell age' upon the lethal effects of physical and chemical mutagens in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parry, J.M.

1976-01-01

Yeast cultures progressing from the exponential to the stationary phase of growth showed changes in cell sensitivity to physical agents such as UV light, heat shock at 52 0 C and the chemical mutagens ethyl methane sulphonate, nitrous acid and mitomycin C. Exponential phase cells showed maximum resistance to heat shock and the three chemicals. The increased resistance of exponential phase cells to UV light was shown to be dependent upon the functional integrity of the RAD 50 gene. Treatment of growing yeast cultures with radioactively labelled ethyl methane sulphonate indicated the preferential uptake of radioactivity during the sensitive exponential stage of growth. The results indicated that the differential uptake of the chemical mutagens was responsible for at least a fraction of the variations in cell sensitivity observed in yeast cultures at different phases of growth. (orig.) [de

Cytophotometric and biochemical analyses of DNA in pentaploid and diploid Agave species.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavallini, A; Natali, L; Cionini, G; Castorena-Sanchez, I

1996-04-01

Nuclear DNA content, chromatin structure, and DNA composition were investigated in four Agave species: two diploid, Agave tequilana Weber and Agave angustifolia Haworth var. marginata Hort., and two pentaploid, Agave fourcroydes Lemaire and Agave sisalana Perrine. It was determined that the genome size of pentaploid species is nearly 2.5 times that of diploid ones. Cytophotometric analyses of chromatin structure were performed following Feulgen or DAPI staining to determine optical density profiles of interphase nuclei. Pentaploid species showed higher frequencies of condensed chromatin (heterochromatin) than diploid species. On the other hand, a lower frequency of A-T rich (DAPI stained) heterochromatin was found in pentaploid species than in diploid ones, indicating that heterochromatin in pentaploid species is made up of sequences with base compositions different from those of diploid species. Since thermal denaturation profiles of extracted DNA showed minor variations in the base composition of the genomes of the four species, it is supposed that, in pentaploid species, the large heterochromatin content is not due to an overrepresentation of G-C repetitive sequences but rather to the condensation of nonrepetitive sequences, such as, for example, redundant gene copies switched off in the polyploid complement. It is suggested that speciation in the genus Agave occurs through point mutations and minor DNA rearrangements, as is also indicated by the relative stability of the karyotype of this genus. Key words : Agave, DNA cytophotometry, DNA melting profiles, chromatin structure, genome size.

Comparative polygenic analysis of maximal ethanol accumulation capacity and tolerance to high ethanol levels of cell proliferation in yeast.

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Thiago M Pais

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is able to accumulate ≥17% ethanol (v/v by fermentation in the absence of cell proliferation. The genetic basis of this unique capacity is unknown. Up to now, all research has focused on tolerance of yeast cell proliferation to high ethanol levels. Comparison of maximal ethanol accumulation capacity and ethanol tolerance of cell proliferation in 68 yeast strains showed a poor correlation, but higher ethanol tolerance of cell proliferation clearly increased the likelihood of superior maximal ethanol accumulation capacity. We have applied pooled-segregant whole-genome sequence analysis to identify the polygenic basis of these two complex traits using segregants from a cross of a haploid derivative of the sake strain CBS1585 and the lab strain BY. From a total of 301 segregants, 22 superior segregants accumulating ≥17% ethanol in small-scale fermentations and 32 superior segregants growing in the presence of 18% ethanol, were separately pooled and sequenced. Plotting SNP variant frequency against chromosomal position revealed eleven and eight Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs for the two traits, respectively, and showed that the genetic basis of the two traits is partially different. Fine-mapping and Reciprocal Hemizygosity Analysis identified ADE1, URA3, and KIN3, encoding a protein kinase involved in DNA damage repair, as specific causative genes for maximal ethanol accumulation capacity. These genes, as well as the previously identified MKT1 gene, were not linked in this genetic background to tolerance of cell proliferation to high ethanol levels. The superior KIN3 allele contained two SNPs, which are absent in all yeast strains sequenced up to now. This work provides the first insight in the genetic basis of maximal ethanol accumulation capacity in yeast and reveals for the first time the importance of DNA damage repair in yeast ethanol tolerance.

Toxicology of the aqueous extract from the flowers of Butea monosperma Lam. and it's metabolomics in yeast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Washim; Gupta, Shreesh; Ahmad, Sayeed

2017-10-01

Due to lack of scientific evidence for the safety of Butea monosperma (Fabaceae), our study aimed to carry out its toxicological profile and to identify its metabolic pattern in yeast cell. The effect of aqueous extract of B. monosperma flower on glucose uptake in yeast cell was evaluated through optimizing pH, temperature, incubation time, substrate concentration and kinetic parameters. Further, the metabolic pattern of extract as such and in yeast cell were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Mice were administered aqueous extract up to 6000 and 4000 mg/kg for acute oral and intraperitoneal toxicity, respectively, while up to 4500 mg/kg for sub-acute oral toxicity (30 days). Elongation in the lag and log phase was observed in yeast cells supplemented with extract as compared to control. A maximum of 184.9% glucose uptake was observed whereas kinetic parameters (K m and V max ) were 1.38 and 41.91 mol/s, respectively. Out of 75 metabolites found in the extract, 14 and 18 metabolites were utilized by yeast cell after 15 and 30 min of incubation, respectively. The LD 50 of extract administered through intraperitoneal route was estimated to be 3500 mg/kg. The extract did not elicit any significant difference (P ≥ 0.05) in weight gain, food consumption, water intake, hematological, biochemical parameters and histological changes as compared to the normal control. Results ascertained the safety of B. monosperma flower extract which can be explored as potential candidates for the development of anti-diabetic phytopharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Yeast Killer Toxin K28: Biology and Unique Strategy of Host Cell Intoxication and Killing

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Björn Becker

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The initial discovery of killer toxin-secreting brewery strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae in the mid-sixties of the last century marked the beginning of intensive research in the yeast virology field. So far, four different S. cerevisiae killer toxins (K28, K1, K2, and Klus, encoded by cytoplasmic inherited double-stranded RNA viruses (dsRNA of the Totiviridae family, have been identified. Among these, K28 represents the unique example of a yeast viral killer toxin that enters a sensitive cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis to reach its intracellular target(s. This review summarizes and discusses the most recent advances and current knowledge on yeast killer toxin K28, with special emphasis on its endocytosis and intracellular trafficking, pointing towards future directions and open questions in this still timely and fascinating field of killer yeast research.

Daughter-specific transcription factors regulate cell size control in budding yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Talia, Stefano; Wang, Hongyin; Skotheim, Jan M; Rosebrock, Adam P; Futcher, Bruce; Cross, Frederick R

2009-10-01

In budding yeast, asymmetric cell division yields a larger mother and a smaller daughter cell, which transcribe different genes due to the daughter-specific transcription factors Ace2 and Ash1. Cell size control at the Start checkpoint has long been considered to be a main regulator of the length of the G1 phase of the cell cycle, resulting in longer G1 in the smaller daughter cells. Our recent data confirmed this concept using quantitative time-lapse microscopy. However, it has been proposed that daughter-specific, Ace2-dependent repression of expression of the G1 cyclin CLN3 had a dominant role in delaying daughters in G1. We wanted to reconcile these two divergent perspectives on the origin of long daughter G1 times. We quantified size control using single-cell time-lapse imaging of fluorescently labeled budding yeast, in the presence or absence of the daughter-specific transcriptional regulators Ace2 and Ash1. Ace2 and Ash1 are not required for efficient size control, but they shift the domain of efficient size control to larger cell size, thus increasing cell size requirement for Start in daughters. Microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments show that Ace2 and Ash1 are direct transcriptional regulators of the G1 cyclin gene CLN3. Quantification of cell size control in cells expressing titrated levels of Cln3 from ectopic promoters, and from cells with mutated Ace2 and Ash1 sites in the CLN3 promoter, showed that regulation of CLN3 expression by Ace2 and Ash1 can account for the differential regulation of Start in response to cell size in mothers and daughters. We show how daughter-specific transcriptional programs can interact with intrinsic cell size control to differentially regulate Start in mother and daughter cells. This work demonstrates mechanistically how asymmetric localization of cell fate determinants results in cell-type-specific regulation of the cell cycle.

Daughter-Specific Transcription Factors Regulate Cell Size Control in Budding Yeast

Science.gov (United States)

Di Talia, Stefano; Wang, Hongyin; Skotheim, Jan M.; Rosebrock, Adam P.; Futcher, Bruce; Cross, Frederick R.

2009-01-01

In budding yeast, asymmetric cell division yields a larger mother and a smaller daughter cell, which transcribe different genes due to the daughter-specific transcription factors Ace2 and Ash1. Cell size control at the Start checkpoint has long been considered to be a main regulator of the length of the G1 phase of the cell cycle, resulting in longer G1 in the smaller daughter cells. Our recent data confirmed this concept using quantitative time-lapse microscopy. However, it has been proposed that daughter-specific, Ace2-dependent repression of expression of the G1 cyclin CLN3 had a dominant role in delaying daughters in G1. We wanted to reconcile these two divergent perspectives on the origin of long daughter G1 times. We quantified size control using single-cell time-lapse imaging of fluorescently labeled budding yeast, in the presence or absence of the daughter-specific transcriptional regulators Ace2 and Ash1. Ace2 and Ash1 are not required for efficient size control, but they shift the domain of efficient size control to larger cell size, thus increasing cell size requirement for Start in daughters. Microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments show that Ace2 and Ash1 are direct transcriptional regulators of the G1 cyclin gene CLN3. Quantification of cell size control in cells expressing titrated levels of Cln3 from ectopic promoters, and from cells with mutated Ace2 and Ash1 sites in the CLN3 promoter, showed that regulation of CLN3 expression by Ace2 and Ash1 can account for the differential regulation of Start in response to cell size in mothers and daughters. We show how daughter-specific transcriptional programs can interact with intrinsic cell size control to differentially regulate Start in mother and daughter cells. This work demonstrates mechanistically how asymmetric localization of cell fate determinants results in cell-type-specific regulation of the cell cycle. PMID:19841732

Daughter-specific transcription factors regulate cell size control in budding yeast.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefano Di Talia

2009-10-01

Full Text Available In budding yeast, asymmetric cell division yields a larger mother and a smaller daughter cell, which transcribe different genes due to the daughter-specific transcription factors Ace2 and Ash1. Cell size control at the Start checkpoint has long been considered to be a main regulator of the length of the G1 phase of the cell cycle, resulting in longer G1 in the smaller daughter cells. Our recent data confirmed this concept using quantitative time-lapse microscopy. However, it has been proposed that daughter-specific, Ace2-dependent repression of expression of the G1 cyclin CLN3 had a dominant role in delaying daughters in G1. We wanted to reconcile these two divergent perspectives on the origin of long daughter G1 times. We quantified size control using single-cell time-lapse imaging of fluorescently labeled budding yeast, in the presence or absence of the daughter-specific transcriptional regulators Ace2 and Ash1. Ace2 and Ash1 are not required for efficient size control, but they shift the domain of efficient size control to larger cell size, thus increasing cell size requirement for Start in daughters. Microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments show that Ace2 and Ash1 are direct transcriptional regulators of the G1 cyclin gene CLN3. Quantification of cell size control in cells expressing titrated levels of Cln3 from ectopic promoters, and from cells with mutated Ace2 and Ash1 sites in the CLN3 promoter, showed that regulation of CLN3 expression by Ace2 and Ash1 can account for the differential regulation of Start in response to cell size in mothers and daughters. We show how daughter-specific transcriptional programs can interact with intrinsic cell size control to differentially regulate Start in mother and daughter cells. This work demonstrates mechanistically how asymmetric localization of cell fate determinants results in cell-type-specific regulation of the cell cycle.

Dynamics of cell wall elasticity pattern shapes the cell during yeast mating morphogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Goldenbogen, Björn; Giese, Wolfgang; Hemmen, Marie; Uhlendorf, Jannis; Herrmann, Andreas

2016-01-01

The cell wall defines cell shape and maintains integrity of fungi and plants. When exposed to mating pheromone, Saccharomyces cerevisiae grows a mating projection and alters in morphology from spherical to shmoo form. Although structural and compositional alterations of the cell wall accompany shape transitions, their impact on cell wall elasticity is unknown. In a combined theoretical and experimental approach using finite-element modelling and atomic force microscopy (AFM), we investigated the influence of spatially and temporally varying material properties on mating morphogenesis. Time-resolved elasticity maps of shmooing yeast acquired with AFM in vivo revealed distinct patterns, with soft material at the emerging mating projection and stiff material at the tip. The observed cell wall softening in the protrusion region is necessary for the formation of the characteristic shmoo shape, and results in wider and longer mating projections. The approach is generally applicable to tip-growing fungi and plants cells. PMID:27605377

Effect of whole yeast cell product supplementation (CitriStim®) on immune responses and cecal microflora species in pullet and layer chickens during an experimental coccidial challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Markazi, Ashley D; Perez, Victor; Sifri, Mamduh; Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; Selvaraj, Ramesh K

2017-07-01

Three separate experiments were conducted to study the effects of whole yeast cell product supplementation in pullets and layer hens. Body weight gain, fecal and intestinal coccidial oocyst counts, cecal microflora species, cytokine mRNA amounts, and CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell populations in the cecal tonsils were analyzed following an experimental coccidial infection. In Experiment I, day-old Leghorn layer chicks were fed 3 experimental diets with 0, 0.1, or 0.2% whole yeast cell product (CitriStim®, ADM, Decatur, IL). At 21 d of age, birds were challenged with 1 × 105 live coccidial oocysts. Supplementation with whole yeast cell product decreased the fecal coccidial oocyst count at 7 (P = 0.05) and 8 (P product and challenged with 1 × 105 live coccidial oocysts on d 25 of whole yeast cell product feeding. Supplementation with whole yeast cell product decreased the coccidial oocyst count in the intestinal content (P product increased relative proportion of Lactobacillus (P product decreased CD8+ T cell percentages (P product and challenged with 1 × 105 live coccidial oocysts on d 66 of whole yeast cell product feeding. At 5 d post-coccidial challenge, whole yeast cell product supplementation down-regulated (P = 0.01) IL-10 mRNA amount. It could be concluded that supplementing whole yeast cell product can help minimize coccidial infection in both growing pullets and layer chickens. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Energy metabolism after U.V.-irradiation in a sensitive yeast strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiefer, J.

1976-01-01

Stationary-phase cells of an excision-repair deficient diploid yeast (strain 2094) were UV-irradiated at exposures of up to 440 erg mm -2 and then resuspended in fresh medium. Measurements of energy metabolism per cell at periods of up to 6 hours after irradiation showed that cellular respiration was increased for all doses tested from about 3 hours after exposure, whereas fermentation did not start before about 2 hours after irradiation, never significantly exceeded control values and was markedly inhibited by the higher doses. The results suggest that respiration is under nuclear control, since a mutation in one gene is thought to be the only difference between this strain and the wild-type. The D 0 value of about 360 erg mm -2 found for the relative cellular fermentation at 2 hours after irradiation was used to give an estimate of the size of the structural gene involved, of about 3000 nucleotides, or a protein with 1000 amino-acid residues, compatible with the molecular weight of alcohol dehydrogenase. Fermentation can therefore be inhibited in this sensitive strain by lesions in the structural gene of a key enzyme. Since respiration was increased even more in repair-deficient than in repair-proficient strains, it must be assumed that higher energy metabolism is not linked to the repair process, but rather reflects a general disturbance in cellular regulation. (U.K.)

Effect of Growth Conditions on Flocculation and Cell Surface Hydrophobicity of Brewing Yeast

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kopecká, J.; Němec, M.; Matoulková, D.; Čejka, P.; Jelínková, Markéta; Felsberg, Jürgen; Sigler, Karel

2015-01-01

Roč. 73, č. 2 (2015), s. 143-150 ISSN 0361-0470 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : Ale and lager yeast * Cell surface hydrophobicity * FLO genes Subject RIV: EI - Biotechnology ; Bionics Impact factor: 0.492, year: 2015

An analysis of radiation-induced damage in the spider mite. Relationship between mortality of haploid and diploid eggs in two successive generations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leenhouts, H.P.; Chadwick, K.H.

1976-01-01

Unfertilized females of the spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) produce only haploid eggs which develop into a haploid male. Fertilized females produce both haploid eggs (unfertilized), which develop into males, and diploid eggs (fertilized), which develop into females. Radiobiological experiments performed by A.M. Feldmann (Association Euratom-ITAL) made data available on the radiation-induced mortality of haploid and diploid eggs in the F 1 and F 2 generation following irradiation of either males or females with X rays or fast neutrons. The data have been analysed using the molecular theory of cell survival where it is assumed that DNA double strand breaks, induced randomly in the cell, are the critical radiation-induced lesions, which lead to cell death. Theoretical relationships are derived for the dose dependence of hatchability in haploid and diploid eggs in the first and second generations expressed as a function of the radiation damage in the parental genome. These theoretical relationships can be used to derive the inter-relationship between the different hatchabilities, and the results from the spider mite have been analysed using these considerations. It is concluded that the radiation-induced genetic damage arises from one type of initial lesion. The eventual radiobiological implications of this analysis are discussed, expecially with respect to the transmittance of radiation-induced genetic damage after low-level radiation. (author)

Systematic hybrid LOH: a new method to reduce false positives and negatives during screening of yeast gene deletion libraries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alvaro, D.; Sunjevaric, I.; Reid, R. J.

2006-01-01

We have developed a new method, systematic hybrid loss of heterozygosity, to facilitate genomic screens utilizing the yeast gene deletion library. Screening is performed using hybrid diploid strains produced through mating the library haploids with strains from a different genetic background......, to minimize the contribution of unpredicted recessive genetic factors present in the individual library strains. We utilize a set of strains where each contains a conditional centromere construct on one of the 16 yeast chromosomes that allows the destabilization and selectable loss of that chromosome. After...... complementation of any spurious recessive mutations in the library strain, facilitating attribution of the observed phenotype to the documented gene deletion and dramatically reducing false positive results commonly obtained in library screens. The systematic hybrid LOH method can be applied to virtually any...

31P NMR measurements of the ADP concentration in yeast cells genetically modified to express creatine kinase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brindle, K.; Braddock, P.; Fulton, S.

1990-01-01

Rabbit muscle creatine kinase has been introduced into the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by transforming cells with a multicopy plasmid containing the coding sequence for the enzyme under the control of the yeast phosphoglycerate kinase promoter. The transformed cells showed creating kinase activities similar to those found in mammalian heart muscle. 31 P NMR measurements of the near-equilibrium concentrations of phosphocreatine and cellular pH together with measurements of the total extractable concentrations of phosphocreatine and creatine allowed calculation of the free ADP/ATP ratio in the cell. The calculated ratio of approximately 2 was considerably higher than the ratio of between 0.06 and 0.1 measured directly in cell extracts

Evolutionary origin and phylogeography of the diploid obligate parthenogen Artemia parthenogenetica (Branchiopoda: Anostraca.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joaquín Muñoz

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Understanding the evolutionary origin and the phylogeographic patterns of asexual taxa can shed light on the origin and maintenance of sexual reproduction. We assessed the geographic origin, genetic diversity, and phylogeographic history of obligate parthenogen diploid Artemia parthenogenetica populations, a widespread halophilic crustacean.We analysed a partial sequence of the Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I mitochondrial gene from an extensive set of localities (including Eurasia, Africa, and Australia, and examined their phylogeographic patterns and the phylogenetic relationships of diploid A. parthenogenetica and its closest sexual relatives. Populations displayed an extremely low level of mitochondrial genetic diversity, with one widespread haplotype shared by over 79% of individuals analysed. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses indicated a multiple and recent evolutionary origin of diploid A. parthenogenetica, and strongly suggested that the geographic origin of parthenogenesis in Artemia was in Central Asia. Our results indicate that the maternal sexual ancestors of diploid A. parthenogenetica were an undescribed species from Kazakhstan and A. urmiana.We found evidence for multiple origin of parthenogenesis in Central Asia. Our results indicated that, shortly after its origin, diploid A. parthenogenetica populations underwent a rapid range expansion from Central Asia towards the Mediterranean region, and probably to the rest of its current geographic distribution. This contrasts with the restricted geographic distribution, strong genetic structure, and regional endemism of sexual Artemia lineages and other passively dispersed sexual continental aquatic invertebrates. We hypothesize that diploid parthenogens might have reached their current distribution in historical times, with a range expansion possibly facilitated by an increased availability of suitable habitat provided by anthropogenic activities, such as the spread of solar

Digital gene expression analysis of gene expression differences within Brassica diploids and allopolyploids.

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Jiang, Jinjin; Wang, Yue; Zhu, Bao; Fang, Tingting; Fang, Yujie; Wang, Youping

2015-01-27

Brassica includes many successfully cultivated crop species of polyploid origin, either by ancestral genome triplication or by hybridization between two diploid progenitors, displaying complex repetitive sequences and transposons. The U's triangle, which consists of three diploids and three amphidiploids, is optimal for the analysis of complicated genomes after polyploidization. Next-generation sequencing enables the transcriptome profiling of polyploids on a global scale. We examined the gene expression patterns of three diploids (Brassica rapa, B. nigra, and B. oleracea) and three amphidiploids (B. napus, B. juncea, and B. carinata) via digital gene expression analysis. In total, the libraries generated between 5.7 and 6.1 million raw reads, and the clean tags of each library were mapped to 18547-21995 genes of B. rapa genome. The unambiguous tag-mapped genes in the libraries were compared. Moreover, the majority of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were explored among diploids as well as between diploids and amphidiploids. Gene ontological analysis was performed to functionally categorize these DEGs into different classes. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis was performed to assign these DEGs into approximately 120 pathways, among which the metabolic pathway, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and peroxisomal pathway were enriched. The non-additive genes in Brassica amphidiploids were analyzed, and the results indicated that orthologous genes in polyploids are frequently expressed in a non-additive pattern. Methyltransferase genes showed differential expression pattern in Brassica species. Our results provided an understanding of the transcriptome complexity of natural Brassica species. The gene expression changes in diploids and allopolyploids may help elucidate the morphological and physiological differences among Brassica species.

Extraction of brewer's yeasts using different methods of cell disruption for practical biodiesel production.

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Řezanka, Tomáš; Matoulková, Dagmar; Kolouchová, Irena; Masák, Jan; Viden, Ivan; Sigler, Karel

2015-05-01

The methods of preparation of fatty acids from brewer's yeast and its use in production of biofuels and in different branches of industry are described. Isolation of fatty acids from cell lipids includes cell disintegration (e.g., with liquid nitrogen, KOH, NaOH, petroleum ether, nitrogenous basic compounds, etc.) and subsequent processing of extracted lipids, including analysis of fatty acid and computing of biodiesel properties such as viscosity, density, cloud point, and cetane number. Methyl esters obtained from brewer's waste yeast are well suited for the production of biodiesel. All 49 samples (7 breweries and 7 methods) meet the requirements for biodiesel quality in both the composition of fatty acids and the properties of the biofuel required by the US and EU standards.

Tetraploid cells from cytokinesis failure induce aneuploidy and spontaneous transformation of mouse ovarian surface epithelial cells.

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Lv, Lei; Zhang, Tianwei; Yi, Qiyi; Huang, Yun; Wang, Zheng; Hou, Heli; Zhang, Huan; Zheng, Wei; Hao, Qiaomei; Guo, Zongyou; Cooke, Howard J; Shi, Qinghua

2012-08-01

Most ovarian cancers originate from the ovarian surface epithelium and are characterized by aneuploid karyotypes. Aneuploidy, a consequence of chromosome instability, is an early event during the development of ovarian cancers. However, how aneuploid cells are evolved from normal diploid cells in ovarian cancers remains unknown. In the present study, cytogenetic analyses of a mouse syngeneic ovarian cancer model revealed that diploid mouse ovarian surface epithelial cells (MOSECs) experienced an intermediate tetraploid cell stage, before evolving to aneuploid (mainly near-tetraploid) cells. Using long-term live-cell imaging followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we demonstrated that tetraploid cells originally arose from cytokinesis failure of bipolar mitosis in diploid cells, and gave rise to aneuploid cells through chromosome mis-segregation during both bipolar and multipolar mitoses. Injection of the late passage aneuploid MOSECs resulted in tumor formation in C57BL/6 mice. Therefore, we reveal a pathway for the evolution of diploid to aneuploid MOSECs and elucidate a mechanism for the development of near-tetraploid ovarian cancer cells.

Nuclear inner membrane fusion facilitated by yeast Jem1p is required for spindle pole body fusion but not for the first mitotic nuclear division during yeast mating.

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Nishikawa, Shuh-ichi; Hirata, Aiko; Endo, Toshiya

2008-11-01

During mating of budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two haploid nuclei fuse to produce a diploid nucleus. The process of nuclear fusion requires two J proteins, Jem1p in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen and Sec63p, which forms a complex with Sec71p and Sec72p, in the ER membrane. Zygotes of mutants defective in the functions of Jem1p or Sec63p contain two haploid nuclei that were closely apposed but failed to fuse. Here we analyzed the ultrastructure of nuclei in jem1 Delta and sec71 Delta mutant zygotes using electron microscope with the freeze-substituted fixation method. Three-dimensional reconstitution of nuclear structures from electron microscope serial sections revealed that Jem1p facilitates nuclear inner-membrane fusion and spindle pole body (SPB) fusion while Sec71p facilitates nuclear outer-membrane fusion. Two haploid SPBs that failed to fuse could duplicate, and mitotic nuclear division of the unfused haploid nuclei started in jem1 Delta and sec71 Delta mutant zygotes. This observation suggests that nuclear inner-membrane fusion is required for SPB fusion, but not for SPB duplication in the first mitotic cell division.

Morphological Changes of Yeast Cells due to Oxidative Stress by Mercury and Radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Su Hyoun; Ryu, Tae Ho; Kim, Jin Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2009-05-15

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most important microorganisms employed in industry. Growth rate, mutation, and environmental conditions affect yeast size and shape distributions but, in general, the influence of spatial variations in large-scale bioreactors is not considered. Ionizing radiation induces DNA double strand breaks in the nucleus, In addition, it causes lipid peroxidation, ceramide generation, and protein oxidation in the membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Metal ions are essential to life. However, some metals such as mercury are harmful, even when present at trace amounts. Toxicity of mercury arises mainly from its oxidizing properties. As a metal ion, it induces an oxidative stress or predisposes cells to an oxidative stress, with considerable damage to proteins, lipids and DNA. In this work, we investigated to effect of ionizing radiation (IR) and mercury chloride (II) on cell morphology.

Stage-specific effects of X-irradiation on Yeast meiosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorne, L.W.; Byers, B.

1993-01-01

Previous work has shown that cdc 13 causes meiotic arrest of Saccharomyces cerevisiae following DNA replication by a RAD9-dependent mechanism. In the present work, the authors have further investigated the implicit effects of chromosomal lesions on progression through meiosis by exposing yeast cells to X-irradiation at various times during sporulation. They find that exposure of RAD9 cells to X-irradiation early in meiosis prevents sporulation, arresting the cells at a stage prior to premeiotic DNA replication. rad9 meiotic cells are much less responsive to X-irradiation damage, completing sporulation after treatment with doses sufficient to cause arrest of RAD9 strains. These findings thereby reveal a RAD9-dependent checkpoint function in meiosis that is distinct from the G 2 arrest previously shown to result from cdc 13 dysfunction. Analysis of the spores that continued to be produced by either RAD9 or rad9 cultures that were X-irradiated in later stages of sporulation revealed most spores to be viable, even after exposure to radiation doses sufficient to kill most vegetative cells. This finding demonstrates that the lesions induced by X-irradiation at later times fail to trigger the checkpoint function revealed by cdc 13 arrest and suggests that the lesions may be subject to repair by serving as intermediates in the recombination process. Strains mutant for chromosomal synapsis and recombination, and therefore defective in meiotic disjunction, were tested for evidence that X-ray-induced lesions might alleviate inviability by promoting recombination. Enhancement of spore viability when spo 11 (but not hop 1) diploids were X-irradiated during meiosis indicates that induced lesions may partially substitute for SPO 11-dependent functions that are required for the initiation of recombination. 74 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs

Analysis of the Budding Yeast Cell Cycle by Flow Cytometry.

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Rosebrock, Adam P

2017-01-03

DNA synthesis is one of the landmark events in the cell cycle: G 1 cells have one copy of the genome, S phase cells are actively engaged in DNA synthesis, and G 2 cells have twice as much nuclear DNA as G 1 cells. Cellular DNA content can be measured by staining with a fluorescent dye followed by a flow-cytometric readout. This method provides a quantitative measurement of cell cycle position on a cell-by-cell basis at high speed. Using flow cytometry, tens of thousands of single-cell measurements can be generated in a few seconds. This protocol details staining of cells of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for flow cytometry using Sytox Green dye in a method that can be scaled widely-from one sample to many thousands and operating on inputs ranging from 1 million to more than 100 million cells. Flow cytometry is preferred over light microscopy or Coulter analyses for the analysis of the cell cycle as DNA content and cell cycle position are being directly measured. © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.