0000000000320049

AUTHOR

Rimantas Daugelavičius

0000-0001-9721-6200

A Crucial Role of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Dehydration Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles as they continuously undergo fission and fusion. These dynamic processes conduct not only mitochondrial network morphology but also activity regulation and quality control. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a remarkable capacity to resist stress from dehydration/rehydration. Although mitochondria are noted for their role in desiccation tolerance, the mechanisms underlying these processes remains obscure. Here, we report that yeast cells that went through stationary growth phase have a better survival rate after dehydration/rehydration. Dynamic defective yeast cells with reduced mitochondrial genome cannot maintain the mitochondrial activity and survival rate o…

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Anhydrobiosis in yeast: Glutathione overproduction improves resistance to dehydration of a recombinant Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha strain

Abstract We show for the first time that a recombinant strain of yeast Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha is at least as tolerant to dehydration-rehydration treatment as the wild type strain. It is believed that this unusual characteristic of this recombinant yeast strain is linked with its ability to overproduce glutathione. Based on plasma membrane permeability analysis, we hypothesise that glutathione, in addition to its powerful antioxidative protective effects on membrane lipids, may also protect membrane proteins and/or nucleic acids. The combination of yeast cell dehydration with immobilisation and subsequent preliminary slow rehydration in water vapour gave good results in terms of reco…

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Anhydrobiosis in yeasts: Glutathione synthesis by yeast Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha cells after their dehydration-rehydration.

The possibility of using active dry microbial preparations in biotechnological processes is essential for the development of new modern industrial technologies. In this study, we show the possibility of obtaining such preparations of the genetically engineered yeast strain Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha with glutathione overproduction. Special pre-treatment involving the gradual rehydration of dry cells in water vapour led to the restoration/reactivation of almost 100% of dehydrated cells. Furthermore, dry cells do not lose their viability during storage at room temperatures. Application of dry cells as the inoculum provides the same levels of glutathione synthesis as that of a native yeast…

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Engineering of sugar transporters for improvement of xylose utilization during high-temperature alcoholic fermentation in Ogataea polymorpha yeast

Abstract Background Xylose transport is one of the bottlenecks in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Xylose consumption by the wild-type strains of xylose-utilizing yeasts occurs once glucose is depleted resulting in a long fermentation process and overall slow and incomplete conversion of sugars liberated from lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Therefore, the engineering of endogenous transporters for the facilitation of glucose-xylose co-consumption is an important prerequisite for efficient ethanol production from lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Results In this study, several engineering approaches formerly used for the low-affinity glucose transporters in Saccharomyces cerev…

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Changes in Energy Status of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells During Dehydration and Rehydration

Anhydrobiosis is the state of life when cells are exposed to waterless conditions and gradually cease their metabolism. In this study, we determined the sequence of events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae energy metabolism during processes of dehydration and rehydration. The intensities of respiration and acidification of the medium, the amounts of phenyldicarbaundecaborane (PCB−) bound to yeast membranes, and the capabilities of cells to accumulate K+ were assayed using an electrochemical monitoring system, and the intracellular content of ATP was measured using a bioluminescence assay. Mesophilic, semi-resistant to desiccation S. cerevisiae strain 14 and thermotolerant, very resistant to desic…

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