Search results for "Saccharomyces"
showing 10 items of 861 documents
Aequorin-expressing yeast emits light under electric control
2011
In this study, we show the use of direct external electrical stimulation of a jellyfish luminescent calcium-activated protein, aequorin, expressed in a transgenic yeast strain. Yeast cultures were electrically stimulated through two electrodes coupled to a standard power generator. Even low (1.5. V) electric pulses triggered a rapid light peak and serial light pulses were obtained after electric pulses were applied periodically, suggesting that the system is re-enacted after a short refraction time. These results open up a new scenario, in the very interphase between synthetic biology and cybernetics, in which complex cellular behavior might be subjected to electrical control.
Different pathways for the nuclear import of yeast RNA polymerase II
2015
Recent studies suggest that RNA polymerase II (Pol II) has to be fully assembled before being imported into the nucleus, while other reports indicate a distinct mechanism to import large and small subunits. In yeast, Iwr1 binds to the holoenzyme assembled in the cytoplasm and directs its nuclear entry. However, as IWR1 is not an essential gene, Iwr1-independent pathway(s) for the nuclear import of Pol II must exist. In this paper, we investigate the transport into the nucleus of several large and small Pol II subunits in the mutants of genes involved in Pol II biogenesis. We also analyse subcellular localization in the presence of drugs that can potentially affect Pol II nuclear import. Our…
Expression of the pea S -adenosylmethionine decarboxylase gene is involved in developmental and environmental responses
2002
A cDNA, able to complement the S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase (SAMdC; EC 4.1.1.50)-defective yeast strain Y342, has been isolated from pea (Pisum sativum L.). Expression of the SAMdC gene was characterised during pea development. Northern analysis showed a differential expression of the pea SAMdC gene in vegetative and reproductive tissues. The highest SAMdC mRNA levels were found in undifferentiated callus and tissues with high rates of cell division, and at the onset of fruit development. SAMdC expression was also induced in senescing ovaries, probably in relation to an accumulation of spermine during ovary senescence. Finally, the levels of SAMdC transcripts in leaves and shoots w…
Characterization of epitopes recognized by Candida factor 1 and 9 antisera by use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mnn mutants
1993
The use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mnn mutants has facilitated the study of the epitopes recognized by antisera against several antigenic factors of the genus Candida (Candida Check; Iatron Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan). We have taken advantage of the very well characterized structure of the mannans of the different mnn mutants to compare their reactivities with the factor antisera used in the identification of different species of the genus Candida. The results of this study provide evidence that one of the antigenic determinants recognized by factor 1 antisera is the O-linked mannose chains of the cell wall mannoproteins, while that recognized by factor 9 antiserum is the alpha 1-6-linked …
Tor-Sch9 deficiency activates catabolism of the ketone body-like acetic acid to promote trehalose accumulation and longevity
2014
In mammals, extended periods of fasting leads to the accumulation of blood ketone bodies including acetoacetate. Here we show that similar to the conversion of leucine to acetoacetate in fasting mammals, starvation conditions induced ketone body-like acetic acid generation from leucine in S. cerevisiae. Whereas wild-type and ras2Δ cells accumulated acetic acid, long-lived tor1Δ and sch9Δ mutants rapidly depleted it through a mitochondrial acetate CoA transferase-dependent mechanism, which was essential for lifespan extension. The sch9Δ-dependent utilization of acetic acid also required coenzyme Q biosynthetic genes and promoted the accumulation of intracellular trehalose. These results indi…
Wine yeast sirtuins and Gcn5p control aging and metabolism in a natural growth medium.
2012
Grape juice fermentation by wine yeast is an interesting model to understand aging under conditions closer to those in nature. Grape juice is rich in sugars and, unlike laboratory conditions, the limiting factor for yeast growth is nitrogen. We tested the effect of deleting sirtuins and several acetyltransferases to find that the role of many of these proteins during grape juice fermentation is the opposite to that under standard laboratory aging conditions using synthetic complete media. For instance, . SIR2 deletion extends maximum chronological lifespan in wine yeasts grown under laboratory conditions, but shortens it in winemaking. Deletions of sirtuin . HST2 and acetyltransferase . GCN…
Dissection of the relative contribution of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Ctr4 and Ctr5 proteins to the copper transport and cell surface delivery fun…
2011
The Ctr1 family of proteins mediates high-affinity copper (Cu) acquisition in eukaryotic organisms. In the fission yeastSchizosaccharomyces pombe, Cu uptake is carried out by a heteromeric complex formed by the Ctr4 and Ctr5 proteins. Unlike human andSaccharomyces cerevisiaeCtr1 proteins, Ctr4 and Ctr5 are unable to function independently in Cu acquisition. Instead, both proteins physically interact with each other to form a Ctr4–Ctr5 heteromeric complex, and are interdependent for secretion to the plasma membrane and Cu transport activity. In this study, we usedS. cerevisiaemutants that are defective in high-affinity Cu uptake to dissect the relative contribution of Ctr4 and Ctr5 to the Cu…
Towards a microbial thermoelectric cell.
2013
Microbial growth is an exothermic process. Biotechnological industries produce large amounts of heat, usually considered an undesirable by-product. In this work, we report the construction and characterization of the first microbial thermoelectric cell (MTC), in which the metabolic heat produced by a thermally insulated microbial culture is partially converted into electricity through a thermoelectric device optimized for low ΔT values. A temperature of 41°C and net electric voltage of around 250–600 mV was achieved with 1.7 L baker’s yeast culture. This is the first time microbial metabolic energy has been converted into electricity with an ad hoc thermoelectric device. These results might…
Glycoprotein molecules in the walls of Schizosaccharomyces pombe wild-type cells and a morphologically altered mutant resistant to papulacandin B
1990
SUMMARY: Schizosaccharomyces pombe cell walls contain two major glycoprotein species, I and II, with molecular masses of 2 x 106 and 5 x 105 Da respectively, as determined by gel filtration chromatography and PAGE. The ratio of sugar to protein is higher in species I than in species II. Much of the sugar in both glycoproteins (about 85% in wild-type cells) is O-linked to the peptide moiety. The morphological sph1 mutant is resistant to papulacandin B, and its cell wall contains less glycoprotein II (but not less glycoprotein I) than the parental wild-type strain, although glycoprotein II is still synthesized and released into the growth medium. Papulacandin B largely reverses the morphologi…
Isolation and characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants resistant to aculeacin A
1991
Aculeacin A is a lipopeptide that inhibits beta-glucan synthesis in yeasts. A number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants resistant to this antibiotic were isolated, and four loci (ACR1, ACR2, ACR3, and ACR4) whose products are involved in the sensitivity to aculeacin A of yeast cells were defined. Mutants containing mutations in the four loci were also resistant to echinocandin B, another member of this lipopeptide family of antibiotics. In contrast, acr1, acr3, and acr4 mutants were resistant to papulacandin B (an antibiotic containing a disaccharide linked to two fatty acid chains that also inhibits beta-glucan synthesis), but acr2 mutants were susceptible to this antibiotic. This result …