Carlos Gancedo

An interlaboratory comparison of physiological and genetic properties of four Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

To select a Saccharomyces cerevisiae reference strain amenable to experimental techniques used in (molecular) genetic, physiological and biochemical engineering research, a variety of properties were studied in four diploid, prototrophic laboratory strains. The following parameters were investigated: 1) maximum specific growth rate in shake-flask cultures; 2) biomass yields on glucose during growth on defined media in batch cultures and steady-state chemostat cultures under controlled conditions with respect to pH and dissolved oxygen concentration; 3) the critical specific growth rate above which aerobic fermentation becomes apparent in glucose-limited accelerostat cultures; 4) sporulation and mating efficiency; and 5) transformation efficiency via the lithium-acetate, bicine, and electroporation methods. On the basis of physiological as well as genetic properties, strains from the CEN.PK family were selected as a platform for cell-factory research on the stoichiometry and kinetics of growth and product formation.

Fructose-1,6-diphosphatase, phosphofructokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from fermenting and non fermenting yeasts

Summary1.Levels of phosphofructokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and fructose-1,6-diphosphatase activities have been compared in different yeasts belonging to glucose fermenting and non-fermenting groups grown in different conditions.2.Phosphofructokinase was present in all the fermentative species tested. On the contrary its level was not measurable in any of the aerobic yeasts tested with the exception of Pichia species.3.No significant variations were observed in the values of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from the two groups of yeasts.4.The synthesis of fructose-1,6-diphosphatase was repressed in both groups, by growth in sugar carbon sources. However, a remarkable difference in the sensitivity of the fructose-1,6-diphosphatase from both groups towards inhibition by AMP was observed. The enzyme from all fermentative yeasts tested showed a strong inhibition by AMP (1 mM producing about 80% inhibition) while the enzyme from aerobic yeasts showed different responses, inhibition ranging from 10% in Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces, to 90% in Pichia.

Trehalose-6-phosphate, a new regulator of yeast glycolysis that inhibits hexokinases

Trehalose‐6‐phosphate (P) competitively inhibited the hexokinases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The strongest inhibition was observed upon hexokinase II, with a K i, of 40 μM, while in the case of hexokinase I the K i was 200 μM. Glucokinase was not inhibited by trehalose‐6‐P up to 5 mM. This inhibition appears to have physiological significance, since the intracellular levels of trehalose‐6‐P were about 0.2 mM. Hexokinases from other organisms were also inhibited, while glucokinases were unaffected. The hexokinase from the yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, was particularly sensitive to the inhibition by trehalose‐6‐P: when assayed with 2 mM fructose an apparent K i, of 5 μM was calculated. Two S. cerevisiae mutants with abnormal levels of trehalose‐6‐P exhibited defects in glucose metabolism. It is concluded that trehalose‐6‐P plays an important role in the regulation of the first steps of yeast glycolysis, mainly through the inhibition of hexokinase II.

The importance of a functional trehalose biosynthetic pathway for the life of yeasts and fungi

The view of the role of trehalose in yeast has changed in the last few years. For a long time considered a reserve carbohydrate, it gained new importance when its function in the acquisition of thermotolerance was demonstrated. More recently the cellular processes in which the trehalose biosynthetic pathway has been implicated range from the control of glycolysis to sporulation and infectivity by certain fungal pathogens. There is now enough experimental evidence to conclude that trehalose 6-phosphate, an intermediate of trehalose biosynthesis, is an important metabolic regulator in such different organisms as yeasts or plants. Its inhibition of hexokinase plays a key role in the control of the glycolytic flux in Saccharomyces cerevisiae but other, likely important, sites of action are still unknown. We present examples of the phenotypes produced by mutations in the two steps of the trehalose biosynthetic pathway in different yeasts and fungi, and whenever possible examine the molecular explanations advanced to interpret them.

Activation of yeast plasma membrane ATPase by acid pH during growth.

When yeast grows on media in which a final external pH lower than 4 is attained there is a 2–3‐fold increase in plasma membrane ATPase activity. This acid‐mediated activation produces a 2‐fold increase in the ATPase affinity for ATP but does not modify its optimum pH. The acid‐mediated activation is dependent on the stage of growth, only late logarithmic or stationary cells being capable of being activated by incubation in an acidic buffer. Only cells able to activate the ATPase maintain a constant internal pH when incubated in acidic buffers. It is concluded that acid‐mediated activation of the plasma membrane ATPase is a mechanism of maintaining constant internal pH during growth of yeast on acid media.

Moonlighting Proteins in Yeasts

SUMMARY Proteins able to participate in unrelated biological processes have been grouped under the generic name of moonlighting proteins. Work with different yeast species has uncovered a great number of moonlighting proteins and shown their importance for adequate functioning of the yeast cell. Moonlighting activities in yeasts include such diverse functions as control of gene expression, organelle assembly, and modification of the activity of metabolic pathways. In this review, we consider several well-studied moonlighting proteins in different yeast species, paying attention to the experimental approaches used to identify them and the evidence that supports their participation in the unexpected function. Usually, moonlighting activities have been uncovered unexpectedly, and up to now, no satisfactory way to predict moonlighting activities has been found. Among the well-characterized moonlighting proteins in yeasts, enzymes from the glycolytic pathway appear to be prominent. For some cases, it is shown that despite close phylogenetic relationships, moonlighting activities are not necessarily conserved among yeast species. Organisms may utilize moonlighting to add a new layer of regulation to conventional regulatory networks. The existence of this type of proteins in yeasts should be taken into account when designing mutant screens or in attempts to model or modify yeast metabolism.

Concentrations of intermediary metabolites in yeast

Summary The concentrations of some intermediary metabolites in yeast in different metabolic situations have been tabulated from data available in the literature. A critical examination of the extraction procedures and their influence on the values obtained is performed.

Mth1 receives the signal given by the glucose sensors Snf3 and Rgt2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have determined that the mutant genes DGT1‐1 and BPC1‐1, which impair glucose transport and catabolite repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are allelic forms of MTH1. Deletion of MTH1 had only slight effects on the expression of HXT1 or SNF3, but increased expression of HXT2 in the absence of glucose. A two‐hybrid screen revealed that the Mth1 protein interacts with the cytoplasmic tails of the glucose sensors Snf3 and Rgt2. This interaction was affected by mutations in Mth1 and by the concentration of glucose in the medium. A double mutant, snf3 rgt2, recovered sensitivity to glucose when MTH1 was deleted, thus showing that glucose signalling may occur independently of Snf3 and Rgt2. A model for the possible mode of action of Snf3 and Rgt2 is presented.

Inactivation by glucose of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase showed high activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on gluconeogenic carbon sources. Addition of glucose to such cultures caused a rapid loss of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity. Fructose or mannose had the same effect as glucose, while 2-deoxyglucose or galactose were without effect. The inactivation was an irreversible process, since the regain of the activity was dependent of de novo protein synthesis. Cycloheximide did not prevent inactivation. All strains of the genus Saccharomyces tested showed inactivation of their phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase upon addition of glucose; this behaviour was not restricted to this genus.

DNA sequences in chromosomes 11 and VII code for pyruvate carboxylase isoenzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: analysis of pyruvate carboxylase-deficient strains

SummaryA gene encoding pyruvate carboxylase has previously been isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have isolated a second gene, PYC2, from the same organism also encoding a pyruvate carboxylase. The gene PYC2 is situated on the right arm of chromosome II between the DUR 1, 2 markers and the telomere. We localized the previously isolated gene, which we designate PYC1, to chromosome VII. Disruption of either of the genes did not produce marked changes in the phenotype. However, simultaneous disruption of both genes resulted in inability to grow on glucose as sole carbon source, unless aspartate was added to the medium. This indicates that in wild-type yeast there is no bypass for the reaction catalysed by pyruvate carboxylase. The coding regions of both genes exhibit a homology of 90% at the amino acid level and 85% at the nucleotide level. No appreciable homology was found in the corresponding flanking regions. No differences in the Km values for ATP or pyruvate were observed between the enzymes obtained from strains carrying inactive, disrupted versions of one or other of the genes.