Vacuolar H(+)-ATPase and plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase contribute to the tolerance against high-pressure carbon dioxide treatment in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

As a non-thermal sterilization process, high-pressure carbon dioxide treatment (HPCT) is considered to be promising. The main sterilizing effect of HPCT is thought to be acidification in cytoplasm of microorganisms. We investigated the tolerance mechanism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to HPCT with special reference to vacuolar and plasma membrane H(+)-ATPases. HPCT was imposed at 35 degrees C, 4 to 10 MPa, for 10 min. slp1 mutant defective in vacuole morphogenesis was more sensitive to HPCT than its isogenic parent. Concanamycin A, a specific inhibitor of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase), at 10 microM rendered the parent more HPCT-sensitive to the level of slp1. To confirm further the contribution of V-ATPase to the tolerance against HPCT in S. cerevisiae, we compared vma1 mutant of V-ATPase with its isogenic parent for their HPCT sensitivity. vma1 mutant was more sensitive to HPCT than its parent. Addition of 10 microM vanadate, an inhibitor of plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (P-ATPase), to the wild type strains also increased the inactivation ratio. These results clearly show that V- and P-ATPases contribute to the tolerance against HPCT in S. cerevisiae by accumulating excess H(+) from cytoplasm to vacuole and excluding H(+) outside of the cell, respectively.     

Lactic-acid stress causes vacuolar fragmentation and impairs intracellular amino-acid homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

To gain more insight into adaptation response to lactic-acid stress in yeast, a genome-wide screening for genes whose disruption caused hypersensitivity to 4.0% l-lactic acid (pH 2.8) was performed using the gene deletion collection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We identified 107 genes that contributed significantly to the ability of yeast cells to adapt lactic-acid stress. More than 30% of the genes identified in this screening were newly identified to be involved in mechanisms for adaptation response to lactic acid. We found that protein urmylation by Uba4 and N-terminal acetylation by Nat3 were involved in lactic acid adaptation mechanisms. Functional categorization of the genes followed by microscopic analysis revealed that a variety of cellular functions were involved in adaptation response to lactic acid and function associated with vacuolar transport played important roles in adaptation response to lactic acid. We also found that vacuole fragmented immediately upon exposure to lactic- and hydrochloric-acid stress. In addition, our analysis revealed that lactic-acid stress significantly reduced the amount of intracellular amino acids. Amino acid supplementation recovered the adaptation deficiency to lactic acid, suggesting that intracellular amino-acid homeostasis plays important roles in adaptation response to lactic-acid stress. These data suggest that enhancing vacuolar integrity, as well as maintaining intracellular amino-acid homeostasis may be an efficient approach to confer resistance to lactic-acid stress.     

Schizosaccharomyces pombe Pep12p is required for vacuolar protein transport and vacuolar homotypic fusion

In eukaryotic cells, SNARE proteins are essential for intracellular vesicle trafficking. Several SNARE proteins are required for vacuolar protein transport and vacuolar biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previously we demonstrated that one of the fission yeast SNARE proteins, Pep12p, is not required for vacuolar fusion process in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We have re-examined the function of S. pombe Pep12p using the newly created pep12(+) deletion strain. Deletion of the fission yeast pep12(+) gene results in pleiotropic phenotypes consistent with the absence of normal vacuoles, including missorting of vacuolar carboxypeptidase Y-and various ion- and drug-sensitivities. GFP-Pep12 fusion protein is mostly localized at the vacuolar membrane and the prevacuolar compartment. The S. pombe pep12Δ mutation phenocopies that of vps33Δ, suggesting that both Pep12p and Vps33p act at the same membrane fusion step in S. pombe, and both mutations cause vacuolar deficiency.     

A genomic sequence of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe 16 kDa vacuolar H(+)-ATPase.

We have isolated the gene encoding the 16 kDa vacuolar H(+)-ATPase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. On the basis of RNA splicing signals and amino acid sequence homology with other 16 kDa H(+)-ATPases, the genomic DNA sequence indicated the 16 kDa protein is encoded by five exons. The C-terminal 50 amino acids has more than 90% homology with vacuolar H(+)-ATPases of mammalian cells.     

Effect of cellular inositol content on ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in sake brewing

The effect of cellular inositol content on the ethanol tolerance of sake yeast was investigated. In a static culture of strain K901 in a synthetic medium, when cells were grown in the presence of inositol in limited amount (L-cells), the inositol content of cells decreased by one-third that of cells grown in the presence of inositol in sufficient amount (H-cells). L-cells exhibited a higher death rate constant than H-cells in the presence of 12-20% ethanol, while no difference in specific ethanol production rate in the presence of 0-18% ethanol between the two cell types was observed. L-cells leaked more intracellular components, such as nucleotides, phosphate and potassium, in the presence of ethanol than H-cells. L-cells exhibited a lower intracellular pH value than H-cells, which represented the lowering of cell vitality by the decrease in H(+) extrusion activity. Furthermore, the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity of L-cells was approximately one-half of that of H-cells. Therefore, it was considered that the decrease in viability in the presence of ethanol due to inositol limitation results from the lowering of H(+)-ATPase activity, which maintains the permeability barrier of the yeast membrane, ensuring the homeostasis of ions in the cytoplasm of yeast cells. It is assumed that the lowering of H(+)-ATPase activity due to inositol limitation is caused by the change in lipid environment of the enzyme, which is affected by inositol-containing glycerophospholipids such as phosphatidylinositol (PI), because in the PI-saturated mixed micellar assay system, the difference in H(+)-ATPase activity between L- and H-cells disappeared. In the early stage of sake mash, inositol limitation lowers the ethanol tolerance due to the decrease in H(+)-ATPase activity as in static culture. In the final stage of sake mash, the disruption of the ino1 gene responsible for inositol synthesis, resulted in a decrease in cell density. Furthermore, the ino1 disruptant, which was not capable of increasing the cellular inositol level in the final stage, exhibited a significantly higher methylene blue-staining ratio than the parental strain. It was suggested that the yeast cellular inositol level is one of the important factors which contribute to the high ethanol tolerance implied by the increased cell viability in the presence of ethanol.     

Acetaldehyde tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae involves the pentose phosphate pathway and oleic acid biosynthesis

To identify genes responsible for acetaldehyde tolerance, genome‐wide screening was performed using a collection of haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains deleted in single genes. The screen identified 49 genes whose deletion conferred acetaldehyde sensitivity, and these were termed the genes required for acetaldehyde tolerance. We focused on six of these genes required for acetaldehyde tolerance, ZWF1, GND1, RPE1, TKL1 and TAL1, which encode enzymes in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and OAR1, which encodes for NADPH‐dependent 3‐oxoacyl‐(acyl‐carrier‐protein) reductase. These genes were not only responsible for acetaldehyde tolerance but also turned out to be induced by acetaldehyde. Moreover, the content of oleic acid was remarkably increased in yeast cells under acetaldehyde stress, and supplementation of oleic acid into the media partially alleviated acetaldehyde stress‐induced growth inhibition of strains disrupted in the genes required for acetaldehyde tolerance and OLE1. Taken together, our data suggest that the supply of NADPH and the process of fatty acid biosynthesis are the key factors in acetaldehyde tolerance in the yeast, and that oleic acid plays an important role in acetaldehyde tolerance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sequence of the genes encoding subunits A and B of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

The genes encoding subunits A (vma1) and B (vma2) of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe were cloned by hybridization to cDNAs of the homologous genes in Neurospora crassa. Both genes are interrupted by introns, two in vma1 and four in vma2. Positions of introns do not appear to be conserved when compared to those of N. crassa. The subunit A gene encodes a single product of 619 amino acids and is not interrupted by the coding sequence for a second product as found for Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Kane, P. K., Yamashiro, C. T., Wolczyk, D. F., Neff, N., Goebl, M., and Stevens, T. H. (1990). Science 250, 651-657).     

The activity of plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase is strongly stimulated during Saccharomyces cerevisiae adaptation to growth under high copper stress, accompanying intracellular acidification

For the adaptation of cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a period of latency is necessary before exponential growth is resumed in a medium supplemented with a highly inhibitory concentration of copper. In this work, we have examined some physiological responses occurring during this period of adaptation. The results revealed that plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (PM-ATPase) activity is strongly stimulated (up to 24-fold) during copper-induced latency in growth medium with glucose, reaching maximal levels when the cells were about to start inhibited exponential growth. This in vivo activation of the ATPase activity by copper was accompanied by the stimulation of the H(+)-pumping activity of the enzyme in vivo and was essentially due to the increase of the apparent V(max) for MgATP. Although the exact molecular basis of the reported plasma membrane ATPase activation was not clarified, no increase in the mRNA levels from the encoding genes PMA1 and PMA2 was apparently detected during copper-induced latency. The physiological response reported here may allow the cells to cope with copper-induced lipid peroxidation and consequent decrease in plasma membrane lipid ordering and increase in the non-specific permeability to protons. The consequences of these copper deleterious effects were revealed by the decrease of the intracellular pH (pH(i)) of the yeast population, from approximately pH(i) 6 to pH(i) 5, during copper-induced latency in growth medium at pH 4.3. The time-dependent patterns of plasma membrane ATPase activation and of the decrease of pH(i) during the period of adaptation to growth with copper correlate, suggesting that the regulation of this membrane enzyme activity may be triggered by intracellular acidification. Consistent with this idea, when exponential growth under copper stress was resumed and the pH(i) of the yeast population recovered up to physiological values, plasma membrane ATPase activity simultaneously decreased from the highly stimulated level attained during the adaptation period of latency.     

酿酒酵母SOD1、SOD2基因缺失对胁迫耐受性的影响

以sod1Δ、sod2Δ、sod1Δsod2Δ酿酒酵母基因缺失菌株为遗传材料,采用休止细胞梯度生长法,分析SOD1和SOD2基因缺失对高温、乙醇毒性、高渗透压、高盐、乙酸毒性及营养饥饿胁迫条件耐受性的影响。结果显示,与野生型菌株相比,sod1Δ菌株对高温、高渗透压和乙酸胁迫的耐受性降低;sod2Δ菌株耐受性无明显变化;sod1Δsod2Δ双缺失菌株对高温、乙醇毒性、乙酸毒性、高渗透压和高盐的耐受性均下降,表明酵母超氧化物歧化酶基因与多种胁迫耐受性密切相关。     

ZMVHA-B1, the gene for subunit B of vacuolar H+-ATPase from the eelgrass Zostera marina L. Is able to replace vma2 in a yeast null mutant

A vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (VHA) gene (ZMVHA-B1) was isolated from an eelgrass (Zostera marina) leaf cDNA library and was characterized to be approximately 1.4 kbp in length and to encode the B subunit protein of VHA comprising 488 amino acids. ZMVHA-B1 was highly expressed in all organs of eelgrass; the expression level was highest in the leaves. On transformation of a yeast vma2 null mutant with ZMVHA-B1, yeast cells became able to grow at pH 7.5, accompanied by the vesicular accumulation of LysoSensor green DND-189. Thus, ZMVHA-B1 expressed in yeast cells produced a functional B subunit that was efficiently incorporated into the VHA complex and eventually restored vacuolar morphology and activity. This success expedites the application of heterologous expression in yeast mutant cells to the screening of eelgrass genes involved in salt-resistance mechanisms, which are to be utilized in improving important crops.     

luxS基因对盐胁迫下植物乳杆菌生长及细菌素合成的影响

以植物乳杆菌KLDS1.0391野生株及其luxS基因缺失突变株为研究对象,探究luxS基因对该菌盐耐受能力的影响,并测定在0%、2%、3%、4%和6%质量分数NaCl胁迫条件下,luxS基因缺失对该菌生长及细菌素合成的影响,采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应（polymerase chain reaction,PCR）技术在转录水平上测定该菌细菌素合成相关基因的表达水平。结果表明：随NaCl质量分数的升高,2 株菌的存活率均逐渐下降,当NaCl质量分数大于3%时,相同条件下野生株对盐的耐受能力显著强于突变株（P＜0.05）;除此之外,NaCl质量分数越高,菌株进入稳定期的时间越向后延迟,luxS基因缺失突变株在各NaCl质量分数下生长及细菌素合成能力均显著弱于野生株（P＜0.05）。实时荧光定量PCR结果显示,当培养至稳定期24 h时,细菌素结构基因plnEF以及双组分调节基因plnD和plNC8HK均因luxS基因的缺失,表达显著下调（P＜0.05）。因此,luxS基因缺失显著降低植物乳杆菌KLDS1.0391盐耐受能力,并且在NaCl胁迫条件下,该菌生长及细菌素合成能力也因luxS基因缺失而显著下降。     

采前喷施胺鲜酯对采后龙眼果实贮藏期间果皮能量代谢的影响

本实验研究采前喷施含量为10 mg/kg的胺鲜酯(diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate,DA-6)对采后'福眼'龙眼果实(Dimocarpus longan Lour.cv.Fuyan)贮藏期间果皮能量代谢的影响.贮藏期间取样测定龙眼果实的果皮腺苷三磷酸(adenosine triphosphate...     

牛源性大肠杆菌O26热休克-酸应激响应

为探讨热休克-酸应激对大肠杆菌O26存活及相关基因表达的影响，以本实验收集的22 株牛源性O26为对象，首先进行乳酸和盐酸耐受实验，进而选取乳酸耐受性能不同的菌株混合进行热休克-酸应激存活实验，最后选取1 株代表菌株采用实时聚合酶链式反应分析应激2 h和4 h时一般应激基因rpoS、酸应激基因（asr、ycfR、gadA）、热应激基因（rpoH、dnaK、clpB和groEL）的表达差异。结果表明，乳酸或盐酸处理2 h后22 株O26存活菌数均显著下降（P＜0.05），耐受程度呈现菌株差异，且同一菌株对乳酸、盐酸的耐受有差异。与正常胰蛋白胨大豆肉汤对照组相比，5 株O26混菌酸应激和热休克-酸应激均导致存活菌数逐渐下降，而热休克-酸应激组存活菌数高于酸应激组，表明热休克发挥交叉保护效应，增强了O26抗酸能力。酸应激导致菌株G10Z1应激相关基因表达基本下调，而热休克-酸应激组与酸应激组相比上述基因的表达基本上调，表明热休克的交叉保护作用与上述基因表达水平的增加有关。提示食品实际生产加工中，当非致死性热处理与酸化联合使用时应注意交叉保护可能导致的食品安全风险增加的现象。     

The VPH2 gene encodes a 25 kDa protein required for activity of the yeast vacuolar H+-ATPase

Strains bearing the vph2 mutation are defective in vacuolar acidification. The VPH2 gene was isolated from a genomic DNA library by complementation of the zinc-sensitive phenotype of the mutant. Deletion analysis localized the complementing activity to a 1·2 kb DNA fragment. Sequence analysis of this fragment revealed the presence of a single open reading frame that encoded a protein of 215 amino acids. Computer analysis indicated that the protein, which has a predicted molecular mass of 25 286 Daltons, has two distinct membrane-spanning domains. Biochemical studies indicated that strains bearing the vph2 mutation have greatly reduced levels of vacuolar proton pumping and ATPase activity and that the nucleotide binding subunits of the multimeric vacuolar H⁺-ATPase failed to be correctly targeted to the vacuolar membrane. The vph2 mutant fails to grow on YEP glycerol medium and on media containing 100 mM -CaCl₂ or 4 mM -ZnCl₂ or buffered to pH 7·5, a phenotype observed in strains carrying deletions in the genes encoding several vacuolar H⁺-ATPase subunits. The VPH2 gene is identical to the VMA12 gene (T. Stevens and Y. Anraku, personal communication).     

Isolation and characterization of a novel yeast gene,ATH1, that is required for vacuolar acid trehalase activity

We have isolated a plasmid containing a gene, ATH1, that results in eight- to ten-fold higher acid trehalase activity in yeast cells when present in high copy. The screening procedure was based on overproduction-induced mislocalization of acid trehalase activity; overproduction of vacuolar enzymes that transit through the secretory pathway leads to secretion to the cell surface. A DNA fragment that confers cell surface expression of acid trehalase activity was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence displayed no homology to known proteins, indicating that we have identified a novel gene. A deletion in the genomic copy of the ATH1 gene eliminates vacuolar acid trehalase activity. These results suggest that ATH1 may be the structural gene encoding vacuolar acid trehalase or that the gene product may be an essential regulatory component involved in control of trehalase activity. The sequence has been deposited in the GenBank data library under Accession Number X84156 S. cerevisiae ATH1 gene.     

Analysis of the role of the Listeria monocytogenes F0F1-ATPase operon in the acid tolerance response

As little is known about the genes involved in the induction of an acid tolerance response in Listeria monocytogenes, the role of the F₀F₁-ATPase was analyzed as a consequence of its role in the acid tolerance of a number of other bacteria and its conserved nature. It was found that acid adapted cells treated with N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) exhibited greatly enhanced sensitivity to low pH stress. Degenerate primers were designed to amplify and sequence a portion of the atpD gene. Subsequently, a PCR product from atpA to atpD was identified. While we were unable to create a deletion in the atpA gene, the plasmid pORI19 was inserted in a region between atpA and atpG to reduce, rather than eliminate, expression of the downstream genes. As expected this mutant displayed enhanced resistance to neomycin and exhibited slower growth than the wild type strain. This mutant could still induce an acid tolerance response and remained susceptible to DCCD treatment, but its relative acid sensitivity was difficult to assess as a consequence of its slow growth.     

Functional genomics of commercial baker's yeasts that have different abilities for sugar utilization and high-sucrose tolerance under different sugar conditions

In the modern baking industry, high-sucrose-tolerant (HS) and maltose-utilizing (LS) yeast were developed using breeding techniques and are now used commercially. Sugar utilization and high-sucrose tolerance differ significantly between HS and LS yeasts. We analysed the gene expression profiles of HS and LS yeasts under different sucrose conditions in order to determine their basic physiology. Two-way hierarchical clustering was performed to obtain the overall patterns of gene expression. The clustering clearly showed that the gene expression patterns of LS yeast differed from those of HS yeast. Quality threshold clustering was used to identify the gene clusters containing upregulated genes (cluster 1) and downregulated genes (cluster 2) under high-sucrose conditions. Clusters 1 and 2 contained numerous genes involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism, respectively. The expression level of the genes involved in the metabolism of glycerol and trehalose, which are known to be osmoprotectants, in LS yeast was higher than that in HS yeast under sucrose concentrations of 5-40%. No clear correlation was found between the expression level of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of the osmoprotectants and the intracellular contents of the osmoprotectants. The present gene expression data were compared with data previously reported in a comprehensive analysis of a gene deletion strain collection. Welch's t-test for this comparison showed that the relative growth rates of the deletion strains whose deletion occurred in genes belonging to cluster 1 were significantly higher than the average growth rates of all deletion strains.     

The putative monocarboxylate permeases of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae do not transport monocarboxylic acids across the plasma membrane

We have characterized the monocarboxylate permease family of Saccharomyces cerevisiae comprising five proteins. We could not find any evidence that the monocarboxylate transporter-homologous (Mch) proteins of S. cerevisiae are involved in the uptake or secretion of monocarboxylates such as lactate, pyruvate or acetate across the plasma membrane. A yeast mutant strain deleted for all five MCH genes exhibited no growth defects on monocarboxylic acids as the sole carbon and energy sources. Moreover, the uptake and secretion rates of monocarboxylic acids were indistinguishable from the wild-type strain. Additional deletion of the JEN1 lactate transporter gene completely blocked uptake of lactate and pyruvate. However, uptake of acetate was not even affected after the additional deletion of the gene YHL008c, which had been proposed to code for an acetate transporter. The mch1-5 mutant strain showed strongly reduced biomass yields in aerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures, pointing to the involvement of Mch transporters in mitochondrial metabolism. Indeed, intracellular localization studies indicated that at least some of the Mch proteins reside in intracellular membranes. However, pyruvate uptake into isolated mitochondria was not affected in the mch1-5 mutant strain. It is concluded that the yeast monocarboxylate transporter-homologous proteins perform other functions than do their mammalian counterparts.