Project description:Background Microorganisms adapt their transcriptome by integrating multiple chemical and physical signals from their environment. Shake-flask cultivation does not allow precise manipulation of individual culture parameters and therefore precludes a quantitative analysis of the (combinatorial) influence of these parameters on transcriptional regulation. Steady-state chemostat cultures, which do enable accurate control, measurement and manipulation of individual cultivation parameters (e.g. specific growth rate, temperature, identity of the growth-limiting nutrient) appear to provide a promising experimental platform for such a combinatorial analysis. Results A microarray compendium of 170 steady-state chemostat cultures of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is presented and analyzed. The 170 microarrays encompass 55 unique conditions, which can be characterized by the combined settings of 10 different cultivation parameters. By applying a regression model to assess the impact of (combinations of) cultivation parameters on the transcriptome, most S. cerevisiae genes were shown to be influenced by multiple cultivation parameters, and in many cases by combinatorial effects of cultivation parameters. The inclusion of these combinatorial effects in the regression model led to higher explained variance of the gene expression patterns and resulted in higher function enrichment in subsequent analysis. We further demonstrate the usefulness of the compendium and regression analysis for interpretation of shake-flask-based transcriptome studies and for guiding functional analysis of (uncharacterized) genes and pathways. Conclusions Modeling the combinatorial effects of environmental parameters on the transcriptome is crucial for understanding transcriptional regulation. Chemostat cultivation offers a powerful tool for such an approach. Keywords: chemostat steady state samples
Project description:We combined the nuclear run-on (NRO) assay which labels and captures nascent transcripts with high throughput DNA sequencing to examine transcriptional activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Examination of nascent transcripts and steady-state transcripts in exponentially growing and heat-shock treated yeast.
Project description:Aneuploidy and aging are correlated; however, a causal link between these two phenomena has remained elusive. Here we show that yeast disomic for a single native yeast chromosome generally have a decreased replicative lifespan. In addition, the extent of this lifespan deficit correlates with the size of the extra chromosome. We identified a mutation in BUL1 that rescues both the lifespan deficit and a protein trafficking defect in yeast disomic for chromosome 5. Bul1 is an E4 ubiquitin ligase adaptor involved in a protein quality-control pathway that targets membrane proteins for endocytosis and destruction in the lysosomal vacuole thereby maintaining protein homeostasis. Concurrent suppression of the aging and trafficking phenotypes suggests that disrupted membrane protein homeostasis in aneuploid yeast may contribute to their accelerated aging. The data reported here demonstrate that aneuploidy can impair protein homeostasis, shorten lifespan, and may contribute to age-associated phenotypes.
Project description:The first aim was to investigate the suitability of FSCF to analyze yeast physiology during the stationary phase of wine making. In this way, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed on mRNA samples collected from the third stage of FSCF and from batch culture, at the same fermentation progress (164 g/L residual glucose). In a second part, FSCF device was used to study the impact at the transcriptomic level of nitrogen addition performed at the beginning of the stationary phase. Gene expression profiles were compared at steady state between cells from the third stage of FSCF operating in presence or absence of continuous valine or ammonium perfusion.
Project description:We attempted to improve the resistance of taxadiene-producing yeast strain to oxidative stress to develop a more robust yeast cell factory for improved Taxol® drug oxyenated taxanes precursors production from taxadiene. To this end, we evolved a yeast strain on H2O2-containing defined growth medium, supplemented with galactose as carbon source to induce the heterologous taxadiene biosynthesis pathway genes in that strain. The oxidative stress re-induction effect on the expression profiles of the superior evolved yeast strain (E_LRS5) was then studied before (steady state I) and during its continous use (steady state II) in galactose-limited chemostats, in parallel with the parent strain (LRS5).