scholarly journals Suspended Animation Extends Survival Limits of Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae at Low Temperature

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 2161-2171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kin Chan ◽  
Jesse P. Goldmark ◽  
Mark B. Roth

The orderly progression through the cell division cycle is of paramount importance to all organisms, as improper progression through the cycle could result in defects with grave consequences. Previously, our lab has shown that model eukaryotes such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Danio rerio all retain high viability after prolonged arrest in a state of anoxia-induced suspended animation, implying that in such a state, progression through the cell division cycle is reversibly arrested in an orderly manner. Here, we show that S. cerevisiae (both wild-type and several cold-sensitive strains) and C. elegans embryos exhibit a dramatic decrease in viability that is associated with dysregulation of the cell cycle when exposed to low temperatures. Further, we find that when the yeast or worms are first transitioned into a state of anoxia-induced suspended animation before cold exposure, the associated cold-induced viability defects are largely abrogated. We present evidence that by imposing an anoxia-induced reversible arrest of the cell cycle, the cells are prevented from engaging in aberrant cell cycle events in the cold, thus allowing the organisms to avoid the lethality that would have occurred in a cold, oxygenated environment.

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5455-5463 ◽  
Author(s):  
K B Freeman ◽  
L R Karns ◽  
K A Lutz ◽  
M M Smith

The promoters of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae histone H3 and H4 genes were examined for cis-acting DNA sequence elements regulating transcription and cell division cycle control. Deletion and linker disruption mutations identified two classes of regulatory elements: multiple cell cycle activation (CCA) sites and a negative regulatory site (NRS). Duplicate 19-bp CCA sites are present in both the copy I and copy II histone H3-H4 promoters arranged as inverted repeats separated by 45 and 68 bp. The CCA sites are both necessary and sufficient to activate transcription under cell division cycle control. A single CCA site provides cell cycle control but is a weak transcriptional activator, while an inverted repeat comprising two CCA sites provides both strong transcriptional activation and cell division cycle control. The NRS was identified in the copy I histone H3-H4 promoter. Deletion or disruption of the NRS increased the level of the histone H3 promoter activity but did not alter the cell division cycle periodicity of transcription. When the CCA sites were deleted from the histone promoter, the NRS element was unable to confer cell division cycle control on the remaining basal level of transcription. When the NRS element was inserted into the promoter of a foreign reporter gene, transcription was constitutively repressed and did not acquire cell cycle regulation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong-Jun Li ◽  
Melvin L. DePamphilis

ABSTRACT Previous studies have shown that changes in the affinity of the hamster Orc1 protein for chromatin during the M-to-G1 transition correlate with the activity of hamster origin recognition complexes (ORCs) and the appearance of prereplication complexes at specific sites. Here we show that Orc1 is selectively released from chromatin as cells enter S phase, converted into a mono- or diubiquitinated form, and then deubiquitinated and re-bound to chromatin during the M-to-G1 transition. Orc1 is degraded by the 26S proteasome only when released into the cytosol, and peptide additions to Orc1 make it hypersensitive to polyubiquitination. In contrast, Orc2 remains tightly bound to chromatin throughout the cell cycle and is not a substrate for ubiquitination. Since the concentration of Orc1 remains constant throughout the cell cycle, and its half-life in vivo is the same as that of Orc2, ubiquitination of non-chromatin-bound Orc1 presumably facilitates the inactivation of ORCs by sequestering Orc1 during S phase. Thus, in contrast to yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe), mammalian ORC activity appears to be regulated during each cell cycle through selective dissociation and reassociation of Orc1 from chromatin-bound ORCs.


Molekul ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Hermansyah Hermansyah ◽  
Susilawati Susilawati

To elucidate the anti-proliferative effect of noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit extract for a Saccharomyces cerevisiae model organism, analysis of gene expression changes related to cell cycle associated with inhibition effect of noni fruit extract was carried out. Anti-proliferative of noni fruit extract was analyzed using gene expression changes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strains FY833 and BY4741).  Transcriptional analysis of genes that play a role in cell cycle was conducted by growing cells on YPDAde broth medium containing 1% (w/v) noni fruit extract, and then subjected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).  Transcriptional level of genes CDC6 (Cell Division Cycle-6), CDC20 (Cell Division Cycle-20), FAR1 (Factor ARrest-1), FUS3 (FUSsion-3), SIC1 (Substrate/Subunit Inhibitor of Cyclin-dependent protein kinase-1), WHI5 (WHIskey-5), YOX1 (Yeast homeobOX-1) and YHP1 (Yeast Homeo-Protein-1) increased, oppositely genes expression of DBF4 (DumbBell Forming), MCM1 (Mini Chromosome Maintenance-1) and TAH11 (Topo-A Hypersensitive-11) decreased, while the expression level of genes CDC7 (Cell Division Cycle-7), MBP1 (MIul-box Binding Protein-1) and SWI6 (SWItching deficient-6) relatively unchanged. These results indicated that gene expression changes might associate with anti-proliferative effect from noni fruit extract. These gene expressions changes lead to the growth inhibition of S.cerevisiae cell because of cell cycle defect.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5455-5463 ◽  
Author(s):  
K B Freeman ◽  
L R Karns ◽  
K A Lutz ◽  
M M Smith

The promoters of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae histone H3 and H4 genes were examined for cis-acting DNA sequence elements regulating transcription and cell division cycle control. Deletion and linker disruption mutations identified two classes of regulatory elements: multiple cell cycle activation (CCA) sites and a negative regulatory site (NRS). Duplicate 19-bp CCA sites are present in both the copy I and copy II histone H3-H4 promoters arranged as inverted repeats separated by 45 and 68 bp. The CCA sites are both necessary and sufficient to activate transcription under cell division cycle control. A single CCA site provides cell cycle control but is a weak transcriptional activator, while an inverted repeat comprising two CCA sites provides both strong transcriptional activation and cell division cycle control. The NRS was identified in the copy I histone H3-H4 promoter. Deletion or disruption of the NRS increased the level of the histone H3 promoter activity but did not alter the cell division cycle periodicity of transcription. When the CCA sites were deleted from the histone promoter, the NRS element was unable to confer cell division cycle control on the remaining basal level of transcription. When the NRS element was inserted into the promoter of a foreign reporter gene, transcription was constitutively repressed and did not acquire cell cycle regulation.


1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 3408-3417 ◽  
Author(s):  
K S Lee ◽  
R L Erikson

Plk is a mammalian serine/threonine protein kinase whose activity peaks at the onset of M phase. It is closely related to other mammalian kinases, Snk, Fnk, and Prk, as well as to Xenopus laevis Plx1, Drosophila melanogaster polo, Schizosaccharomyces pombe Plo1, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cdc5. The M phase of the cell cycle is a highly coordinated process which insures the equipartition of genetic and cellular materials during cell division. To enable understanding of the function of Plk during M phase progression, various Plk mutants were generated and expressed in Sf9 cells and budding yeast. In vitro kinase assays with Plk immunoprecipitates prepared from Sf9 cells indicate that Glu206 and Thr210 play equally important roles for Plk activity and that replacement of Thr210 with a negatively charged residue elevates Plk specific activity. Ectopic expression of wild-type Plk (Plk WT) complements the cell division defect associated with the cdc5-1 mutation in S. cerevisiae. The degree of complementation correlates closely with the Plk activity measured in vitro, as it is enhanced by a mutationally activated Plk, T210D, but is not observed with the inactive forms K82M, D194N, and D194R. In a CDC5 wild-type background, expression of Plk WT or T210D, but not of inactive forms, induced a sharp accumulation of cells in G1. Consistent with elevated Plk activity, this phenomenon was enhanced by the C-terminally deleted forms WT deltaC and T210D deltaC. Expression of T210D also induced a class of cells with unusually elongated buds which developed multiple septal structures. This was not observed with the C-terminally deleted form T210D deltaC, however. It appears that the C terminus of Plk is not required for the observed cell cycle influence but may be important for polarized cell growth and septal structure formation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1473-1483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela A. Padilla ◽  
Todd G. Nystul ◽  
Richard A. Zager ◽  
Ali C.M. Johnson ◽  
Mark B. Roth

Some metazoans have evolved the capacity to survive severe oxygen deprivation. The nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, exposed to anoxia (0 kPa, 0% O2) enters into a recoverable state of suspended animation during all stages of the life cycle. That is, all microscopically observable movement ceases including cell division, developmental progression, feeding, and motility. To understand suspended animation, we compared oxygen-deprived embryos to nontreated embryos in both wild-type and hif-1 mutants. We found that hif-1 mutants survive anoxia, suggesting that the mechanisms for anoxia survival are different from those required for hypoxia. Examination of wild-type embryos exposed to anoxia show that blastomeres arrest in interphase, prophase, metaphase, and telophase but not anaphase. Analysis of the energetic state of anoxic embryos indicated a reversible depression in the ATP to ADP ratio. Given that a decrease in ATP concentrations likely affects a variety of cellular processes, including signal transduction, we compared the phosphorylation state of several proteins in anoxic embryos and normoxic embryos. We found that the phosphorylation state of histone H3 and cell cycle–regulated proteins recognized by the MPM-2 antibody were not detectable in anoxic embryos. Thus, dephosphorylation of specific proteins correlate with the establishment and/or maintenance of a state of anoxia-induced suspended animation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 8219-8225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin J. Tang ◽  
Julia Breger ◽  
Alexander Idnurm ◽  
Kimberly J. Gerik ◽  
Jennifer K. Lodge ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Caenorhabditis elegans can serve as a substitute host for the study of microbial pathogenesis. We found that mutations in genes of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans involved in mammalian virulence allow C. elegans to produce greater numbers of progeny than when exposed to wild-type fungus. We used this property to screen a library of C. neoformans mutants for strains that permit larger C. elegans brood sizes. In this screen, we identified a gene homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae ROM2. C. neoformans rom2 mutation resulted in a defect in mating and growth defects at elevated temperature or in the presence of cell wall or hyperosmolar stresses. An effect of the C. neoformans rom2 mutation in virulence was confirmed in a murine inhalation infection model. We propose that a screen for progeny-permissive mutants of microorganisms can serve as a high-throughput method for identifying novel loci related to mammalian pathogenesis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1496-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kindra King ◽  
Michelle Jin ◽  
Daniel Lew

ABSTRACT The morphogenesis checkpoint in Saccharomyces cerevisiae couples bud formation to the cell division cycle by delaying nuclear division until cells have successfully constructed a bud. The cell cycle delay is due to the mitosis-inhibitory kinase Swe1p, which phosphorylates the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28p. In unperturbed cells, Swe1p is degraded via a mechanism thought to involve its tethering to a cortical scaffold of septin proteins at the mother-bud neck. In cells that experience stresses that delay bud formation, Swe1p is stabilized, accumulates, and promotes a G 2 delay. The tethering of Swe1p to the neck requires two regulators, called Hsl1p and Hsl7p. Hsl1p interacts with septins, and Hsl7p interacts with Swe1p; tethering occurs when Hsl1p interacts with Hsl7p. Here we created a version of Swe1p that is artificially tethered to the neck by fusion to a septin so that Swe1p no longer requires Hsl1p or Hsl7p for its localization to the neck. We show that the interaction between Hsl1p and Hsl7p, required for normal Swe1p degradation, is no longer needed for septin-Swe1p degradation, supporting the idea that the Hsl1p-Hsl7p interaction serves mainly to tether Swe1p to the neck. However, both Hsl1p and Hsl7p are still required for Swe1p degradation, implying that these proteins play additional roles beyond localizing Swe1p to the neck.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Almotayri ◽  
Jency Thomas ◽  
Mihiri Munasinghe ◽  
Markandeya Jois

Background: The antidepressant mianserin has been shown to extend the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a well-established model organism used in aging research. The extension of lifespan in C. elegans was shown to be dependent on increased expression of the scaffolding protein (ANK3/unc-44). In contrast, antidepressant use in humans is associated with an increased risk of death. The C. elegans in the laboratory are fed Escherichia coli (E. coli), a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrate, whereas a typical human diet is high in carbohydrates. We hypothesized that dietary carbohydrates might mitigate the lifespan-extension effect of mianserin. Objective: To investigate the effect of glucose added to the diet of C. elegans on the lifespan-extension effect of mianserin. Methods: Wild-type Bristol N2 and ANK3/unc-44 inactivating mutants were cultured on agar plates containing nematode growth medium and fed E. coli. Treatment groups included (C) control, (M50) 50 μM mianserin, (G) 73 mM glucose, and (M50G) 50 μM mianserin and 73 mM glucose. Lifespan was determined by monitoring the worms until they died. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier version of the log-rank test. Results: Mianserin treatment resulted in a 12% increase in lifespan (P<0.05) of wild-type Bristol N2 worms but reduced lifespan by 6% in ANK3/unc-44 mutants, consistent with previous research. The addition of glucose to the diet reduced the lifespan of both strains of worms and abolished the lifespan-extension by mianserin. Conclusion: The addition of glucose to the diet of C. elegans abolishes the lifespan-extension effects of mianserin.


Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Singson ◽  
Katherine L Hill ◽  
Steven W L’Hernault

Abstract Hermaphrodite self-fertilization is the primary mode of reproduction in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. However, when a hermaphrodite is crossed with a male, nearly all of the oocytes are fertilized by male-derived sperm. This sperm precedence during reproduction is due to the competitive superiority of male-derived sperm and results in a functional suppression of hermaphrodite self-fertility. In this study, mutant males that inseminate fertilization-defective sperm were used to reveal that sperm competition within a hermaphrodite does not require successful fertilization. However, sperm competition does require normal sperm motility. Additionally, sperm competition is not an absolute process because oocytes not fertilized by male-derived sperm can sometimes be fertilized by hermaphrodite-derived sperm. These results indicate that outcrossed progeny result from a wild-type cross because male-derived sperm are competitively superior and hermaphrodite-derived sperm become unavailable to oocytes. The sperm competition assays described in this study will be useful in further classifying the large number of currently identified mutations that alter sperm function and development in C. elegans.


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