ALBERT

Description: Cellular exposure to cadmium is known to strongly induce the unfolded protein response (UPR), which suggests that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is preferentially damaged by cadmium. According to recent reports, the UPR is induced both dependent on and independently of accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. In order to understand the toxic mechanism of cadmium, here we investigated how cadmium exposure leads to Ire1 activation, which triggers the UPR, using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. Cadmium poorly induced the UPR when Ire1 carried a mutation that impairs its ability to recognize unfolded proteins. Ire1 activation by cadmium was also attenuated by the chemical chaperone 4-phenylbutyrate. Cadmium caused sedimentation of BiP, the molecular chaperone in the ER, which suggests the ER accumulation of unfolded proteins. A green fluorescent protein-based reporter assay also indicated that cadmium damages the oxidative protein folding in the ER. We also found that an excess concentration of extracellular calcium attenuates the Ire1 activation by cadmium. Taken together, we propose that cadmium exposure leads to the UPR induction through impairment of protein folding in the ER.

Description: The level of linoleic acid in the Sauvignon blanc (SB) grape juice affects the development of different aroma compounds during fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae EC1118, including key varietal thiols such as 3-mercaptohexanol (3MH) and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate (3MHA). However, it is still unknown if linoleic acid would affect in a similar way other commonly used S. cerevisiae wine strains. Here we investigated the effect of grape juice linoleic acid on the development of aroma compounds and other metabolites of SB wines using different wine yeast strains: EC1118, AWRI796 and VIN13. Linoleic acid clearly affected the levels of acetylated aroma compounds, several amino acids, and antioxidant molecules, independent of yeast strain, but the production of 3MH was affected by linoleic acid in a strain-specific manner. Moreover, the supplementation of deuterium-labelled 3MH also affected the production of varietal thiols in a strain-specific way. Linoleic acid reduced the acetylation process probably by inhibiting an acetyltransferase, an effect that was independent of the yeast strain. However, regulation of the 3MH biosynthesis is strain-specific, which suggests a mindful consideration not only towards the wine yeast but also to the linoleic acid concentration in the grape juice in order to obtain the desired wine aroma characteristics.

Description: Brewer's wort is a challenging environment for yeast as it contains predominantly α-glucoside sugars. There exist two subgroups of the lager yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus which differ in sugar utilisation. We performed wort fermentations and compared representative strains from both groups with respect to their ability to transport and ferment maltose and maltotriose. Additionally, we mapped the transporters MALx1 , AGT1 , MPHx and MTT1 by Southern blotting. Contrary to previous observations, group I comprises a diverse set of strains, with varying ability to transport and ferment maltotriose. Of the eight group I strains, three efficiently utilised maltotriose, a property enabled by the presence of transmembrane transporters SeAGT1 and MTT1 . A58, a variant of the group I type strain (CBS1513) performed particularly well, taking up maltotriose at a higher rate than maltose and retaining significant transport activity at temperatures as low as 0°C. Analysis of transporter distribution in this strain revealed an increased copy number of the MTT1 gene, which encodes the only permease known with higher affinity for maltotriose than maltose and low temperature dependence for transport. We propose that much of the variation in lager yeast fermentation behaviour is determined by the presence or absence of specific transmembrane transporters.

Description: Vacuolar H + -ATPase (V-ATPase) is responsible for the acidification of eukaryotic intracellular compartments and plays an important role in oxidative stress response (OSR), but its molecular bases are largely unknown. Here, we investigated how V-ATPase is involved in the OSR by using a strain lacking VPH2 , which encodes an assembly factor of V-ATPase, in the pathogenic fungus Candida glabrata . The loss of Vph2 resulted in increased H 2 O 2 sensitivity and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level independently of mitochondrial functions. The vph2 mutant also displayed growth defects under alkaline conditions accompanied by the accumulation of intracellular ROS and these phenotypes were recovered in the presence of the ROS scavenger N-acetyl- l -cysteine. Both expression and activity levels of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (Sod2) and catalase (Cta1) were decreased in the vph2 mutant. Phenotypic analyses of strains lacking and overexpressing these genes revealed that Sod2 and Cta1 play a predominant role in endogenous and exogenous OSR, respectively. Furthermore, supplementation of copper and iron restored the expression of SOD2 specifically in the vph2 mutant, suggesting that the homeostasis of intracellular cupper and iron levels maintained by V-ATPase was important for the Sod2-mediated OSR. This report demonstrates novel roles of V-ATPase in the OSR in C. glabrata .

Description: In this paper I describe the main aspects of my career and focus on the retrospective on my life and my work.

Description: Since more than a decade ago, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used as a model to dissect complex traits, revealing the genetic basis of a large number of traits in fine detail. However, to have a more global view of the genetic architecture of traits across species, the examination of the molecular basis of phenotypes within non-conventional species would undoubtedly be valuable. In this respect, the Saccharomycotina yeasts represent ideal and potential non-model organisms. Here we sought to assess the feasibility of genetic mapping by bulk segregant analysis in the protoploid Lachancea kluyveri (formerly S. kluyveri ) yeast species, a distantly related species to S. cerevisiae . For this purpose, we designed a fluorescent mating-type marker, compatible with any mating-competent strains representative of this species, to rapidly create a large population of haploid segregants (〉10 5 cells). Quantitative trait loci can be mapped by selecting and sequencing an enriched pool of progeny with extreme phenotypic values. As a test bed, we applied this strategy and mapped the causal loci underlying halotolerance phenotypes in L. kluyveri . Overall, this study demonstrates that bulk segregant mapping is a powerful way for investigating the genetic basis of natural variations in non-model yeast organisms and more precisely in L. kluyveri .

Description: The undesirable flavor compounds diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione are vicinal diketones (VDKs) formed by extracellular oxidative decarboxylation of intermediate metabolites of the isoleucine, leucine and valine (ILV) biosynthetic pathway. These VDKs are taken up by Saccharomyces and enzymatically converted to acetoin and 3-hydroxy-2-pentanone, respectively. Purification of a highly enriched diacetyl reductase fraction from Saccharomyces cerevisiae in conjunction with mass spectrometry identified Old Yellow Enzyme (Oye) as an enzyme capable of catalyzing VDK reduction. Kinetic analysis of recombinant Oye1p, Oye2p and Oye3p isoforms confirmed that all three isoforms reduced diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione in an NADPH-dependent reaction. Transcriptomic analysis of S. cerevisiae (ale) and S. pastorianus (lager) yeast during industrial fermentations showed that the transcripts for OYE1, OYE2 , arabinose dehydrogenase ( ARA1) , α-acetolactate synthase ( ILV2 ) and α-acetohydroxyacid reductoisomerase ( ILV5 ) were differentially regulated in a manner that correlated with changes in extracellular levels of VDKs. These studies provide insights into the mechanism for reducing VDKs and decreasing maturation times of beer which are of commercial importance.

Description: Previous work has shown that the synthetic lethality of the slt2rim101 mutant results from a combination of factors, including improper functioning of the septum assembly machinery. Here, we identify new multicopy suppressors of this lethality including Kss1, Pcl1 and Sph1, none of which seems to be linked to the upregulation of chitin synthesis. Characterization of the suppression mediated by Kss1 showed that it is independent of the transcriptional response of the CWI signaling response, but efficiently restores the Bni4 localization defects produced by the absence of Slt2. Accordingly, Bni4 interacts physically with both kinases, and its levels of phosphorylation are reduced in the slt2 mutant but increased after Kss1 overexpression. Using an assay based on hypersensitive cells of the cdc10-11 mutant, we have pinpointed several MAP kinase phosphorylatable residues required for Bni4 function. Our results, together with a genetic correlation analysis, strongly support a functional model linking Slt2 MAP kinase and Pcl1, a Pho85 cyclin-dependent kinase, in septum assembly through Bni4. This model, based on the coordinated phosphorylation of Bni4 by both kinases, would be able to integrate cellular signals rapidly to maintain cell integrity during cytokinesis.

Description: As manually curated and non-automated BLAST analysis of the published Pichia pastoris genome sequences revealed many differences between the gene annotations of the strains GS115 and CBS7435, RNA-Seq analysis, supported by proteomics, was performed to improve the genome annotation. Detailed analysis of sequence alignment and protein domain predictions were made to extend the functional genome annotation to all P. pastoris sequences. This allowed the identification of 492 new ORFs, 4916 hypothetical UTRs and the correction of 341 incorrect ORF predictions, which were mainly due to the presence of upstream ATG or erroneous intron predictions. Moreover, 175 previously erroneously annotated ORFs need to be removed from the annotation. In total, we have annotated 5325 ORFs. Regarding the functionality of those genes, we improved all gene and protein descriptions. Thereby, the percentage of ORFs with functional annotation was increased from 48% to 73%. Furthermore, we defined functional groups, covering 25 biological cellular processes of interest, by grouping all genes that are part of the defined process. All data are presented in the newly launched genome browser and database available at www.pichiagenome.org . In summary, we present a wide spectrum of curation of the P. pastoris genome annotation from gene level to protein function.

Description: Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and P. lutzii , thermally dimorphic fungi, are the causative agents of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). Paracoccidioides infection occurs when conidia or mycelium fragments are inhaled by the host, which causes the Paracoccidioides cells to transition to the yeast form. The development of disease requires conidia inside the host alveoli to differentiate into yeast cells in a temperature-dependent manner. We describe the presence of a two-component signal transduction system in P. brasiliensis , which we investigated by expression analysis of a hypothetical protein gene (PADG_07579) that showed high similarity with the dimorphism-regulating histidine kinase ( DRK1 ) gene of Blastomyces dermatitidis and Histoplasma capsulatum . This gene was sensitive to environmental redox changes, which was demonstrated by a dose-dependent decrease in transcript levels after peroxide stimulation and a subtler decrease in transcript levels after NO stimulation. Furthermore, the higher PbDRK1 levels after treatment with increasing NaCl concentrations suggest that this histidine kinase can play a role as osmosensing. In the mycelium-yeast (M-〉Y) transition, PbDRK1 mRNA expression increased 14-fold after 24 h incubation at 37°C, consistent with similar observations in other virulent fungi. These results demonstrate that the PbDRK1 gene is differentially expressed during the dimorphic M-〉Y transition. Finally, when P. brasiliensis mycelium cells were exposed to a histidine kinase inhibitor and incubated at 37°C, there was a delay in the dimorphic M-〉Y transition, suggesting that histidine kinases could be targets of interest for PCM therapy.