Plasma membrane expansion terminates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae secretion-defective mutants while phospholipid synthesis continues

Phospholipid synthesis activity and plasma membrane growth have been studied in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae temperature-sensitive, secretion-defective mutants isolated by Novick and Schekman (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76:1858-1862, 1979; Novick et al., Cell 21:205-215, 1980). The mutants, sec1 through sec23, do not grow at 37 degrees C and exhibit lower rates of phospholipid synthesis than does the wild-type strain X2180. None of the mutants exhibits a decline in lipid synthesis rapid enough to explain secretion failure. Plasma membrane growth was assessed indirectly by examining the osmotic sensitivity of spheroplasts derived from cultures transferred from 24 to 37 degrees C. Spheroplasts from the normal-growing strain X2180 exhibited a small rapid increase in osmotic sensitivity and stabilized at a more sensitive state. Spheroplasts from the sec mutants exposed to the same temperature shift exhibited progressively increasing osmotic sensitivity. Cycloheximide treatment prevented progressive increases in osmotic fragility. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that plasma membrane expansion is restricted in the sec mutants. During incubation at 37 degrees C, the accumulation of intracellular materials within the no-longer expanding plasma membrane exerts osmotic stress on the membrane, increasing with time. The gene products defective in Novick and Schekman's sec mutants appear to be required for both extracellular protein secretion and plasma membrane growth in yeast cells.

An improved method for the preparation of mycobacterial spheroplasts and the mechanism involved in the reversion to bacillary form: electron microscopic and physiological study

An efficient method is described for preparing spheroplasts and protoplasts by treating bacillary cells of Mycobacterium smegmatis with precise concentrations of L-glycine (followed by lysozyme). This improved procedure was widely applicable to many rapidly growing mycobacteria by selecting the concentrations of glycine suitable for the individual strains used. The process of reversion of spheroplasts to original bacillary form on solid and in liquid media, as revealed by electron microscopy, appeared to involve the formation of an internal elementary or initial body with subsequent budding from the spheroplast. The internal membrane systems appeared to function in the induction of initial bodies and in the maturation of elementary bodies to become dividing forms. Possible mechanisms involved in the development of bacilli from spheroplasts are discussed.

Interference of electron donors in the measurement of the proton gradient and membrane potential by flow dialysis

The three most commonly used electron donors for flow dialysis measurements of membrane potential lead to the development of an apparent but artifactual membrane potential with the interior negative in the presence or absence of membrane vesicles. The same three electron donors used in flow dialysis determinations of delta pH in the presence or absence of membrane vesicles lead to the development of an apparent but artifactual delta pH with the interior acidic. These artifacts have been evaluated using two probes for membrane potential, namely, TPP+ and rubidium in the presence of valinomycin and for two probes of delta pH, namely, acetate and DMO. Measurements were made over a range of ionic strengths.

Effect of altered sterol composition on the osmotic behavior of sphaeroplasts and mitochondria of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The effect of sterols on the osmotic stability of mitochondrial and plasma membranes of yeast wild-types and mutants that are defective in ergosterol biosynthesis has been studied. Incorporation of the nonfungal sterol, cholesterol, into yeast membranes reduces membrane elasticity which is observed as an increased susceptibility to osmotic lysis. However, the wild-type and nystatin-resistant strains which were examined indicate that qualitative alterations in endogenously generated sterols do not affect resistance to swelling. Although these strains exhibit differences in membrane fluidity, which is influenced by the sterol accumulated by the organisms, the membrane stretching capacity shows no distinct dependence on sterol structure or bilayer fluidity.

Cell cycle inhibition of yeast spheroplasts

Osmotically stabilized yeast spheroplasts are capable of extensive DNA synthesis. Although the rate of DNA synthesis in spheroplasts is approximately one-third that of intact cells, the relative amounts of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA synthesized by spheroplasts is very similar to the relative amounts synthesized by intact cells. Furthermore, nuclear but not mitochondrial DNA synthesis is inhibited in MATa spheroplasts by the application of the yeast mating pheromone, alpha-factor. Similarly, DNA synthesis is reversibly temperature-sensitive in spheroplasts created from cdc7 and cdc8 mutant cells.

[Membrane potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa spheroplasts having a cyanide-resistant respiration]

The membrane potential (delta psi) of Ps. aeruginosa spheroplasts was measured by a hydrophobic cation--tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP+) under conditions of simultaneous and separate action of the main respiratory chain and cyanide-resistant oxidase. In all cases, oxidation of endogenous substrates by spheroplasts was followed by generation of a membrane potential of the value of 127--156 mv. An addition of 1 mM cyanide did not practically affect the potential value. The discharge of the potential was attained by further addition of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) or valinomycin. The oxidation of the substrates added by the main respiratory chain was accompanied by an additional increase in the potential by 20--30 mv. In this case, an addition of cyanide decreased the potential by the same value. Oxidation of all substrates, except for TMPD+ ascorbate under conditions of functioning of cyanide-resistant oxidase also increased the potential by 15--50 mv. However, in this case cyanide did not practically affect the increase of the potential. The gain in the potential under TMPD + ascorbate oxidation by cyanide-resistant spheroplasts is prevented by cyanide. A question is discussed as to whether the transfer of reducing equivalents directly via cyanide-resistant oxidase is associated with the generation of a membrane potential or its functioning is not connected with the accumulation of energy in the form available for the cell.

Liposome-mediated genetic transformation of Neurospora crassa

Transformation of Neurospora crassa spheroplasts is reported for three different genes, using uncloned Neurospora DNA, both naked and encapsulated in synthetic phosphatidylserine liposomes. Whereas transformation by naked DNA is DNase-sensitive, that by liposomes is not. Per unit of transforming DNA, liposome transformation is significantly more efficient than that with naked DNA, ranging from 19x for the am gene to 41x for pyr-3. Levels of activity of pyr-3 and am transformants, and segregation data on pyr-3 transformation are given.

Parasexual genetic analysis of Candida albicans by spheroplast fusion

Doubly auxotrophic strains of Candida albicans were selected from mutagenized cultures. Spheroplasts prepared from the auxotrophic strains were fused with polyethylene glycol. Prototrophic derivatives formed by this fusion protocol from auxotrophic strains were selected by complementation on minimal medium. These prototrophs had a cell volume twice that of the original strain and were shown to be heterozygous at four loci. Prototrophs obtained by this procedure infrequently gave rise to auxotrophic recombinants whose cell volume remained twice that of the original strain. It is suggested that these auxotrophic recombinants arise from mitotic crossing-over. This paper is the first report of a parasexual cycle in C. albicans.

Assembly of mitochondria in yeast. Complementation of mitochondrial and cytosolic products in a temporal sequence in vitro

1. Sequential transfer of derepressing yeast spheroplasts from a medium containing chloramphenicol to one containing cycloheximide or vice versa, shows that the cytosolically and mitochondrially synthesized products are synthesized independent of each other and accumulate in the absence of their counterparts. 2. This has been demonstrated by immunoprecipitation using specific antisera for cytochrome oxidase and ATPase enzymes. 3. The independently accumulated products have been shown to complement each other for the expression of enzyme activity, upon mixing in vitro. 4. By varying the time of treatment with cycloheximide, thereby allowing the mitochondrial protein synthesis to proceed to different extent, a time sequence in the appearance of the mitochondrially synthesized products is demonstrated.

[Results of measuring the modulus of elasticity of microorganism cell walls]

The elasticity modulus of Escherichia coli cell walls was found to change in the course of growth of the culture. It decreased in the middle of the exponential phase, apparently as a result of intensification of biosynthetic and related to them transport processes at this period. If the cells were treated with EDTA, their elasticity modulus was lower, by an order of magnitude, than that of the control cell walls. If the cells were treated with lysozyme, the elasticity modulus of their walls decreased by three orders of magnitude. The elasticity modulus of cell walls was less in gram-positive rods than in E. coli. The elasticity modulus of spherical cells cannot be determined using this technique.

Lack of lysogenic induction in "diaminopimelic acid spheroplasts"

As part of an attempt to develop a semi-in vitro system of lysogenic induction, using spheroplasts of Escherichia coli K-12 lysogenic for prophage lambda, we prepared spheroplasts by depriving E. coli dap of diaminopimelic acid (DAP-spheroplasts). DAP-spheroplasts made from E. coli (lambda cI857) were thermally inducible. However, DAP-spheroplasts of E. coli (lambda) were not inducible by UV light. Thus, it appears that a functional cell wall is required for UV induction of prophage lambda.

Osmotic imbalance in inositol-starved spheroplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Physiological states associated with inositol starvation of spheroplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated and compared with conditions preceding death of starved whole cells. In the absence of synthesis of inositol-containing lipids, cell surface expansion terminated after one doubling of whole cells. In spheroplasts, cessation of membrane expansion was apparently followed by rapid development of an osmotic imbalance, causing lysis. Continued synthesis and accumulation of cytoplasmic constituents within the limited cell volume were implicated as a cause of the osmotic imbalance. In whole cells, an increase in internal osmotic pressure also follows termination of membrane and cell wall expansion. The cell wall prevents lysis, allowing a state of increasing cytoplasmic osmotic pressure to persist in the period preceding onset of inositol-less death.

Effect of rifampicin on the infectivity of RNA bacteriophage f2

RNA bacteriophage f2, treated in vitro with rifampicin, loses infectivity dramatically. Rifampicin interacts with phage RNA, binding to a few specific sites. Inhibition of phage RNA infectivity occurs at 10-100 times lower molar excess of rifampicin than inhibition of infectivity of intact phage particles. Thus the phage capsid acts as a barrier, diminishing interaction of the drug with phage RNA.

Stability of the plasma membrane in Saccharomyces cerevisiae enriched with phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine

Spheroplasts from Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC 366, enriched in phosphatidylethanolamine after growth in medium supplemented with 1 mM ethanolamine, were more resistant to osmotic lysis than were spheroplasts from cells grown in the presence of 1 mM choline and enriched in phosphatidylcholine.

Lipid and protein segregation in Escherichia coli membrane: morphological and structural study of different cytoplasmic membrane fractions

Lipid and protein segregations can be induced in E. coli cytoplasmic membranes by conformational transitions of their lipid hydrocarbon chains from a disordered to an ordered state. For E. coli strain K 1059 (an unsaturated fatty acid auxotroph) supplemented with linolenic acid, the segregation leads to large areas of membrane surfaces having distinctly different morphological characteristics (smooth compared with strongly particulated fracture faces, as visualized by freeze fracture electron microscopy). The different regions are physically separated by osmotic lysis of spheroplasts at temperatures below those of the order-disorder transition of the lipid hydrocarbon chains. The analysis of the different cytoplasmic membrane fractions provides a direct demonstration and allows a direct analysis of the segregation. As compared to the nonfractionated membranes, the membrane regions corresponding to the smooth fracture surfaces are poor in proteins, rich in lipids, and enriched in saturated fatty acids, while the membrane regions corresponding to the strongly particulated fracture surfaces are rich in proteins, poor in lipids, and enriched in unsaturated fatty acids. Quantitative information about the extent of these segregations is obtained from high-angle x-ray diffraction of the different membrane fractions and of the corresponding total lipid extracts.

Role of the cell surface in bacterial mating: requirement for intact mucopeptide in donors for the expression of surface exclusion in R+ strains of Escherichia coli

Two derivatives of the F-like R factor R1drd19 carrying mutually exclusive resistance determinants were used to study the role of the mucopeptide in the expression of conjugal functions. The use of metabolically active penicillin spheroplasts in R+ times R- matings had no effect on the ability of the cells to donate or accept a plasmid. However, in R+ times R+ matings it was found that surface exclusion was totally abolished if the donor, but not the recipient, was a spheroplast. This result implies that the traS gene, expressed by the excluding plasmid, is dependent for its action on an intact mucopeptide layer in the donor cell, and that this interaction is independent of the transfer ability of the excluding plasmid.