Effect of bud scars on the mechanical properties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls

The relationship between cell density and cell count differs among Saccharomyces yeast species

There is a recent push to develop wild and non-domesticated Saccharomyces yeast strains into useful model systems for research in ecology and evolution. Yet, the variation between species and strains in important population parameters remains largely undescribed. Here, we investigated the relationship between two commonly used measures in microbiology to estimate growth rate - cell density and cell count - in 23 strains across all eight Saccharomyces species . We found that the slope of this relationship significantly differs among species and a given optical density (OD) does not translate into the same number of cells across species. We provide a cell number calculator based on our OD measurements for each strain used in this study. Surprisingly, we found a slightly positive relationship between cell size and the slope of the cell density-cell count relationship. Our results show that the strain- and species-specificity of the cell density and cell count relationship should be taken into account, for instance when running competition experiments requiring equal starting population sizes or when estimating the fitness of strains with different genetic backgrounds in experimental evolution studies.

Study of Impacts of Two Types of Cellular Aging on the Yeast Bud Morphogenesis

Understanding the mechanisms of cellular aging processes is crucial for attempting to extend organismal lifespan and for studying age-related degenerative diseases. Yeast cells divide through budding, providing a classical biological model for studying cellular aging. With their powerful genetics, relatively short lifespan and well-established signaling pathways also found in animals, yeast cells offer valuable insights into the aging process. Recent experiments suggested the existence of two aging modes in yeast characterized by nucleolar and mitochondrial declines, respectively. In this study, by analyzing experimental data it was shown that cells evolving into those two aging modes behave differently when they are young. While buds grow linearly in both modes, cells that consistently generate spherical buds throughout their lifespan demonstrate greater efficacy in controlling bud size and growth rate at young ages. A three-dimensional chemical-mechanical model was developed and used to suggest and test hypothesized mechanisms of bud morphogenesis during aging. Experimentally calibrated simulations showed that tubular bud shape in one aging mode could be generated by locally inserting new materials at the bud tip guided by the polarized Cdc42 signal during the early stage of budding. Furthermore, the aspect ratio of the tubular bud could be stabilized during the late stage, as observed in experiments, through a reduction on the new cell surface material insertion or an expansion of the polarization site. Thus model simulations suggest the maintenance of new cell surface material insertion or chemical signal polarization could be weakened due to cellular aging in yeast and other cell types.

Analytical Models for Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Yeast

The mechanical properties of yeast play an important role in many biological processes, such as cell division and growth, maintenance of internal pressure, and biofilm formation. In addition, the mechanical properties of cells can indicate the degree of damage caused by antifungal drugs, as the mechanical parameters of healthy and damaged cells are different. Over the past decades, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micromanipulation have become the most widely used methods for evaluating the mechanical characteristics of microorganisms. In this case, the reliability of such an estimate depends on the choice of mathematical model. This review presents various analytical models developed in recent years for studying the mechanical properties of both cells and their individual structures. The main provisions of the applied approaches are described along with their limitations and advantages. Attention is paid to the innovative method of low-invasive nanomechanical mapping with scanning ion-conductance microscopy (SICM), which is currently starting to be successfully used in the discovery of novel drugs acting on the yeast cell wall and plasma membrane.

Single cell sorting of young yeast based on label-free fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an attractive organism used in the fermentation industry and is an important model organism for virus research. The ability to sort yeast cells is important for diverse applications. Replicative aging of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is accompanied by metabolic changes that are related to an essential coenzyme, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H). Here, a single cell sorting method based on fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) was implemented for the first time. The aging level of yeast was determined based on the FLIM by NAD(P)H, which was a label-free and noninvasive method for studying individual cells. Then, young and active yeast cells were sorted by the LIFT system at the single cell level. During the entire experiment, a sterile and humid environment was maintained to ensure the activity of cells. The high viability of sorted cells was achieved by the LIFT combining with FLIM.

Crosstalk between the calcineurin and cell wall integrity pathways prevents chitin overexpression in Candida albicans

Echinocandins such as caspofungin are frontline antifungal drugs that compromise β-1,3 glucan synthesis in the cell wall. Recent reports have shown that fungal cells can resist killing by caspofungin by upregulation of chitin synthesis, thereby sustaining cell wall integrity (CWI). When echinocandins are removed, the chitin content of cells quickly returns to basal levels, suggesting that there is a fitness cost associated with having elevated levels of chitin in the cell wall. We show here that simultaneous activation of the calcineurin and CWI pathways generates a subpopulation of Candida albicans yeast cells that have supra-normal chitin levels interspersed throughout the inner and outer cell wall, and that these cells are non-viable, perhaps due to loss of wall elasticity required for cell expansion and growth. Mutations in the Ca2+-calcineurin pathway prevented the formation of these non-viable supra-high chitin cells by negatively regulating chitin synthesis driven by the CWI pathway. The Ca2+-calcineurin pathway may therefore act as an attenuator that prevents the overproduction of chitin by coordinating both chitin upregulation and negative regulation of the CWI signaling pathway. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Anti-Platelet Properties of Apple Must/Skin Yeasts and of Their Fermented Apple Cider Products

Alcoholic beverages like apple cider are considered functional beverages with several health benefits, when consumed in moderation, which are mainly attributed to their microbiota and the plethora of their bioactive compounds. Among them, bio-functional polar lipids (PL) have recently been found in apple cider, which despite low quantities, have exhibited strong anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet properties, while fermentation seems to affect the functionality of apple cider’s PL bioactives. The aim of the present study was to elaborate yeast strains isolated from the complex mixtures of apple surface and must yeasts for evaluating their effects on the anti-platelet functional properties of PL bioactives from their final fermented apple cider products. First, bio-functional PL were extracted and separated from the biomass of the different isolated apple surface/must yeast strains, and were further assessed for their anti-platelet potency against human platelet aggregation induced by the potent inflammatory and thrombotic mediator platelet-activating factor (PAF), or by a classic platelet agonist like adenosine diphopshate (ADP). Novel functional apple ciders were then produced from the fermentation of apple juice by elaborating the most bioactive and resilient yeast strains isolated from the apple must with optimum fermentation properties. PL bioactives extracted from these novel apple cider products were also further assessed for their anti-platelet properties against both the PAF and ADP pathways of human platelet aggregation. These novel cider products were found to contain PL bioactives with lower IC50 values (~40 μg) and thus increased anti-platelet potency against platelet aggregation induced by PAF and ADP. GC-MS analysis of the PL bioactives extracted from these novel apple ciders showed that apple cider PL bioactives are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), such as the omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) and the omega-3 alpha linolenic acid (ALA), with favorably lower levels for their omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratio, which further support the observed strong anti-platelet properties putative anti-inflammatory potency for the apple cider PL bioactives. However, further studies are needed in order to elucidate and fully characterize the apple yeast strains that can be utilized for increasing the anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet and cardioprotective functional properties of their fermented apple cider products.

Evaluating Young's Modulus of Single Yeast Cells Based on Compression Using an Atomic Force Microscope with a Flat Tip

In this research, atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a flat tip cantilever is utilized to measure Young's modulus of a whole yeast cell (Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741). The results acquired from AFM are similar to those obtained using a microfluidic chip compression system. The mechanical properties of single yeast cells are important parameters which can be examined using AFM. Conventional studies apply AFM with a sharp cantilever tip to indent the cell and measure the force-indentation curve, from which Young's modulus can be calculated. However, sharp tips introduce problems because the shape variation can lead to a different result and cannot represent the stiffness of the whole cell. It can lead to a lack of broader meaning when evaluating Young's modulus of yeast cells. In this report, we confirm the differences in results obtained when measuring the compression of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) bead using a commercial sharp tip versus a unique flat tip. The flat tip effectively avoids tip-derived errors, so we use this method to compress whole yeast cells and generate a force–deformation curve. We believe our proposed method is effective for evaluating Young's modulus of whole yeast cells.

Spent Brewer's Yeast as a Source of Insoluble β-Glucans

In the brewing process, the consumption of resources and the amount of waste generated are high and due to a lot of organic compounds in waste-water, the capacity of natural regeneration of the environment is exceeded. Residual yeast, the second by-product of brewing is considered to have an important chemical composition. An approach with nutritional potential refers to the extraction of bioactive compounds from the yeast cell wall, such as β-glucans. Concerning the potential food applications with better textural characteristics, spent brewer’s yeast glucan has high emulsion stability and water-holding capacity fitting best as a fat replacer in different food matrices. Few studies demonstrate the importance and nutritional role of β-glucans from brewer’s yeast, and even less for spent brewer’s yeast, due to additional steps in the extraction process. This review focuses on describing the process of obtaining insoluble β-glucans (particulate) from spent brewer’s yeast and provides an insight into how a by-product from brewing can be converted to potential food applications.

Simultaneous Nanoscale Imaging of Chemical and Architectural Heterogeneity on Yeast Cell Wall Particles

Particles extracted from yeast cell walls are naturally occurring immunomodulators with significant therapeutic applications. Their biological function has been thought to be a consequence of the overall chemical composition. In contrast, here we achieve direct nanoscale visualization of the compositional and structural heterogeneity of yeast cell wall particles and demonstrate that such nanoscale heterogeneity directly influences the receptor function of immune cells. By combining peak force infrared (PFIR) microscopy with super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, we achieve simultaneous chemical, topographical, and mechanical mapping of cell wall particles extracted from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with ≈6 nm resolution. We show that polysaccharides (β-glucan and chitin) and proteins are organized in specific nonuniform structures, and their heterogeneous spatial organization leads to heterogeneous recruitment of receptors on immune cell membranes. Our findings indicate that the biological function of yeast cell wall particles depends on not only their overall composition but also the nanoscale distribution of the different cell wall components.

Disadvantages and benefits of evolved unicellularity versus multicellularity in budding yeast

Multicellular organisms appeared on Earth through several independent major evolutionary transitions. Are such transitions reversible? Addressing this fundamental question entails understanding the benefits and costs of multicellularity versus unicellularity. For example, some wild yeast strains form multicellular clumps, which might be beneficial in stressful conditions, but this has been untested. Here, we show that unicellular yeast evolve from clump-forming ancestors by propagating samples from suspension after larger clumps have settled. Unicellular yeast strains differed from their clumping ancestors mainly by mutations in the AMN1 (Antagonist of Mitotic exit Network) gene. Ancestral yeast clumps were more resistant to freeze/thaw, hydrogen peroxide, and ethanol stressors than their unicellular counterparts, but they grew slower without stress. These findings suggest disadvantages and benefits to multicellularity and unicellularity that may have impacted the emergence of multicellular life forms.

Effect of Selenium on Lipid and Amino Acid Metabolism in Yeast Cells

This article discusses the effect of selenium in aqueous solutions on aspects of lipid and amino acid metabolism in the cell biomass of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MYA-2200 and Candida utilis ATCC 9950 yeasts. The yeast biomass was obtained by using waste products (potato wastewater and glycerol). Selenium, at a dose of 20 mg/L of aqueous solution, affected the differentiation of cellular morphology. Yeast enriched with selenium was characterized by a large functional diversity in terms of protein and amino acid content. The protein content in the biomass of S. cerevisiae enriched with selenium (42.6%) decreased slightly as compared to that in the control sample without additional selenium supplementation (48.4%). Moreover, yeasts of both strains enriched with selenium contained a large amount of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, and leucine. Analysis of fatty acid profiles in S. cerevisiae yeast supplemented with selenium showed an increase in the unsaturated fatty acid content (e.g., C18:1). The presence of margaric acid (C17:0) and hexadecanoic acid (C17:1) was found in the C. utilis biomass enriched with selenium, in contrast to that of S. cerevisiae. These results indicate that selenium may induce lipid peroxidation, which consequently affects the loss of integrity of the cytoplasmic membrane. Yeast enriched with selenium with optimal amino acid and lipid composition can be used to prepare a novel formula of dietary supplements, which can be applied directly to various diets for both humans and animals.

Knockout of an endogenous mannosyltransferase increases the homogeneity of glycoproteins produced in Pichia pastoris

The yeast Pichia pastoris is a common host for the recombinant production of biopharmaceuticals, capable of performing posttranslational modifications like glycosylation of secreted proteins. However, the activity of the OCH1 encoded α-1,6-mannosyltransferase triggers hypermannosylation of secreted proteins at great heterogeneity, considerably hampering downstream processing and reproducibility. Horseradish peroxidases are versatile enzymes with applications in diagnostics, bioremediation and cancer treatment. Despite the importance of these enzymes, they are still isolated from plant at low yields with different biochemical properties. Here we show the production of homogeneous glycoprotein species of recombinant horseradish peroxidase by using a P. pastoris platform strain in which OCH1 was deleted. This och1 knockout strain showed a growth impaired phenotype and considerable rearrangements of cell wall components, but nevertheless secreted more homogeneously glycosylated protein carrying mainly Man8 instead of Man10 N-glycans as a dominant core glycan structure at a volumetric productivity of 70% of the wildtype strain.