Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from baker's yeast. 1. Purification and some kinetic and regulatory properties

Peroxisomal Membrane Contact Sites in Yeasts

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous, single membrane-bound organelles that play a crucial role in lipid metabolism and human health. While peroxisome number is maintained by the division of existing peroxisomes, nascent peroxisomes can be generated from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane in yeasts. During formation and proliferation, peroxisomes maintain membrane contacts with the ER. In addition to the ER, contacts between peroxisomes and other organelles such as lipid droplets, mitochondria, vacuole, and plasma membrane have been reported. These membrane contact sites (MCS) are dynamic and important for cellular function. This review focuses on the recent developments in peroxisome biogenesis and the functional importance of peroxisomal MCS in yeasts.

An Asymptotic Analysis of the Malonyl-CoA Route to 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid in Genetically Engineered Microbes

There has been recent interest in creating an efficient microbial production route for 3-hydroxypropionic acid, an important platform chemical. We develop and solve a mathematical model for the time-dependent metabolite concentrations in the malonyl-CoA pathway for 3-hydroxypropionic acid production in microbes, using a combination of numerical and asymptotic methods. This allows us to identify the most important targets for enzyme regulation therein under conditions of plentiful and sparse pyruvate, and to quantify their relative importance. In our model, we account for sinks of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA to, for example, the citric acid cycle and fatty acid biosynthesis, respectively. Notably, in the plentiful pyruvate case we determine that there is a bifurcation in the asymptotic structure of the system, the crossing of which corresponds to a significant increase in 3-hydroxypropionic acid production. Moreover, we deduce that the most significant increases to 3-hydroxypropionic acid production can be obtained by up-regulating two specific enzymes in tandem, as the inherent nonlinearity of the system means that a solo up-regulation of either does not result in large increases in production. The types of issue arising here are prevalent in synthetic biology applications, and it is hoped that the system considered provides an instructive exemplar for broader applications.

A CRISPR/Cas9-based exploration into the elusive mechanism for lactate export in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing allows rapid, simultaneous modification of multiple genetic loci in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, this technique was used in a functional analysis study aimed at identifying the hitherto unknown mechanism of lactate export in this yeast. First, an S. cerevisiae strain was constructed with deletions in 25 genes encoding transport proteins, including the complete aqua(glycero)porin family and all known carboxylic acid transporters. The 25-deletion strain was then transformed with an expression cassette for Lactobacillus casei lactate dehydrogenase (LcLDH). In anaerobic, glucose-grown batch cultures this strain exhibited a lower specific growth rate (0.15 vs. 0.25 h-1) and biomass-specific lactate production rate (0.7 vs. 2.4 mmol g biomass-1 h-1) than an LcLDH-expressing reference strain. However, a comparison of the two strains in anaerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures (dilution rate 0.10 h-1) showed identical lactate production rates. These results indicate that, although deletion of the 25 transporter genes affected the maximum specific growth rate, it did not impact lactate export rates when analysed at a fixed specific growth rate. The 25-deletion strain provides a first step towards a 'minimal transportome' yeast platform, which can be applied for functional analysis of specific (heterologous) transport proteins as well as for evaluation of metabolic engineering strategies.

Applying asymptotic methods to synthetic biology: Modelling the reaction kinetics of the mevalonate pathway

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We investigate a kinetic model for the mevalonate pathway which includes inhibition effects and a sink of acetyl-CoA.

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Of the enzymes in the pathway, upregulating HMG-CoA reductase has the most significant positive effect on improving pathway efficiency.

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Upregulating pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and HMG-CoA synthase can also help, but only in conjunction with the upregulation of HMG-CoA reductase.

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We confirm our theoretical predictions by introducing the mevalonate pathway into Cupriavidus necator.

The mevalonate pathway is normally found in eukaryotes, and allows for the production of isoprenoids, a useful class of organic compounds. This pathway has been successfully introduced to Escherichia coli, enabling a biosynthetic production route for many isoprenoids. In this paper, we develop and solve a mathematical model for the concentration of metabolites in the mevalonate pathway over time, accounting for the loss of acetyl-CoA to other metabolic pathways. Additionally, we successfully test our theoretical predictions experimentally by introducing part of the pathway into Cupriavidus necator. In our model, we exploit the natural separation of time scales as well as of metabolite concentrations to make significant asymptotic progress in understanding the system. We confirm that our asymptotic results agree well with numerical simulations, the former enabling us to predict the most important reactions to increase isopentenyl diphosphate production whilst minimizing the levels of HMG-CoA, which inhibits cell growth. Thus, our mathematical model allows us to recommend the upregulation of certain combinations of enzymes to improve production through the mevalonate pathway.

Erythritol production by Yarrowia lipolytica mutant strain M53 generated through atmospheric and room temperature plasma mutagenesis

Mutants of Yarrowia lipolytica with high erythritol production were generated through an atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutation system. Among these mutants, Y. lipolytica M53 exhibited the highest erythritol yield. In a batch culture, M53 produced 64.8 g/L erythritol from 100 g/L glycerol. The yields of byproducts (e.g. mannitol, arabitol, and α-ketoglutaric acid) were low, and the mechanisms underlying these changes were examined by measuring enzyme activities in the pentose phosphate pathway. Up to 145.2 g/L erythritol was produced by M53 from 200 g/L of glycerol, and erythritol accumulation was promoted by 3.7 mg/L of Cu²⁺, 10.15 mg/L of Mn²⁺, and 30.37 g/L of NaCl. Fed-batch cultivation of M53 in a 5-L fermentor produced 169.3 g/L erythritol with low levels of byproducts within 168 h. This finding confirmed the potential of M53 as an erythritol producer on a commercial scale.

Mitochondrial acetyl-CoA utilization pathway for terpenoid productions

Acetyl-CoA is a central molecule in the metabolism of the cell, which is also a precursor molecule to a variety of value-added products such as terpenoids and fatty acid derived molecules. Considering subcellular compartmentalization of metabolic pathways allows higher concentrations of enzymes, substrates and intermediates, and bypasses competing pathways, mitochondrion-compartmentalized acetyl-CoA utilization pathways might offer better pathway activities with improved product yields. As a proof-of-concept, we sought to explore a mitochondrial farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) biosynthetic pathway for the biosynthesis of amorpha-4,11-diene in budding yeast. In the present study, the eight-gene FPP biosynthetic pathway was successfully expressed inside yeast mitochondria to enable high-level amorpha-4,11-diene production. In addition, we also found the mitochondrial compartment serves as a partial barrier for the translocation of FPP from mitochondria into the cytosol, which would potentially allow minimized loss of FPP to cytosolic competing pathways. To our best knowledge, this is the first report to harness yeast mitochondria for terpenoid productions from the mitochondrial acetyl-CoA pool. We envision subcellular metabolic engineering might also be employed for an efficient production of other bio-products from the mitochondrial acetyl-CoA in other eukaryotic organisms.

A novel process-based model of microbial growth: self-inhibition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae aerobic fed-batch cultures

BACKGROUND

Microbial population dynamics in bioreactors depend on both nutrients availability and changes in the growth environment. Research is still ongoing on the optimization of bioreactor yields focusing on the increase of the maximum achievable cell density.

RESULTS

A new process-based model is proposed to describe the aerobic growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultured on glucose as carbon and energy source. The model considers the main metabolic routes of glucose assimilation (fermentation to ethanol and respiration) and the occurrence of inhibition due to the accumulation of both ethanol and other self-produced toxic compounds in the medium. Model simulations reproduced data from classic and new experiments of yeast growth in batch and fed-batch cultures. Model and experimental results showed that the growth decline observed in prolonged fed-batch cultures had to be ascribed to self-produced inhibitory compounds other than ethanol.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented results clarify the dynamics of microbial growth under different feeding conditions and highlight the relevance of the negative feedback by self-produced inhibitory compounds on the maximum cell densities achieved in a bioreactor.

Strep-tag II and Twin-Strep based cassettes for protein tagging by homologous recombination and characterization of endogenous macromolecular assemblies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Peptide sequences fused to a gene of interest facilitate the isolation of proteins or protein complexes from cell extracts. In the case of fluorescent protein tags, the tagged protein can be visually localized in living cells. To tag endogenous genes, PCR-based homologous recombination is a powerful approach used in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This approach uses short, homologous DNA sequences that flank the tagging cassette to direct recombination. Here, we constructed a set of plasmids, whose sequences were optimized for codon usage in yeast, for Strep-tag II and Twin-Strep tagging in S. cerevisiae. Some plasmids also contain sequences encoding for a fluorescent protein followed by the purification tag. We demonstrate using the yeast pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex that these plasmids can be used to purify large protein complexes efficiently. We furthermore demonstrate that purification from the endogenous pool using the Strep-tag system results in functionally active complexes. Finally, using the fluorescent tags, we show that a kinase and a phosphatase involved in regulating the activity of the PDH complex localize in the cells' mitochondria. In conclusion, our cassettes can be used as tools for biochemical, functional, and structural analyses of endogenous multi-protein assemblies in yeast.

Enhanced xylose fermentation and ethanol production by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain

We have recently demonstrated that heterologous expression of a bacterial xylose isomerase gene (xylA) of Burkholderia cenocepacia enabled a laboratorial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain to ferment xylose anaerobically, without xylitol accumulation. However, the recombinant yeast fermented xylose slowly. In this study, an evolutionary engineering strategy was applied to improve xylose fermentation by the xylA-expressing yeast strain, which involved sequential batch cultivation on xylose. The resulting yeast strain co-fermented glucose and xylose rapidly and almost simultaneously, exhibiting improved ethanol production and productivity. It was also observed that when cells were grown in a medium containing higher glucose concentrations before being transferred to fermentation medium, higher rates of xylose consumption and ethanol production were obtained, demonstrating that xylose utilization was not regulated by catabolic repression. Results obtained by qPCR demonstrate that the efficiency in xylose fermentation showed by the evolved strain is associated, to the increase in the expression of genes HXT2 and TAL1, which code for a low-affinity hexose transporter and transaldolase, respectively. The ethanol productivity obtained after the introduction of only one genetic modification and the submission to a one-stage process of evolutionary engineering was equivalent to those of strains submitted to extensive metabolic and evolutionary engineering, providing solid basis for future applications of this strategy in industrial strains.

¹³C-based metabolic flux analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a reduced Crabtree effect

Saccharomyces cerevisiae shows a Crabtree effect that produces ethanol in a high glucose concentration even under fully aerobic condition. For efficient production of cake yeast or compressed yeast for baking, ethanol by-production is not desired since glucose limited chemostat or fed-batch cultivations are performed to suppress the Crabtree effect. In this study, the (13)C-based metabolic flux analysis ((13)C-MFA) was performed for the S288C derived S. cerevisiae strain to characterize a metabolic state under the reduced Crabtree effect. S. cerevisiae cells were cultured at a low dilution rate (0.1 h(-1)) under the glucose-limited chemostat condition. The estimated metabolic flux distribution showed that the acetyl-CoA in mitochondria was mainly produced from pyruvate by pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) reaction and that the level of the metabolic flux through the pentose phosphate pathway was much higher than that of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway, which contributes to high biomass yield at low dilution rate by supplying NADPH required for cell growth.

Peroxisomes are juxtaposed to strategic sites on mitochondria

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous and dynamic organelles that house many important pathways of cellular metabolism. In recent years it has been demonstrated that mitochondria are tightly connected with peroxisomes and are defective in several peroxisomal diseases. Indeed, these two organelles share metabolic routes as well as resident proteins and, at least in mammals, are connected via a vesicular transport pathway. However the exact extent of cross-talk between peroxisomes and mitochondria remains unclear. Here we used a combination of high throughput genetic manipulations of yeast libraries alongside high content screens to systematically unravel proteins that affect the transport of peroxisomal proteins and peroxisome biogenesis. Follow up work on the effector proteins that were identified revealed that peroxisomes are not randomly distributed in cells but are rather localized to specific mitochondrial subdomains such as mitochondria-ER junctions and sites of acetyl-CoA synthesis. Our approach highlights the intricate geography of the cell and suggests an additional layer of organization as a possible way to enable efficient metabolism. Our findings pave the way for further studying the machinery aligning mitochondria and peroxisomes, the role of the juxtaposition, as well as its regulation during various metabolic conditions. More broadly, the approaches used here can be easily applied to study any organelle of choice, facilitating the discovery of new aspects in cell biology.

In vivo analysis of metabolic dynamics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: II. Mathematical model

A mathematical model of glycolysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is presented. The model is based on rate equations for the individual reactions and aims to predict changes in the levels of intra- and extracellular metabolites after a glucose pulse, as described in part I of this study. Kinetic analysis focuses on a time scale of seconds, thereby neglecting biosynthesis of new enzymes. The model structure and experimental observations are related to the aerobic growth of the yeast. The model is based on material balance equations of the key metabolites in the extracellular environment, the cytoplasm and the mitochondria, and includes mechanistically based, experimentally matched rate equations for the individual enzymes. The model includes removal of metabolites from glycolysis and TCC for biosynthesis, and also compartmentation and translocation of adenine nucleotides. The model was verified by in vivo diagnosis of intracellular enzymes, which includes the decomposition of the network of reactions to reduce the number of parameters to be estimated simultaneously. Additionally, sensitivity analysis guarantees that only those parameters are estimated that contribute to systems trajectory with reasonable sensitivity. The model predictions and experimental observations agree reasonably well for most of the metabolites, except for pyruvate and adenine nucleotides. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 592-608, 1997.

Modeling the optimal central carbon metabolic pathways under feedback inhibition using flux balance analysis

Metabolism is a complex process for energy production for cellular activity. It consists of a cascade of reactions that form a highly branched network in which the product of one reaction is the reactant of the next reaction. Metabolic pathways efficiently produce maximal amount of biomass while maintaining a steady-state behavior. The steady-state activity of such biochemical pathways necessarily incorporates feedback inhibition of the enzymes. This observation motivates us to incorporate feedback inhibition for modeling the optimal activity of metabolic pathways using flux balance analysis (FBA). We demonstrate the effectiveness of the methodology on a synthetic pathway with and without feedback inhibition. Similarly, for the first time, the Central Carbon Metabolic (CCM) pathways of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Homo sapiens have been modeled and compared based on the above understanding. The optimal pathway, which maximizes the amount of the target product(s), is selected from all those obtained by the proposed method. For this, we have observed the concentration of the product inhibited enzymes of CCM pathway and its influence on its corresponding metabolite/substrate. We have also studied the concentration of the enzymes which are responsible for the synthesis of target products. We further hypothesize that an optimal pathway would opt for higher flux rate reactions. In light of these observations, we can say that an optimal pathway should have lower enzyme concentration and higher flux rates. Finally, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method by comparing it with the extreme pathway analysis.

Deletion or overexpression of mitochondrial NAD+ carriers in Saccharomyces cerevisiae alters cellular NAD and ATP contents and affects mitochondrial metabolism and the rate of glycolysis

The modification of enzyme cofactor concentrations can be used as a method for both studying and engineering metabolism. We varied Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial NAD levels by altering expression of its specific mitochondrial carriers. Changes in mitochondrial NAD levels affected the overall cellular concentration of this coenzyme and the cellular metabolism. In batch culture, a strain with a severe NAD depletion in mitochondria succeeded in growing, albeit at a low rate, on fully respiratory media. Although the strain increased the efficiency of its oxidative phosphorylation, the ATP concentration was low. Under the same growth conditions, a strain with a mitochondrial NAD concentration higher than that of the wild type similarly displayed a low cellular ATP level, but its growth rate was not affected. In chemostat cultures, when cellular metabolism was fully respiratory, both mutants showed low biomass yields, indicative of impaired energetic efficiency. The two mutants increased their glycolytic fluxes, and as a consequence, the Crabtree effect was triggered at lower dilution rates. Strikingly, the mutants switched from a fully respiratory metabolism to a respirofermentative one at the same specific glucose flux as that of the wild type. This result seems to indicate that the specific glucose uptake rate and/or glycolytic flux should be considered one of the most important independent variables for establishing the long-term Crabtree effect. In cells growing under oxidative conditions, bioenergetic efficiency was affected by both low and high mitochondrial NAD availability, which suggests the existence of a critical mitochondrial NAD concentration in order to achieve optimal mitochondrial functionality.

Growth-limiting intracellular metabolites in yeast growing under diverse nutrient limitations

Microbes tailor their growth rate to nutrient availability. Here, we measured, using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, >100 intracellular metabolites in steady-state cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae growing at five different rates and in each of five different limiting nutrients. In contrast to gene transcripts, where approximately 25% correlated with growth rate irrespective of the nature of the limiting nutrient, metabolite concentrations were highly sensitive to the limiting nutrient's identity. Nitrogen (ammonium) and carbon (glucose) limitation were characterized by low intracellular amino acid and high nucleotide levels, whereas phosphorus (phosphate) limitation resulted in the converse. Low adenylate energy charge was found selectively in phosphorus limitation, suggesting the energy charge may actually measure phosphorus availability. Particularly strong concentration responses occurred in metabolites closely linked to the limiting nutrient, e.g., glutamine in nitrogen limitation, ATP in phosphorus limitation, and pyruvate in carbon limitation. A simple but physically realistic model involving the availability of these metabolites was adequate to account for cellular growth rate. The complete data can be accessed at the interactive website http://growthrate.princeton.edu/metabolome.

Tumor cell energy metabolism and its common features with yeast metabolism

During the last decades a considerable amount of research has been focused on cancer. A number of genetic and signaling defects have been identified. This has allowed the design and screening of a number of anti-tumor drugs for therapeutic use. One of the main challenges of anti-cancer therapy is to specifically target these drugs to malignant cells. Recently, tumor cell metabolism has been considered as a possible target for cancer therapy. It is widely accepted that tumors display an enhanced glycolytic activity and oxidative phosphorylation down-regulation (Warburg effect). Therefore, it seems reasonable that disruption of glycolysis might be a promising candidate for specific anti-cancer therapy. Nonetheless, the concept of aerobic glycolysis as the paradigm of tumor cell metabolism has been challenged, as some tumor cells use oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondria are of special interest in cancer cell energy metabolism, as their physiology is linked to the Warburg effect. Besides, their central role in apoptosis makes these organelles a promising "dual hit target" for selectively eliminate tumor cells. Thus, it is desirable to have an easy-to-use and reliable model in order to do the screening for energy metabolism-inhibiting drugs to be used in cancer therapy. From a metabolic point of view, the fermenting yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and tumor cells share several features. In this paper we will review these common metabolic properties and we will discuss the possibility of using S. cerevisiae as an early screening test in the research for novel anti-tumor compounds used for the inhibition of tumor cell metabolism.

Lipoic acid synthesis and attachment in yeast mitochondria

Lipoic acid is a sulfur-containing cofactor required for the function of several multienzyme complexes involved in the oxidative decarboxylation of alpha-keto acids and glycine. Mechanistic details of lipoic acid metabolism are unclear in eukaryotes, despite two well defined pathways for synthesis and covalent attachment of lipoic acid in prokaryotes. We report here the involvement of four genes in the synthesis and attachment of lipoic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. LIP2 and LIP5 are required for lipoylation of all three mitochondrial target proteins: Lat1 and Kgd2, the respective E2 subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, and Gcv3, the H protein of the glycine cleavage enzyme. LIP3, which encodes a lipoate-protein ligase homolog, is necessary for lipoylation of Lat1 and Kgd2, and the enzymatic activity of Lip3 is essential for this function. Finally, GCV3, encoding the H protein target of lipoylation, is itself absolutely required for lipoylation of Lat1 and Kgd2. We show that lipoylated Gcv3, and not glycine cleavage activity per se, is responsible for this function. Demonstration that a target of lipoylation is required for lipoylation is a novel result. Through analysis of the role of these genes in protein lipoylation, we conclude that only one pathway for de novo synthesis and attachment of lipoic acid exists in yeast. We propose a model for protein lipoylation in which Lip2, Lip3, Lip5, and Gcv3 function in a complex, which may be regulated by the availability of acetyl-CoA, and which in turn may regulate mitochondrial gene expression.

The malate-aspartate NADH shuttle components are novel metabolic longevity regulators required for calorie restriction-mediated life span extension in yeast

Recent studies suggest that increased mitochondrial metabolism and the concomitant decrease in NADH levels mediate calorie restriction (CR)-induced life span extension. The mitochondrial inner membrane is impermeable to NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, oxidized form) and NADH, and it is unclear how CR relays increased mitochondrial metabolism to multiple cellular pathways that reside in spatially distinct compartments. Here we show that the mitochondrial components of the malate-aspartate NADH shuttle (Mdh1 [malate dehydrogenase] and Aat1 [aspartate amino transferase]) and the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle (Gut2, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) are novel longevity factors in the CR pathway in yeast. Overexpressing Mdh1, Aat1, and Gut2 extend life span and do not synergize with CR. Mdh1 and Aat1 overexpressions require both respiration and the Sir2 family to extend life span. The mdh1Deltaaat1Delta double mutation blocks CR-mediated life span extension and also prevents the characteristic decrease in the NADH levels in the cytosolic/nuclear pool, suggesting that the malate-aspartate shuttle plays a major role in the activation of the downstream targets of CR such as Sir2. Overexpression of the NADH shuttles may also extend life span by increasing the metabolic fitness of the cells. Together, these data suggest that CR may extend life span and ameliorate age-associated metabolic diseases by activating components of the NADH shuttles.

Increased glycolytic flux as an outcome of whole-genome duplication in yeast

After whole-genome duplication (WGD), deletions return most loci to single copy. However, duplicate loci may survive through selection for increased dosage. Here, we show how the WGD increased copy number of some glycolytic genes could have conferred an almost immediate selective advantage to an ancestor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, providing a rationale for the success of the WGD. We propose that the loss of other redundant genes throughout the genome resulted in incremental dosage increases for the surviving duplicated glycolytic genes. This increase gave post-WGD yeasts a growth advantage through rapid glucose fermentation; one of this lineage's many adaptations to glucose-rich environments. Our hypothesis is supported by data from enzyme kinetics and comparative genomics. Because changes in gene dosage follow directly from post-WGD deletions, dosage selection can confer an almost instantaneous benefit after WGD, unlike neofunctionalization or subfunctionalization, which require specific mutations. We also show theoretically that increased fermentative capacity is of greatest advantage when glucose resources are both large and dense, an observation potentially related to the appearance of angiosperms around the time of WGD.

The dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase is a novel metabolic longevity factor and is required for calorie restriction-mediated life span extension

Calorie restriction (CR) extends life span in a wide variety of species. Recent studies suggest that an increase in mitochondrial metabolism mediates CR-induced life span extension. Here we present evidence that Lat1 (dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase), the E2 component of the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, is a novel metabolic longevity factor in the CR pathway. Deleting the LAT1 gene abolishes life span extension induced by CR. Overexpressing Lat1 extends life span, and this life span extension is not further increased by CR. Similar to CR, life span extension by Lat1 overexpression largely requires mitochondrial respiration, indicating that mitochondrial metabolism plays an important role in CR. Interestingly, Lat1 overexpression does not require the Sir2 family to extend life span, suggesting that Lat1 mediates a branch of the CR pathway that functions in parallel to the Sir2 family. Lat1 is also a limiting longevity factor in nondividing cells in that overexpressing Lat1 extends cell survival during prolonged culture at stationary phase. Our studies suggest that Lat1 overexpression extends life span by increasing metabolic fitness of the cell. CR may therefore also extend life span and ameliorate age-associated diseases by increasing metabolic fitness through regulating central metabolic enzymes.

YIL042candYOR090cencode the kinase and phosphatase of theSaccharomyces cerevisiaepyruvate dehydrogenase complex

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex is regulated by reversible phosphorylation of its Pda1p subunit. We here provide evidence that Pda1p is phosphorylated by the mitochondrial kinase Yil042cp. Deletion of YOR090c, encoding a putative mitochondrial phosphatase, results in a decreased PDH activity, indicating that Yor090cp acts as the corresponding PDH phosphatase. We demonstrate by means of blue native gel electrophoresis and tandem affinity purification that both enzymes are associated with the PDH complex.

3D electron microscopy reveals the variable deposition and protein dynamics of the peripheral pyruvate dehydrogenase component about the core

Cryo-electron microscopy was exploited to reveal and study the influence of pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) occupancy on the conformational states of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). Structures representative of PDC preparations with approximately 40% and full E1 occupancy were determined after the electron microscopy images from each preparation were classified according to their sizes. The reconstructions derived from two size groups showed that the deposition of the E1 molecules associated with the larger complex is, unexpectedly, not icosahedrally arranged, whereas in the smaller complex the E1 molecules have an arrangement and architecture similar to their more ordered deposition in the WT bovine kidney PDC. This study also shows that the linker of dihydrolipamide acetyltransferase (E2) that tethers E1 to the E2 core increases in length from approximately 50 to 75 A, accounting largely for the size difference of the smaller and larger structures, respectively. Extensive E1 occupancy of its 60 E2 binding sites favors the extended conformation of the linker associated with the larger complex and appears to be related to the loss of icosahedral symmetry of the E1 molecules. However, the presence of a significant fraction of larger molecules also in the WT PDC preparation with low E1 occupancy indicates that the conformational variability of the linker contributes to the overall protein dynamics of the PDC and the variable deposition of E1. The flexibility of the complex may enhance the catalytic proficiency of this macromolecular machine by promoting the channeling of the intermediates of catalysis between the active sites.

Inhibition effects of furfural on alcohol dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase

The kinetics of furfural inhibition of the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH; EC 1.1.1.1), aldehyde dehydrogenase (AlDH; EC 1.2.1.5) and the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex were studied in vitro. At a concentration of less than 2 mM furfural was found to decrease the activity of both PDH and AlDH by more than 90%, whereas the ADH activity decreased by less than 20% at the same concentration. Furfural inhibition of ADH and AlDH activities could be described well by a competitive inhibition model, whereas the inhibition of PDH was best described as non-competitive. The estimated K(m) value of AlDH for furfural was found to be about 5 microM, which was lower than that for acetaldehyde (10 microM). For ADH, however, the estimated K(m) value for furfural (1.2 mM) was higher than that for acetaldehyde (0.4 mM). The inhibition of the three enzymes by 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was also measured. The inhibition caused by HMF of ADH was very similar to that caused by furfural. However, HMF did not inhibit either AlDH or PDH as severely as furfural. The inhibition effects on the three enzymes could well explain previously reported in vivo effects caused by furfural and HMF on the overall metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, suggesting a critical role of these enzymes in the observed inhibition.

Participation of acetaldehyde dehydrogenases in ethanol and pyruvate metabolism of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

This work was undertaken to clarify the role of acetaldehyde dehydrogenases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism during growth on respiratory substrates. Until now, there has been little agreement concerning the ability of mutants deleted in gene ALD4, encoding mitochondrial acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, to grow on ethanol. Therefore we constructed mutants in two parental strains (YPH499 and W303-1a). Some differences appeared in the growth characteristics of mutants obtained from these two parental strains. For these experiments we used ethanol, pyruvate or lactate as substrates. Mitochondria can oxidize lactate into pyruvate using an ATP synthesis-coupled pathway. The ald4Delta mutant derived from the YPH499 strain failed to grow on ethanol, but growth was possible for the ald4Delta mutant derived from the W303-1a strain. The co-disruption of ALD4 and PDA1 (encoding subunit E1alpha of pyruvate dehydrogenase) prevented the growth on pyruvate for both strains but prevented growth on lactate only in the double mutant derived from the YPH499 strain, indicating that the mutation effects are strain-dependent. To understand these differences, we measured the enzyme content of these different strains. We found the following: (a) the activity of cytosolic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in YPH499 was relatively low compared to the W303-1a strain; (b) it was possible to restore the growth of the mutant derived from YPH499 either by addition of acetate in the media or by introduction into this mutant of a multicopy plasmid carrying the ALD6 gene encoding cytosolic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Therefore, the lack of growth of the mutant derived from the YPH499 strain seemed to be related to the low activity of acetaldehyde oxidation. Therefore, when cultured on ethanol, the cytosolic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase can partially compensate for the lack of mitochondrial acetaldehyde dehydrogenase only when the activity of the cytosolic enzyme is sufficient. However, when cultured on pyruvate and in the absence of pyruvate dehydrogenase, the cytosolic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase cannot compensate for the lack of the mitochondrial enzyme because the mitochondrial form produces intramitochondrial NADH and consequently ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.

A biochemically structured model for Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A biochemically structured model for the aerobic growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on glucose and ethanol is presented. The model focuses on the pyruvate and acetaldehyde branch points where overflow metabolism occurs when the growth changes from oxidative to oxido-reductive. The model is designed to describe the onset of aerobic alcoholic fermentation during steady-state as well as under dynamical conditions, by triggering an increase in the glycolytic flux using a key signalling component which is assumed to be closely related to acetaldehyde. An investigation of the modelled process dynamics in a continuous cultivation revealed multiple steady states in a region of dilution rates around the transition between oxidative and oxido-reductive growth. A bifurcation analysis using the two external variables, the dilution rate, D, and the inlet concentration of glucose, S(f), as parameters, showed that a fold bifurcation occurs close to the critical dilution rate resulting in multiple steady-states. The region of dilution rates within which multiple steady states may occur depends strongly on the substrate feed concentration. Consequently a single steady state may prevail at low feed concentrations, whereas multiple steady states may occur over a relatively wide range of dilution rates at higher feed concentrations.

Estimation of kinetic parameters in a structured yeast model using regularisation

In this work, a procedure for estimating kinetic parameters in biochemically structured models was developed. The approach is applicable when the structure of a kinetic model has been set up and the kinetic parameters should be estimated. The procedure consists of five steps. First, initial values were found in or calculated from literature. Hereafter using sensitivity analysis the most sensitive parameters were identified. In the third step physiological knowledge was combined with the parameter sensitivities to manually tune the most sensitive parameters. In step four, a global optimisation routine was applied for simultaneous estimation of the most sensitive parameters identified during the sensitivity analysis. Regularisation was included in the simultaneous estimation to reduce the effect of insensitive parameters. Finally, confidence intervals for the estimated parameters were calculated. This parameter estimation approach was demonstrated on a biochemically structured yeast model containing 11 reactions and 37 kinetic constants as a case study.

A mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase bypass in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Spheroplasts of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidize pyruvate at a high respiratory rate, whereas isolated mitochondria do not unless malate is added. We show that a cytosolic factor, pyruvate decarboxylase, is required for the non-malate-dependent oxidation of pyruvate by mitochondria. In pyruvate decarboxylase-negative mutants, the oxidation of pyruvate by permeabilized spheroplasts was abolished. In contrast, deletion of the gene (PDA1) encoding the E1alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase did not affect the spheroplast respiratory rate on pyruvate but abolished the malate-dependent respiration of isolated mitochondria. Mutants disrupted for the mitochondrial acetaldehyde dehydrogenase gene (ALD7) did not oxidize pyruvate unless malate was added. We therefore propose the existence of a mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase bypass different from the cytosolic one, where pyruvate is decarboxylated to acetaldehyde in the cytosol by pyruvate decarboxylase and then oxidized by mitochondrial acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. This pathway can compensate PDA1 gene deletion for lactate or respiratory glucose growth. However, the codisruption of PDA1 and ALD7 genes prevented the growth on lactate, indicating that each of these pathways contributes to the oxidative metabolism of pyruvate.

Inactivation of the Kluyveromyces lactis KlPDA1 gene leads to loss of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity, impairs growth on glucose and triggers aerobic alcoholic fermentation

The KlPDA1 gene, encoding the E1alpha subunit of the mitochondrial pyruvate-dehydrogenase (PDH) complex was isolated from a Kluyveromyces lactis genomic library by screening with a 1.1 kb internal fragment of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PDA1 gene. The predicted amino acid sequence encoded by KlPDA1 showed 87% similarity and 79% identity to its S. cerevisiae counterpart. Disruption of KIPDA1 resulted in complete absence of PDH activity in cell extracts. The maximum specific growth rate on glucose of null mutants was 3.5-fold lower than that of the wild-type, whereas growth on ethanol was unaffected. Wild-type K. lactis CBS 2359 exhibits a Crabtree-negative phenotype, i.e. no ethanol was produced in aerobic batch cultures grown on glucose. In contrast, substantial amounts of ethanol and acetaldehyde were produced in aerobic cultures of an isogenic Klpda1 null mutant. A wild-type specific growth rate was restored after introduction of an intact KlPDA1 gene but not, as previously found for S. cerevisiae pda1 mutants, by cultivation in the presence of leucine. The occurrence of aerobic fermentation and slow growth of the Klpda1 null mutant indicate that, although present, the enzymes of the PDH bypass (pyruvate decarboxylase, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and acetyl-CoA synthetase) could not efficiently replace the PDH complex during batch cultivation on glucose. Only at relatively low growth rates (D = 0.10 h(-1)) in aerobic, glucose-limited chemostat cultures, could the PDH bypass completely replace the PDH complex, thus allowing fully respiratory growth. This resulted in a lower biomass yield [g biomass (g glucose)-1] than in the wild-type due to a higher consumption of ATP in the PDH bypass compared to the formation of acetyl-CoA via the PDH complex.

Effects of pyruvate decarboxylase overproduction on flux distribution at the pyruvate branch point in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A multicopy plasmid carrying the PDC1 gene (encoding pyruvate decarboxylase; Pdc) was introduced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN. PK113-5D. The physiology of the resulting prototrophic strain was compared with that of the isogenic prototrophic strain CEN.PK113-7D and an empty-vector reference strain. In glucose-grown shake-flask cultures, the introduction of the PDC1 plasmid caused a threefold increase in the Pdc level. In aerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures growing at a dilution rate of 0.10 h-1, Pdc levels in the overproducing strain were 14-fold higher than those in the reference strains. Levels of glycolytic enzymes decreased by ca. 15%, probably due to dilution by the overproduced Pdc protein. In chemostat cultures, the extent of Pdc overproduction decreased with increasing dilution rate. The high degree of overproduction of Pdc at low dilution rates did not affect the biomass yield. The dilution rate at which aerobic fermentation set in decreased from 0.30 h-1 in the reference strains to 0.23 h-1 in the Pdc-overproducing strain. In the latter strain, the specific respiration rate reached a maximum above the dilution rate at which aerobic fermentation first occurred. This result indicates that a limited respiratory capacity was not responsible for the onset of aerobic fermentation in the Pdc-overproducing strain. Rather, the results indicate that Pdc overproduction affected flux distribution at the pyruvate branch point by influencing competition for pyruvate between Pdc and the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. In respiratory cultures (dilution rate, <0.23 h-1), Pdc overproduction did not affect the maximum glycolytic capacity, as determined in anaerobic glucose-pulse experiments.

Metabolic responses of pyruvate decarboxylase-negative Saccharomyces cerevisiae to glucose excess

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A can occur via two routes. In pyruvate decarboxylase-negative (Pdc-) mutants, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is the sole functional link between glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Such mutants therefore provide a useful experimental system with which to study regulation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. In this study, a possible in vivo inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was investigated. When respiring, carbon-limited chemostat cultures of wild-type S. cerevisiae were pulsed with excess glucose, an immediate onset of respiro-fermentative metabolism occurred, accompanied by a strong increase of the glycolytic flux. When the same experiment was performed with an isogenic Pdc- mutant, only a small increase of the glycolytic flux was observed and pyruvate was the only major metabolite excreted. This finding supports the hypothesis that reoxidation of cytosolic NADH via pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase is a prerequisite for high glycolytic fluxes in S. cerevisiae. In Pdc- cultures, the specific rate of oxygen consumption increased by ca. 40% after a glucose pulse. Calculations showed that pyruvate excretion by the mutant was not due to a decrease of the pyruvate flux into the TCA cycle. We therefore conclude that rapid inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (e.g., by phosphorylation of its E1 alpha subunit, a mechanism demonstrated in many higher organisms) is not a relevant mechanism in the response of respiring S. cerevisiae cells to excess glucose. Consistently, pyruvate dehydrogenase activities in cell extracts did not exhibit a strong decrease after a glucose pulse.

Pyruvate metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In yeasts, pyruvate is located at a major junction of assimilatory and dissimilatory reactions as well as at the branch-point between respiratory dissimilation of sugars and alcoholic fermentation. This review deals with the enzymology, physiological function and regulation of three key reactions occurring at the pyruvate branch-point in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: (i) the direct oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, catalysed by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, (ii) decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetaldehyde, catalysed by pyruvate decarboxylase, and (iii) the anaplerotic carboxylation of pyruvate to oxaloacetate, catalysed by pyruvate carboxylase. Special attention is devoted to physiological studies on S. cerevisiae strains in which structural genes encoding these key enzymes have been inactivated by gene disruption.

Peculiarities of the regulation of fermentation and respiration in the crabtree-negative, xylose-fermenting yeast Pichia stipitis

The respiration of Pichia stipitis was not repressed by either high concentrations of fermentable sugars or oxygen limitation. Fermentation was not induced by high sugar concentrations, but was inactivated by aerobic conditions. The activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase was constitutive. In contrast, pyruvate decarboxylase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and aldehyde dehydrogenase were induced by a reduction in the oxygen tension. It was demonstrated that in P. stipitis, the pyruvate decarboxylase is not induced by a signal from glycolysis. Contrary to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the pyruvate decarboxylase was not inhibited by phosphate.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from the primitive insect trypanosomatid, Crithidia fasciculata: dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase-binding protein has multiple lipoyl domains

The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) has been purified to apparent homogeneity from the insect trypanosomatid, Crithidia fasciculata, a member of the most primitive eukaryotic group to contain mitochondria. Separation of the purified PDC by SDS-PAGE yielded five bands of 70 (p70), 60 (p60), 55, 46 and 36.5 kDa, which appeared to correspond to dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase binding protein (E3BP), dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (E2), E3, E1 alpha and E1 beta, respectively. The purified complex did not exhibit endogenous PDHa kinase activity. p70 was much less abundant than p60. Polyclonal antisera raised against p70 did not cross-react with p60, and antisera raised against p60 did not cross-react with p70, suggesting that p60 did not arise from p70 by proteolysis. Both p70 and p60 contained similar amino terminal sequences. Both sequences contained the MPALSP motif similar to sequences present in both E3BP and E2 from other sources. Incubation of the purified PDC with [2-14C]pyruvate in the absence of CoA resulted in the acetylation of both p70 and p60, suggesting that both proteins contained lipoyl domains, but the specific incorporation of label into p70 was significantly greater than for p60. Limited proteolysis of the acetylated complex with trypsin yielded two major fragments derived from p60 of 35 and 30 kDa, corresponding to E2L and E2I, and one major acetylated fragment of 58 kDa derived from p70. Therefore, these results suggest that p70 is an E3BP and given its apparent M(r) and degree of acetylation, it contains multiple lipoyl domains.

The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by phosphorylation

Mitochondria were isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on different carbon sources prior to incubation with [gamma-32P]ATP. A major 46,000-M(r) phosphoprotein, corresponding in M(r) value to the E1 alpha subunit of the yeast pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), was detected only in mitochondria isolated from cells grown on a fermentable carbon source such as galactose. Immunoprecipitation with subunit-specific antiserum to the E1 component of mammalian or yeast PDC confirmed the identity of this polypeptide. PDC activity in isolated yeast mitochondria could be inactivated in an ATP-dependent fashion and reactivated in the presence of Ca2+ ions.

Promoter analysis of the PDA1 gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The location and sequence of the PDA1 gene, encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were determined. The PDA1 gene was located on a 6.2 kb fragment of chromosome V, approximately 18 kb centromere distal to RAD3. Consistent with this, the PDA1 gene was genetically mapped at 4 cM from RAD3. A part of the 6.2 kb fragment of chromosome V was sequenced. The nucleotide sequence contained the PDA1 open reading frame and the entire putative promoter. Computer analysis revealed a putative GCN4 binding motif in the PDA1 promoter. The presence of transcriptional elements was experimentally determined by deletion analysis. To this end, ExoIII deletions were constructed in the 5' to 3' direction of the PDA1 promoter and effects on transcription were determined by Northern analysis. Transcription was unaffected upon deletion to position -190 relative to the ATG start codon. Deletions from position -148 and beyond, however, reduced promoter activity at least 40-fold. Apparently the 42 bp between nucleotides -190 and -148 contain an element essential for transcription. Inactivation of the PDA1 promoter could not be attributed to deletions of a recognizable TATA element or any known yeast regulatory motifs. The possible role of the CCCTT sequence present in the 42 bp region and also in the promoters of the other genes encoding subunits of the PDH complex is discussed.

Regulation of the PDA1 gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Expression of the PDA1 gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH complex) and activity of the complex were investigated in cells grown under several conditions. Comparable amounts of PDA1 mRNA and E1 alpha subunit were detected in cells from batch and chemostat cultures grown on various carbon sources, showing constitutive expression of PDA1 at the transcriptional and translational levels. Induction of the regulatory GCN4 mechanism upon histidine starvation, using the anti-metabolite 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, increased the levels of PDA1 mRNA by approximately 40%. However, a corresponding increase of E1 alpha concentration or activity of the PDH complex could not be detected. Hence, expression of the PDA1 gene is only regulated to a small extent, if at all, by the GCN4 mechanism. Contrary to the constant levels of PDA1 mRNA and E1 alpha subunit in both batch and chemostat cultures, the specific activity of the PDH complex varied with the culture conditions. The activity of the PDH complex in chemostat cultures was approximately two-threefold higher than in batch cultures grown on the same carbon sources. Overproduction of the E1 alpha subunit in batch cultures resulted in a two-threefold increase in the activity of the PDH complex. Taken together, these results indicate that the activity of the PDH complex is mainly regulated by post-translational modification of the E1 alpha subunit. Expression of PDA1 and activity of the PDH complex were also detected in cultures grown under conditions where no physiological significance of the PDH complex was expected, i.e. during anaerobic growth on glucose or aerobic growth on ethanol. Apparently, the switch from oxidative growth to fermentation occurs without much effect on the PDH complex. These observations suggest that the PDH complex has an alternative function besides sugar catabolism.

Characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants lacking the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Pyruvate dehydrogenase mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated by disruption of the PDA1 gene. To this end, the PDA1 gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was replaced by the dominant Tn5ble marker. Disruption of the PDA1 gene abolished production of the E1 alpha subunit and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. Two additional phenotypes were observed in the Pdh-mutants: (a) a reduced growth rate in glucose medium which was partially complemented by the amino acid leucine; (b) an increase in formation of petites which lack mitochondrial DNA [rho0], during growth on glucose. Both phenotypes were shown to be a result of inactivation of the PDA1 gene. Explanations for these phenotypes are discussed.

Protein phosphorylation by inorganic pyrophosphate in yeast mitochondria

Inorganic pyrophosphate can function as phosphate donor in protein phosphorylation reactions in yeast mitochondria. It was shown that, when PPi substitutes for ATP as inhibitor of the pyruvate dehydrogenase reaction, maximal activity is reached after a lag-period of 30-60 minutes. 32P-labeling of peptides shows that [32P]PPi gives about 25% of the labeling obtained by [gamma-32P]ATP in the protein kinase reaction. The PPi dependent phosphorylation is increased several fold by the presence of cold ATP.

Purification and characterization of acetoin:2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol oxidoreductase, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, and dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase of the Pelobacter carbinolicus acetoin dehydrogenase enzyme system

Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DHLDH), dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (DHLTA), and acetoin: 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol oxidoreductase (Ao:DCPIP OR) were purified from acetoin-grown cells of Pelobacter carbinolicus. DHLDH had a native Mr of 110,000, consisted of two identical subunits of Mr 54,000, and reacted only with NAD(H) as a coenzyme. The N-terminal amino acid sequence included the flavin adenine dinucleotide-binding site and exhibited a high degree of homology to other DHLDHs. DHLTA had a native Mr of greater than 500,000 and consisted of subunits identical in size (Mr 60,000). The enzyme was highly sensitive to proteolytic attack. During limited tryptic digestion, two major fragments of Mr 32,500 and 25,500 were formed. Ao:DCPIP OR consisted of two different subunits of Mr 37,500 and 38,500 and had a native Mr in the range of 143,000 to 177,000. In vitro in the presence of DCPIP, it catalyzed a thiamine pyrophosphate-dependent oxidative-hydrolytic cleavage of acetoin, methylacetoin, and diacetyl. The combination of purified Ao:DCPIP OR, DHLTA, and DHLDH in the presence of thiamine pyrophosphate and the substrate acetoin or methylacetoin resulted in a coenzyme A-dependent reduction of NAD. In the strictly anaerobic acetoin-utilizing bacteria P. carbinolicus, Pelobacter venetianus, Pelobacter acetylenicus, Pelobacter propionicus, Acetobacterium carbinolicum, and Clostridium magnum, the enzymes Ao:DCPIP OR, DHLTA, and DHLDH were induced during growth on acetoin, whereas they were absent or scarcely present in cells grown on a nonacetoinogenic substrate.

Molecular cloning of the gene for the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The E1 alpha and E1 beta subunits of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were purified. Antibodies raised against these subunits were used to clone the corresponding genes from a genomic yeast DNA library in the expression vector lambda gt11. The gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit was unique and localized on a 1.7-kb HindIII fragment from chromosome V. The identify of the gene was confirmed in two ways. (a) Expression of the gene in Escherichia coli produced a protein that reacted with the anti-E1 alpha serum. (b) Gene replacement at the 1.7-kb HindIII fragment abolished both pyruvate dehydrogenase activity and the production of proteins reacting with anti-E1 alpha serum in haploid cells. In addition, the 1.7-kb HindIII fragment hybridized to a set of oligonucleotides derived from amino acid sequences from the N-terminal and central regions of the human E1 alpha peptide. We propose to call the gene encoding the E1 alpha subunit of the yeast pyruvate dehydrogenase complex PDA1. Screening of the lambda gt11 library using the anti-E1 beta serum resulted in the reisolation of the RAP1 gene, which was located on chromosome XIV.

Autoregulation may control the expression of yeast pyruvate decarboxylase structural genes PDC1 and PDC5

Recently we deleted the pyruvate decarboxylase structural gene PDC1 from the genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The pdc1 deletion mutants had pyruvate decarboxylase activity due to the presence of a second structural gene [Schaaff, I., Green, J. B. A., Gozalbo, D. & Hohmann, S. (1989) Curr. Genet. 15, 75-81]. We cloned and sequenced this gene which we call PDC5. The predicted amino acid sequences of PDC1 and PDC5 are 88% identical. Deletion of PDC5 did not cause any decrease in the specific pyruvate decarboxylase activity while pdc1 deletion mutants had 80% of the wild-type activity. Deletion mutants lacking both PDC1 and PDC5 did not show any detectable pyruvate decarboxylase activity in vitro and were unable to ferment glucose. This indicates that PDC1 and PDC5 are the only structural genes for pyruvate decarboxylase in yeast. The PDC5 isoenzyme showed a slightly higher Km value for its substrate pyruvate than the PDC1 product (PDC5: Km = 8 mM; PDC1: Km = 5 mM), as measured in crude extract of pdc1 and pdc5 deletion mutants, respectively. PDC5 is only expressed in pdc1 deletion mutants. No mRNA transcribed from PDC5 could be detected in wild-type cells. Thus, in addition to the control by glucose induction, pyruvate decarboxylase activity seems to be subject to autoregulation. Similar phenomena have been described previously for tubulin, histones and a ribosomal protein but not for metabolic enzymes.

Cellular concentrations of enzymes and their substrates

The activity of crude and pure enzyme preparations as well as the molecular weight of these enzymes were obtained from the literature for several organisms. From these data enzyme concentrations were calculated and compared to the concentration(s) of their substrates in the same organism. The data are expressed as molar ratios of metabolite concentration to enzyme site concentration. Of the 140 ratios calculated, 88% were one or greater, indicating that in general substrates exceed their cognate enzyme concentrations. Of the 17 cases where enzyme exceeds metabolite concentration, 16 were in glycolysis. The data in general justify the use of enzyme kinetic mechanisms determined in vitro in the construction of dynamic models which simulate in vivo metabolism.