Reserve carbohydrate metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: responses to nutrient limitation.

The amounts of glycogen and trehalose have been measured in cells of a prototrophic diploid yeast strain subjected to a variety of nutrient limitations. Both glycogen and trehalose were accumulated in cells deprived specifically of nirogen, sulfur, or phosphorus, suggesting that reserve carbohydrate accumulation is a general response to nutrient limitation. The patterns of accumulation and utilization of glycogen and trehalose were not identical under these conditions, suggesting that the two carbohydrates may play distinct physiological roles. Glycogen and trehalose were also accumulated by cells undergoing carbon and energy limitation, both during diauxic growth in a relatively poor medium and during the approach to stationary phase in a rich medium. Growth in the rich medium was shown to be carbon or energy limited or both, although the interaction between carbon source limitation and oxygen limitation was complex. In both media, the pattern of glycogen accumulation and utilization was compatible with its serving as a source of energy both during respiratory adaptation and during a subsequent starvation. In contrast, the pattern of trehalose accumulation and utilization seemed compatible only with the latter role. In cultures that were depleting their supplies of exogenous glucose, the accumulation of glycogen began at glucose concentrations well above those sufficient to suppress glycogen accumulation in cultures growing with a constant concentration of exogenous glucose. The mechanism of this effect is not clear, but may involve a response to the rapid rate of change in the glucose concentration.     

The involvement of hexokinases in trehalose synthesis.

Yeast cells harboring a MAL2-8c gene accumulate trehalose during the transition phase of growth on glucose due to the presence of the ADPG-dependent trehalose 6-phosphate synthase. Under these conditions, glucokinase appeared not to provide G-6-P for trehalose synthesis and the two hexokinases seemed to act synergistically. After incubation in d-xylose, trehalose levels in these cells dropped almost in 90%, confirming the involvement of both hexokinases in the accumulation of this carbohydrate. Nevertheless, G-6-P levels appeared to be similar in all strains. Some explanations for this paradox are discussed. In stationary phase, neither of the three isoenzymes were involved in trehalose synthesis. Possibly, gluconeogenesis provides the substrate for trehalose synthesis at that stage.     

Evidence for the Interplay between Trehalose Metabolism and Hsp104 in Yeast

Disruption of the HSP104 gene in a mutant which cannot accumulate trehalose during heat shock treatment caused trehalose accumulation (H. Iwahashi, K. Obuchi, S. Fujii, and Y. Komatsu, Lett. Appl. Microbiol 25:43–47, 1997). This implies that Hsp104 affects trehalose metabolism. Thus, we measured the activities of enzymes involved in trehalose metabolism. The activities of trehalose-synthesizing and -hydrolyzing enzymes are low in the HSP104 disruption mutant during heat shock. This data is correlated with intracellular trehalose and glucose levels observed in the HSP104 disruption mutant. These results suggest that during heat shock, Hsp104 contributes to the simultaneous increase in both accumulation and degradation of trehalose.     

Regulation of energy metabolism in yeast

Summary The recessive, nuclear gene mutation glc1, which causes glycogen deficiency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is highly plciotropic. Studies of the inheritance of glc1 revealed two classes of phenotypic characteristics: I. Traits invariably associated with the mutant gene and II. Traits whose expressions require the presence of glc1 and one or more additional genes. Class I traits include glycogen deficiency and the loss of capacity to accumulate trehalose in nonproliferating conditions. Traits in the second class include a decreased rate of growth on ethanol medium, a deficiency in cytochrome a.a ₃ and an enhanced accumulation of pigment, probably a metalloporphyrin. Constructed strains containing both glc1 and the constitutive maltose fermentation gene MAL4 ⁰ can accumulate trehalose but not glycogen during growth on glucose. However, accumulated trehalose is degraded when cells are exposed to nonproliferating conditions. It is proposed that the glc1 mutation affects a regulatory system, probably involving a protein kinase and/or protein phosphatase, which regulates glycogen synthase and trehalase. Independent regulation of trehalose synthesis by a system controlled by MAL4 ⁰ is indicated.     

Two Distinct Pathways for Trehalose Assimilation in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can synthesize trehalose and also use this disaccharide as a carbon source for growth. However, the molecular mechanism by which extracellular trehalose can be transported to the vacuole and degraded by the acid trehalase Ath1p is not clear. By using an adaptation of the assay of invertase on whole cells with NaF, we showed that more than 90% of the activity of Ath1p is extracellular, splitting of the disaccharide into glucose. We also found that Agt1p-mediated trehalose transport and the hydrolysis of the disaccharide by the cytosolic neutral trehalase Nth1p are coupled and represent a second, independent pathway, although there are several constraints on this alternative route. First, the AGT1/MAL11 gene is controlled by the MAL system, and Agt1p was active in neither non-maltose-fermenting nor maltose-inducible strains. Second, Agt1p rapidly lost activity during growth on trehalose, by a mechanism similar to the sugar-induced inactivation of the maltose permease. Finally, both pathways are highly pH sensitive and effective growth on trehalose occurred only when the medium was buffered at around pH 5.0. The catabolism of trehalose was purely oxidative, and since levels of Ath1p limit the glucose flux in the cells, batch cultures on trehalose may provide a useful alternative to glucose-limited chemostat cultures for investigation of metabolic responses in yeast.     

Temporal accumulation of mannitol and arabitol in Geotrichum candidum

The temporal depletion and accumulation of polyols were investigated in the fungus Geotrichum candidum. The major intracellular polyols were tentatively identified by paper chromatography as mannitol and arabitol. Inositol was also present in small quantities, and trehalose was also detected in appreciable concentrations.Germination and vegetative growth depended on the type and concentration of the sole exogenous carbon source. Mannitol occurred in arthrospores at 9.4% of the dry weight after several days growth in 2% (w/v) glucose solid medium, and became depleted during germination and vegetative growth in liquid medium containing 2% (w/v) glucose, 2% (w/v) sodium acetate or 25% (w/v) glucose as sole carbon source. This hexitol latter accumulated during arthrosporulation. The depletion and accumulation of ethanol-soluble carbohydrate believed to be primarily trehalose was temporally similar to that of mannitol. Arabitol accumulated intracellularly during germination and vegetative growth in sodium acetate medium and 25% glucose medium. This pentitol was not detected intracellularly at any culture age during growth in 2% glucose medium.Prolonged incubation of the culture in 25% glucose medium after stationary phase was reached resulted in the gradual disappearance of arabitol from the arthrospores simultaneously with an increase in intracellular mannitol. In comparison, ethanol-soluble carbohydrate did not change with prolonged incubation in this medium.     

Regulation of the Thiobacillus intermedius glucose uptake system by thiosulfate.

Cells of the mixotrophic chemolithotroph (facultative autotroph) Thiobacillus intermedius which have been grown on a glucose-yeast extract medium, a condition in which glucose is used as a source of energy, accumulate the non-metabolizable analogue 2-deoxy-d-glucose against a concentration gradient in a predominantly unchanged state. On the other hand, cells grown mixotrophically on a thiosulfate-glucose medium, a condition in which glucose provides cell carbon but is not used extensively for energy, and in which enzymes of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway are repressed, do not accumulate 2-deoxy-d-glucose significantly. Similarly, cells grown chemolithotrophically on thiosulfate-carbonate do not take up this sugar. Transfer of thiosulfate-yeast extract-grown cells, which lack the capacity to accumulate 2-deoxy-d-glucose, to a glucose-yeast extract medium results in the induction of the concentrative sugar uptake system. The capacity of induced cells to take up 2-deoxy-d-glucose is inhibited by thiosulfate. Thus, the transport system for glucose appears to be regulated in this organism so that the sugar is accumulated only under conditions where it is utilized as a source of energy, and the presence of the preferred energy source leads to both repression and inhibition of the uptake system.     

Extracellular trehalose utilization by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Two haploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae viz. MATα and MATa were grown in glucose and trehalose medium and growth patterns were compared. Both strains show similar growth, except for an extended lag phase in trehalose grown cells. In both trehalose grown strains increase in activities of both extracellular trehalase activities and simultaneous decrease in extracellular trehalose level was seen. This coincided with a sharp increase in extracellular glucose level and beginning of log phase of growth. Alcohol production was also observed. Secreted trehalase activity was detected, in addition to periplasmic activity. It appeared that extracellular trehalose was hydrolyzed into glucose by extracellular trehalase activity. This glucose was utilized by the cells for growth. The alcohol formation was due to the fermentation of glucose. Addition of extracellular trehalase caused reduction in the lag phase when grown in trehalose medium, supporting our hypothesis of extracellular utilization of trehalose.     

Activation of the Protein Kinase C1 Pathway upon Continuous Heat Stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Is Triggered by an Intracellular Increase in Osmolarity due to Trehalose Accumulation

This paper reports on physiological and molecular responses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to heat stress conditions. We observed that within a very narrow range of culture temperatures, a shift from exponential growth to growth arrest and ultimately to cell death occurred. A detailed analysis was carried out of the accumulation of trehalose and the activation of the protein kinase C1 (PKC1) (cell integrity) pathway in both glucose- and ethanol-grown cells upon temperature upshifts within this narrow range of growth temperatures. It was observed that the PKC1 pathway was hardly activated in a tps1 mutant that is unable to accumulate any trehalose. Furthermore, it was observed that an increase of the extracellular osmolarity during a continuous heat stress prevented the activation of the pathway. The results of these analyses support our hypothesis that under heat stress conditions the activation of the PKC1 pathway is triggered by an increase in intracellular osmolarity, due to the accumulation of trehalose, rather than by the increase in temperature as such.     

Distribution of Genes for Synthesis of Trehalose and Mannosylglycerate in Thermus spp. and Direct Correlation of These Genes with Halotolerance

In this study we correlate the presence of genes leading to the synthesis of trehalose and mannosylglycerate (MG) in 17 strains of the genus Thermus with the ability of the strains to grow and accumulate these compatible solutes in a defined medium containing NaCl. The two sets of genes, namely, otsA/otsB for the synthesis of trehalose and mpgS/mpgP for the synthesis of MG, were necessary for the growth of Thermus thermophilus in a defined medium containing up to 6% NaCl. Strains lacking a complete otsA gene did not grow in defined medium containing >2% NaCl. One strain of T. thermophilus lacking the genes for the synthesis of MG did not grow in a medium with >1% NaCl. We did not identify any of these genes in the type strains of the other seven species of Thermus, and none of those strains grew in defined medium with 1% NaCl. The results strongly indicate that the combined accumulation of trehalose and MG is required for optimal osmotic adjustment.     

Factors affecting accumulation and degradation of curdlan, trehalose and glycogen in cultures of Cellulomonas flavigena strain KU (ATCC 53703)

Cellulomonas flavigena strain KU (ATCC 53703) is a cellulolytic, Gram-positive bacterium which produces large quantities of an insoluble exopolysaccharide (EPS) when grown in minimal media with a high carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio. Earlier studies proved the EPS is structurally identical to the linear β-1,3-glucan known as curdlan and provided evidence that the EPS functions as a carbon and energy reserve compound. We now report that C. flavigena KU also accumulates two intracellular, glucose-storage carbohydrates under conditions of carbon and energy excess. These carbohydrates were partially purified and identified as the disaccharide trehalose and a glycogen/amylopectin-type polysaccharide. A novel method is described for the sequential fractionation and quantitative determination of all three carbohydrates from culture samples. This fractionation protocol was used to examine the effects of C/N ratio and osmolarity on the accumulation of cellular carbohydrates in batch culture. Increasing the C/N of the growth medium caused a significant accumulation of curdlan and glycogen but had a relatively minor effect on accumulation of trehalose. In contrast, trehalose levels increased in response to increasing osmolarity, while curdlan levels declined and glycogen levels were generally unaffected. During starvation for an exogenous source of carbon and energy, only curdlan and glycogen showed substantial degradation within the first 24 h. These results support the conclusion that extracellular curdlan and intracellular glycogen can both serve as short-term reserve compounds for C. flavigena KU and that trehalose appears to accumulate as a compatible solute in response to osmotic stress.     

Evidence for Contribution of Neutral Trehalase in Barotolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In yeast, trehalose accumulation and its hydrolysis, which is catalyzed by neutral trehalase, are believed to be important for thermotolerance. We have shown that trehalose is one of the important factors for barotolerance (resistance to hydrostatic pressure); however, nothing is known about the role of neutral trehalase in barotolerance. To estimate the contribution of neutral trehalase in resisting high hydrostatic pressure, we measured the barotolerance of neutral trehalase I and/or neutral trehalase II deletion strains. Under 180 MPa of pressure for 2 h, the neutral trehalase I deletion strain showed higher barotolerance in logarithmic-phase cells and lower barotolerance in stationary-phase cells than the wild-type strain. Introduction of the neutral trehalase I gene (NTH1) into the deletion mutant restored barotolerance defects in stationary-phase cells. Furthermore, we assessed the contribution of neutral trehalase during pressure and recovery conditions by varying the expression of NTH1 or neutral trehalase activity with a galactose-inducible GAL1 promoter with either glucose or galactose. The low barotolerance observed with glucose repression of neutral trehalase from the GAL1 promoter was restored during recovery with galactose induction. Our results suggest that neutral trehalase contributes to barotolerance, especially during recovery.     

Identification of an integral membrane 80 kDa protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae induced in response to dehydration

Using SDS-PAGE gels we observed the induced synthesis of a protein with a molecular mass of 80 kDa when cells of strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were subjected to dehydration. Physiological analysis showed that this protein is not present during growth on glucose but was found in derepressed cells from stationary phase. Furthermore, its synthesis was induced when cells were grown on medium containing α-methyl-glucoside as carbon source. However, the 80 kDa protein was not found in cells of mutants unable to transport trehalose. This protein was localized in the cytoplasmic membrane and showed trehalose-binding activity, determined by its partial purification on a trehalose–Sepharose 6B affinity column. The possible involvement of the 80 kDa protein with the trehalose transport system is discussed.     

Formation of the yeast mitochondrial membrane. 3. Accumulation of mitochondrial proteins synthesized in both the cytoplasm and mitochondria in yeast undergoing glucose depression

The inhibitors of protein synthesis, chloramphenicol and cycloheximide, were added to cultures of yeast undergoing glucose derepression at different times during the growth cycle. Both inhibitors blocked the increase in activity of coenzyme QH₂-cytochrome c reductase, suggesting that the formation of complex III of the respiratory chain requires products of both mitochondrial and cytoplasmic protein synthesis.The possibility that precursor proteins synthesized by either cytoplasmic or mitochondrial ribosomes may accumulate was investigated by the sequential addition of cycloheximide and chloramphenicol (or the reverse order) to cultures of yeast undergoing glucose derepression. When yeast cells were grown for 3 hr in medium containing cycloheximide and then transferred to medium containing chloramphenicol, the activity of cytochrome oxidase increased at the same rate as the control during the first hour in chloramphenicol. These results suggest that some accumulation of precursor proteins synthesized in the mitochondria had occurred when cytoplasmic protein synthesis was blocked during the growth phase in cycloheximide. In contrast, essentially no products of mitochondrial protein synthesis accumulated as precursors for either oligomycin-sensitive ATPase or complex III of the respiratory chain during growth of the cells in cycloheximide.When yeast were grown for 3 hr in medium containing chloramphenicol followed by 1 hr in cycloheximide, the activities of cytochrome oxidase and succinate-cytochrome c reductase increased at the same rate as the control, while the activities of oligomycin-sensitive ATPase and NADH or coenzyme QH₂-cytochrome c reductase were nearly double that of the control. These data suggest that a significant accumulation of mitochondrial proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm had occurred when the yeast cells were grown in medium containing sufficient chloramphenicol to block mitochondrial protein synthesis. The possibility that proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm may act to control the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins for both oligomycin-sensitive ATPase and complex III of the respiratory chain is discussed.     

Preferential Osmolyte Accumulation: a Mechanism of Osmotic Stress Adaptation in Diazotrophic Bacteria

A common cellular mechanism of osmotic-stress adaptation is the intracellular accumulation of organic solutes (osmolytes). We investigated the mechanism of osmotic adaptation in the diazotrophic bacteria Azotobacter chroococcum, Azospirillum brasilense, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which are adversely affected by high osmotic strength (i.e., soil salinity and/or drought). We used natural-abundance ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify all the osmolytes accumulating in these strains during osmotic stress generated by 0.5 M NaCl. Evidence is presented for the accumulation of trehalose and glutamate in Azotobacter chroococcum ZSM4, proline and glutamate in Azospirillum brasilense SHS6, and trehalose and proline in K. pneumoniae. Glycine betaine was accumulated in all strains grown in culture media containing yeast extract as the sole nitrogen source. Alternative nitrogen sources (e.g., NH₄Cl or casamino acids) in the culture medium did not result in measurable glycine betaine accumulation. We suggest that the mechanism of osmotic adaptation in these organisms entails the accumulation of osmolytes in hyperosmotically stressed cells resulting from either enhanced uptake from the medium (of glycine betaine, proline, and glutamate) or increased net biosynthesis (of trehalose, proline, and glutamate) or both. The preferred osmolyte in Azotobacter chroococcum ZSM4 shifted from glutamate to trehalose as a consequence of a prolonged osmotic stress. Also, the dominant osmolyte in Azospirillum brasilense SHS6 shifted from glutamate to proline accumulation as the osmotic strength of the medium increased.     

Evidence for a Second Nitrate Reductase Activity That Is Distinct from the Respiratory Enzyme in Salmonella typhimurium

Significant nitrate reductase activity was detected in mutants of Salmonella typhimurium which mapped at or near chlC and which were incapable of growth with nitrate as electron acceptor. The same mutants were sensitive to chlorate and performed sufficient nitrate reduction to permit anaerobic growth with nitrate as the sole nitrogen source in media containing glucose. The mutant nitrate-reducing protein did not migrate with the wild-type nitrate reductase in polyacrylamide electrophoretic gels. Studies of the electrophoretic mobility in gels of different polyacrylamide concentration revealed that the wild-type and mutant nitrate reductases differed significantly in both size and charge. The second enzyme also differed from the wild-type major enzyme in its response to repression by low pH and its lack of response to repression by glucose. The same mutants were found to be derepressed for nitrite reductase and for a cytochrome with a maximal reduced absorbance at 555 nm at 25°C. This cytochrome was not detected in preparations of the wild type grown under the same conditions. Extracts of these mutants contained normal amounts of the b-type cytochromes which, in the wild type, were associated with nitrate reductase and formate dehydrogenase, respectively, although they could not mediate the oxidation of these cytochromes with nitrate. They were capable of oxidizing the derepressed 555-nm peak cytochrome with nitrate. It is suggested that these mutants synthesize a nitrate-reducing enzyme which is distinct from the chlC gene product and which is repressed in the wild type during anaerobic growth with nitrate.     

Physiological Role of β-Phosphoglucomutase in Lactococcus lactis

A β-phosphoglucomutase (β-PGM) mutant of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 19435 was constructed using a minimal integration vector and double-crossover recombination. The mutant and the wild-type strain were grown under controlled conditions with different sugars to elucidate the role of β-PGM in carbohydrate catabolism and anabolism. The mutation did not significantly affect growth, product formation, or cell composition when glucose or lactose was used as the carbon source. With maltose or trehalose as the carbon source the wild-type strain had a maximum specific growth rate of 0.5 h⁻¹, while the deletion of β-PGM resulted in a maximum specific growth rate of 0.05 h⁻¹ on maltose and no growth at all on trehalose. Growth of the mutant strain on maltose resulted in smaller amounts of lactate but more formate, acetate, and ethanol, and approximately 1/10 of the maltose was found as β-glucose 1-phosphate in the medium. Furthermore, the β-PGM mutant cells grown on maltose were considerably larger and accumulated polysaccharides which consisted of α-1,4-bound glucose units. When the cells were grown at a low dilution rate in a glucose and maltose mixture, the wild-type strain exhibited a higher carbohydrate content than when grown at higher growth rates, but still this content was lower than that in the β-PGM mutant. In addition, significant differences in the initial metabolism of maltose and trehalose were found, and cell extracts did not digest free trehalose but only trehalose 6-phosphate, which yielded β-glucose 1-phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate. This demonstrates the presence of a novel enzymatic pathway for trehalose different from that of maltose metabolism in L. lactis.     

Arabitol accumulation in Geotrichum candidum

Culture conditions which lead to the intracellular accumulation of arabitol and mannitol in Geotrichum candidum were investigated. The accumulation of arabitol was dependent on the concentrations of metabolizable hexoses, the non-metabolizable disaccharide sucrose, NaCl and KCl in the growth medium. In media containing 2% (w/v) glucose, fructose or l-sorbose cultures contained only mannitol after 48 h or 72 h growth. In media containing 10% (w/v) to 30% (w/v) glucose, or 25% (w/v) fructose or l-sorbose there was an increase in the total concentration of intracellular polyol due to the accumulation of arabitol. This pentitol was also found to accumulate intracellularly when the organism was grown in medium containing 34% (w/v) sucrose, 0.7 M NaCl or 0.7 M KCl in addition to 2% (w/v) glucose. Under the conditions tested no change in the accumulation of mannitol or ethanol-soluble carbohydrate, believed to be primarily composed of trehalose, was evident.Intracellular polyol was released during incubation of arthrospores obtained from media containing 25% or 10% glucose, in distilled water at 25° C, but no polyol was released under these conditions from arthrospores obtained from growth in 2% glucose medium.     

Comparative analysis of glycogen and trehalose accumulation in methylotrophic and nonmethylotrophic yeasts

Trehalose and glycogen accumulate in certain yeast species when they are exposed to unfavorable growth conditions. Accumulations of these reserve carbohydrates in yeasts provide resistance to stress conditions. The results of this study indicate that certain Pichia species do not accumulate high levels of glycogen and trehalose under normal growth conditions. However, depending on the Pichia species, both saccharides accumulate at high levels when the Pichia cells are exposed to unfavorable or stress-inducing growth conditions. Growth in glycerol or methanol medium mostly led to trehalose accumulation in Pichia species tested in this study. It was shown that the metabolic pathways for glycogen and trehalose biosynthesis are present in Pichia species. However, it appears that the biosynthesis of trehalose and glycogen may be regulated in different manners in Pichia species than in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Published in Russian in Mikrobiologiya, 2006, Vol. 75, No. 6, pp. 737–741. The text was submitted by the author in English.