Influence of fatty acids on the growth of wine microorganisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Oenococcus oeni

The effects of fatty acids, extracted during prefermentation grape skin-contact on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Oenococcus oeni, were studied. The influence of skin-contact on total fatty acid content was evaluated both in Chardonnay must and in synthetic medium. Prior to alcoholic fermentation, the skin-contact contributes to a large enrichment of long-chain fatty acids (C₁₆ to C_18:3). These results induced a positive effect on yeast growth and particularly on cell viability. In the skin-contact fermented media, levels of C₁₂ and especially C₁₀ are lower and macromolecules content higher than in controls. This production of extracellular mannoproteins and the reduction of medium-chain fatty acids in media by S. cerevisiae increased growth of O. oeni. The influence of fatty acids (C₁₀ to C_18:3), in their free and esterified forms, on bacterial growth and on malolactic activity was also examined. Only C₁₀ and C₁₂, especially in their esterified forms, always appeared to be toxic to O. oeni. Received 15 May 1997/ Accepted in revised form 02 December 1997     

Posttranslational modification of ras proteins: detection of a modification prior to fatty acid acylation and cloning of a gene responsible for the modification

Products of ras genes are synthesized as precursors in the cytosol and transported to the plasma membrane by a process which involves posttraslational modification by fatty acid. In this paper, we present evidence for the occurrence in the cytosol of an intermediate modification of ras proteins prior to the fatty acid acylation. The modification is detected by a slight shift in the mobility of the protein on SDS polyacrylamide gel. The fatty acid acylation does not contribute to this mobility shift. This modification is affected by the dprl mutation which has recently been shown to affect the processing of yeast RAS proteins. To further characterize the nature of the modification event, we have cloned DPR1 gene from the DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The gene is actively transcribed in yeast cells producing mRNA of approximately 1.6 kb. Genes related to the DRP1 appear to be present in a distantly related yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe as well as in guinea pig and human cells.     

Influence of oxygen on the biosynthesis of cellular fatty acids,sterols and phospholipids during alcoholic fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii were grown under different O₂ availabilities on grape must. Oxygen requirements for the two yeasts were different: under anaerobic conditions, S. cerevisiae produced a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, and had a greater cell yield and fermentation activity than T. delbrueckii. Addition of ergosterol (25mg/l) and oleic acid (31mg/l) caused total recovery of cellular growth and the fermentation activity of S. cerevisiae in anaerobiosis, but not of T. delbrueckii. However a short period of aeration to a 48 h culture in anaerobiosis, led to total recovery of the cellular growth and fermentation activity in both yeasts. Likewise, the effect of a short aeration period on unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis was similar for both species.     

酿酒酵母Afr1p调控septin蛋白Cdc12p的定位

AFR1最初被鉴定为在过量表达的情况下,可以使细胞产生α因子抗性,同时对融合过程中融合突起的形成起重要作用。Afr1p还具有调节细胞壁完整性途径中的MAPK Mpk1p的定位及活性的功能。该文通过对蛋白定位的观察发现,半乳糖诱导GAL-AFR1过量表达破坏了在出芽过程中Cdc12p的定位;缺失AFR1也会导致Cdc12p定位异常。Western blot结果显示,在营养生长过程中Afr1p稳定表达。这说明,稳定表达的AFR1有调节septin Cdc12p定位的功能,从而对维持septin的结构起到一定的作用。     

A fragment of the yeast DNA repair protein Rad4 confers toxicity to E. coli and is required for its interaction with Rad7 protein

The RAD4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for the incision of damaged DNA during nucleotide excision repair. Plasmids carrying the wild-type RAD4 gene cannot be propagated in Escherichia coli. In this study, a rad4 mutant that can be grown in E. coli was isolated. This rad4 allele is deleted of a large positively charged segment of the RAD4 coding region which is toxic to E. coli when expressed alone. The deletion mutant retains its ability to interact with Rad23 protein but not with Rad7 protein and is defective in nucleotide excision repair. The smallest Rad4 fragment that is toxic to E. coli consists of 336 amino acids with a calculated pI = 9.99.     

The neuA/flmD gene cluster of Helicobacter pylori is involved in flagellar biosynthesis and flagellin glycosylation

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUN family gene products, namely Sim1p, Uth1p, Nca3p and Sun4p, show a high degree of homology among themselves and are closely related to beta-glucosidase of Candida wickerhamii; however, these proteins do not bear such an activity. Dithiothreitol-treatment of intact cells induces the release of Uth1p, Sun4p and Sim1p from the cell wall. These highly glycosylated proteins are thus non-covalently bound to the cell wall. Two of them, Uth1p and Sun4p, have also been found in mitochondria. Sub-localization experiments show that Uth1p is inserted in the outer mitochondrial membrane and that Sun4p is preferentially a matrix protein. The physiological significance of this double localization is discussed in relation to the roles of these proteins in different cellular processes, namely mitochondrial biogenesis and cell septation.     

酿酒酵母全基因组SNARE蛋白的亚细胞定位研究

在真核细胞中,内质网、高尔基体、质膜等膜结构间的蛋白质运输主要通过囊泡出芽和融合实现。SNARE蛋白家族在介导囊泡与目的膜结构融合过程中发挥关键作用。在模式生物酿酒酵母中,对全基因组SNARE蛋白的系统研究仍有不足。此研究构建了一套用于标记酿酒酵母基因组全部24种SNARE的工具质粒。该系列质粒既能呈现出良好的定位特征,又避免了过度表达造成的定位异常。通过与细胞器标记共定位验证了SNARE蛋白的亚细胞定位。结果发现3种SNARE的定位与之前报道不符:Bos1定位于早高尔基体,Snc1和Bet1定位于晚高尔基体/早内体。另外,Sec9定位于芽尖和芽颈,这是首次观察到Sec9在活酵母细胞中的定位。这项工作首次全面的检验了酵母SNARE家族蛋白的亚细胞定位,为后续SNARE蛋白功能研究提供了新线索,并为相关研究提供了一套工具质粒。